Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Dendermonde

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,516 a month against $2,065 in Dendermonde, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Dendermonde
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Dendermonde Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Dendermonde

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,065

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Dendermonde

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 Dendermonde actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,516 in Istanbul versus $2,065 in Dendermonde.

Istanbul $1,516
Dendermonde $2,065

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,356 in Istanbul versus $2,905 in Dendermonde.

Istanbul $2,356
Dendermonde $2,905

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,197 in Istanbul versus $3,746 in Dendermonde.

Istanbul $3,197
Dendermonde $3,746

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 27% less than in Dendermonde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 11% above, Dendermonde 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 ₺577

$22.06 €19.82

-47.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,725

$73.0 €65.5

-25.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 ₺468

$13.56 €12.18

-30.75%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₺211

$3.48 €3.13

21.55%

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

$1.72 ₺85.6

$2.75 €2.47

-37.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₺28.26

$2.21 €1.98

-74.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 ₺232

$5.50 €4.94

-15.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 ₺341

$3.96 €3.55

72.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺60.0

$1.35 €1.21

-11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₺46.97

$2.70 €2.43

-65.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ₺112

$2.05 €1.84

9.27%

Eggs

$2.42 ₺121

$3.79 €3.41

-36.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 ₺510

$11.62 €10.44

-11.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.38 ₺268

$12.01 €10.79

-55.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.19 ₺1,056

$19.22 €17.27

10.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₺94.3

$2.83 €2.54

-33.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 ₺111

$2.20 €1.98

0.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺62.7

$2.16 €1.94

-41.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ₺90.0

$2.29 €2.06

-20.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ₺34.84

$2.25 €2.02

-68.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.13

$1.74 €1.57

-63.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ₺60.9

$1.49 €1.34

-18.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₺27.35

$0.93 €0.84

-40.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₺116

$13.15 €11.81

-82.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 ₺663

$7.06 €6.34

88.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₺116

$1.98 €1.78

17.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₺172

$1.79 €1.61

93.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ₺45.18

$3.07 €2.76

-70.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,306

$62.2 €55.9

6.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.2

$10.04 €9.02

-87.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₺42.66

$2.50 €2.24

-65.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺553

$24.67 €22.16

-55.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₺70.8

$2.08 €1.87

-31.73%

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

$49.2K ₺2.5M

$35.8K €32.2K

37.27%

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

$42.8K ₺2.1M

$36.7K €33.0K

16.51%

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

$87.7 ₺4,373

$207 €186

-57.66%

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

$11.28 ₺562

$18.43 €16.55

-38.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺792

$52.9 €47.51

-69.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 ₺3,783

$41.80 €37.55

81.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,148

$17.70 €15.90

30.17%

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 ₺409

$14.57 €13.09

-43.72%

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

$1,028 ₺51.2K

$706 €634

45.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K ₺1.3M

$16.4K €14.7K

58.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,658

$99.3 €89.2

-46.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ₺1,978

$26.42 €23.73

50.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 ₺4,972

$90.1 €81.0

10.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,661

$143 €128

-34.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 ₺50.0K

$837 €752

19.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₺31.3K

$824 €740

-23.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 ₺97.8K

$1,590 €1,428

23.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺55.9K

$976 €876

14.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,075 ₺153.2K

$4,741 €4,258

-35.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 ₺87.3K

$3,248 €2,917

-46.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,180 ₺58.8K

$3,387 €3,043

-65.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

3.52

1055.97%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Last update for Dendermonde: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$628 41.5%

Dendermonde

$824 39.9% 31.2% $196

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Dendermonde

$319 15.4% 23.5% $61

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.4%

Dendermonde

$314 15.2% 44.3% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Dendermonde

$161 7.8% 25.2% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$115 7.6%

Dendermonde

$279 13.5% 142% $164

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$92 6.1%

Dendermonde

$71 3.4% 23.1% $21

Getting Around

Istanbul

$76 5%

Dendermonde

$97 4.7% 28.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,003 in Istanbul and $837 in Dendermonde. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dendermonde pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $73 in Dendermonde for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $319 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇪 Dendermonde

🕒 Local time

03:10 3:10 AM

01:10 1:10 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

44,768

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Dendermonde 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Dendermonde

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 Dendermonde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,516 in Istanbul and $2,065 in Dendermonde, so Istanbul is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 65% lower in Istanbul. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,003 in Istanbul versus $837 in Dendermonde. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dendermonde runs roughly 6% less than in Istanbul. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,028 in Istanbul versus $706 in Dendermonde. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Istanbul is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Dendermonde are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Istanbul wins on affordability, Dendermonde on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.