Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Den Helder

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,004 in Den Helder, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Den Helder
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Den Helder Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Den Helder

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,004

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Den Helder

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Istanbul and in Den Helder actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $2,004 in Den Helder, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Den Helder $2,004

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $3,055 in Den Helder, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Den Helder $3,055

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $4,107 in Den Helder, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Den Helder $4,107

Istanbul is about 23% cheaper than Den Helder, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Istanbul and Den Helder sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Den Helder by 48%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$19.62 €17.45

-37.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$52.1 €46.35

4.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$8.43 €7.50

9.37%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.75 €3.33

17.33%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ₺83.1

$3.00 €2.66

-44.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$2.87 €2.55

-79.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$5.13 €4.56

-8.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$4.93 €4.39

19.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.14 €1.01

6.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.22 €1.09

-27.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$0.86 €0.76

154.65%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$4.25 €3.78

-44.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$9.99 €8.89

4.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$14.09 €12.54

-59.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$15.67 €13.94

33.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.61 €2.32

-27.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.99 €1.77

16.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.26 €1.12

1.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$4.27 €3.79

-57.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.39 €1.24

-53.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.00 €0.89

-36.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.95 €0.84

31.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.75 €0.67

-25.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$13.44 €11.95

-82.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.05 €6.27

90.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.31 €1.16

83.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.57 €2.29

35.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$9.32 €8.29

-90.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$154 €137

-56.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$3.87 €3.44

-66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$3.17 €2.82

-70.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$36.72 €32.66

-70.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.38 €2.11

-38.24%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$40.8K €36.3K

24.45%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$38.7K €34.4K

15.07%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$88.6 ₺4,387

$204 €181

-56.48%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.59 ₺574

$15.52 €13.81

-25.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$19.77 €17.59

-20.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$23.92 €21.27

222.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$19.61 €17.44

15.96%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$14.23 €12.66

-42.80%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$1,738 €1,546

-42.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$13.3K €11.8K

91.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$113 €101

-52.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$47.62 €42.35

-14.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$117 €104

-15.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$139 €124

-30.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$895 €796

10.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$740 €658

-12.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,796 €1,597

10.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,344 €1,195

-12.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,920 €2,597

7.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$2,419 €2,152

-50.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

2.8

1361.43%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Den Helder: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Den Helder

$740 36.9% 13.9% $90

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Den Helder

$288 14.4% 10.7% $28

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Den Helder

$286 14.3% 28.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Den Helder

$188 9.4% 43.9% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Den Helder

$239 11.9% 106% $123

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Den Helder

$52 2.6% 44% $41

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Den Helder

$211 10.5% 174% $134

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $895 in Den Helder. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 101% higher in Den Helder, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $52.0 in Den Helder. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Istanbul vs $288 in Den Helder – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇳🇱 Den Helder

🕒 Local time

13:00 1:00 PM

12:00 12:00 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

56,296

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Den Helder 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Den Helder

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Istanbul vs Den Helder: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Den Helder is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $3,005 in Den Helder. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Istanbul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $52.0 in Den Helder. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,550 in Istanbul and $2,004 in Den Helder. That's a gap of about 29%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Den Helder at $2,004. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Den Helder it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Istanbul – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Den Helder makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.