Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Frederikshavn

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $2,079 in Frederikshavn, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Frederikshavn
Learn more

Frederikshavn Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Frederikshavn

🇩🇰 Denmark

$2,079

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Frederikshavn

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $2,079 in Frederikshavn, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Frederikshavn $2,079

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $3,321 in Frederikshavn, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Frederikshavn $3,321

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $4,562 in Frederikshavn, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Frederikshavn $4,562

Istanbul is about 27% cheaper than Frederikshavn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Frederikshavn sit above the global median – Istanbul by 13%, Frederikshavn by 53%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$27.05 DKK 180

-55.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$109 DKK 723

-47.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$13.50 DKK 89.8

-29.56%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$6.12 DKK 40.69

-28.10%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$4.37 DKK 29.07

-59.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$3.16 DKK 21.00

-82.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$7.80 DKK 51.9

-39.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$6.77 DKK 45.01

-9.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.87 DKK 12.42

-33.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$3.63 DKK 24.15

-73.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$2.28 DKK 15.14

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$4.95 DKK 32.90

-50.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$12.20 DKK 81.2

-13.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$11.89 DKK 79.1

-53.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$23.49 DKK 156

-7.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$3.56 DKK 23.67

-48.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$3.29 DKK 21.88

-30.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$3.34 DKK 22.23

-61.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$4.45 DKK 29.58

-59.10%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$1.29 DKK 8.59

-48.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$1.29 DKK 8.57

-51.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.76 DKK 11.71

-27.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.91 DKK 6.07

-38.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$9.13 DKK 60.7

-74.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$7.26 DKK 48.27

78.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$1.81 DKK 12.04

37.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$1.66 DKK 11.07

110.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$3.69 DKK 24.51

-77.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$93.7 DKK 623

-30.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$5.93 DKK 39.45

-77.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$1.88 DKK 12.53

-52.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$51.2 DKK 340

-78.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$2.25 DKK 14.96

-36.44%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$49.8K DKK 331.4K

-0.51%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$48.6K DKK 323.2K

-11.12%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$153 DKK 1,015

-41.84%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$14.11 DKK 93.9

-17.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$27.00 DKK 180

-40.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$31.25 DKK 208

144.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

$24.18 DKK 161

-6.04%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$18.03 DKK 120

-54.19%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$452 DKK 3,006

124.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$2,667 DKK 17.7K

868.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$110 DKK 731

-51.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$49.48 DKK 329

-18.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$114 DKK 758

-12.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$137 DKK 914

-31.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$563 DKK 3,743

73.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$721 DKK 4,797

-13.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$1,042 DKK 6,927

90.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$1,257 DKK 8,360

-8.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$3,467 DKK 23.1K

-10.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$2,287 DKK 15.2K

-21.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$4,503 DKK 29.9K

-73.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

4.17

875.78%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Frederikshavn: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Frederikshavn

$721 34.7% 15% $94

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Frederikshavn

$375 18% 42.8% $112

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Frederikshavn

$413 19.9% 85.9% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Frederikshavn

$185 8.9% 43% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Frederikshavn

$194 9.3% 66.2% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Frederikshavn

$67 3.2% 27.5% $25

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Frederikshavn

$124 6% 66.6% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $563 in Frederikshavn. 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 271% higher in Frederikshavn, 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 $57.0 in Istanbul versus $109 in Frederikshavn. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $375 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇩🇰 Frederikshavn

🕒 Local time

18:57 6:57 PM

17:57 5:57 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

23,423

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Danish Krone DKK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 DKK = 0.15 USD

1 DKK = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DKK, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Danish Krone exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 DKK (1 DKK = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 DKK (1 DKK = 0.134 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Istanbul
Frederikshavn

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 Frederikshavn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Frederikshavn is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $3,118 in Frederikshavn. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,525 in Istanbul and $2,079 in Frederikshavn. That's a gap of about 36%.

Public transport costs about 44% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,525, than in Frederikshavn at $2,079. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Frederikshavn 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, Frederikshavn makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.