Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Goes

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $2,593 in Goes, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Istanbul, Turkey
Goes, Netherlands
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,525
/mo nomad
Goes
🇳🇱 Netherlands
$2,593
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Goes

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $2,593 in Goes, rent included.

  • Istanbul $1,525
  • Goes $2,593

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $3,733 in Goes, rent included.

  • Istanbul $2,390
  • Goes $3,733

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $4,873 in Goes, rent included.

  • Istanbul $3,256
  • Goes $4,873

Istanbul is about 41% cheaper than Goes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Goes sit above the global median – Istanbul by 13%, Goes by 91%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Goes
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.96 ₺595
$16.51 €14.72
-27.56%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$57.2 ₺2,847
$72.7 €64.8
-21.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.51 ₺473
$14.84 €13.23
-35.92%
Cappuccino
$4.40 ₺219
$4.89 €4.36
-10.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 ₺87.0
$3.24 €2.89
-45.99%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺27.70
$2.81 €2.50
-80.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.71 ₺234
$6.57 €5.85
-28.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.14 ₺305
$5.67 €5.05
8.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Goes
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.24 ₺61.9
$1.47 €1.31
-15.65%
White Bread (500g)
$0.95 ₺47.47
$2.40 €2.14
-60.42%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.28 ₺114
$3.71 €3.31
-38.54%
Eggs
$2.45 ₺122
$5.25 €4.68
-53.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.56 ₺525
$15.14 €13.49
-30.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.50 ₺274
$14.91 €13.29
-63.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.65 ₺1,077
$15.87 €14.14
36.42%
Apples (1kg)
$1.83 ₺91.0
$2.78 €2.48
-34.17%
Banana (1kg)
$2.29 ₺114
$2.48 €2.21
-7.66%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 ₺63.7
$1.87 €1.66
-31.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.82 ₺90.5
$5.62 €5.01
-67.62%
Potato (1kg)
$0.66 ₺32.89
$1.81 €1.61
-63.54%
Onion (1kg)
$0.63 ₺31.28
$2.80 €2.50
-77.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.27 ₺63.1
$1.28 €1.14
-0.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺27.75
$0.87 €0.77
-35.63%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.36 ₺117
$14.06 €12.53
-83.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.98 ₺645
$6.98 €6.22
85.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.48 ₺123
$1.29 €1.15
92.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.50 ₺174
$2.61 €2.33
34.10%
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Goes
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.82 ₺40.96
$3.40 €3.03
-75.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.2 ₺3,243
$88.0 €78.4
-25.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.33 ₺66.0
$4.07 €3.63
-67.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.90 ₺44.81
$2.80 €2.50
-67.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.91 ₺542
$29.59 €26.38
-63.13%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.43 ₺71.0
$2.42 €2.16
-40.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$49.6K ₺2.5M
$42.0K €37.5K
17.95%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$43.2K ₺2.1M
$38.6K €34.4K
11.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Goes
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.8 ₺4,415
$340 €303
-73.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.69 ₺582
$22.78 €20.30
-48.68%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.09 ₺800
$61.6 €54.9
-73.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Goes
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$76.3 ₺3,793
$40.24 €35.86
89.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.72 ₺1,130
$23.47 €20.92
-3.20%
Cinema Ticket
$8.26 ₺411
$14.53 €12.95
-43.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Goes
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,015 ₺50.5K
$2,996 €2,670
-66.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.8K ₺1.3M
$5,979 €5,329
332.11%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Goes
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.3 ₺2,648
$93.8 €83.6
-43.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.55 ₺2,017
$42.63 €37.99
-4.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100 ₺4,979
$86.7 €77.3
15.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.5 ₺4,652
$99.0 €88.2
-5.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Goes
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$977 ₺48.6K
$1,415 €1,261
-30.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$627 ₺31.2K
$1,172 €1,045
-46.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,980 ₺98.5K
$2,429 €2,165
-18.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,147 ₺57.0K
$1,880 €1,675
-38.98%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,095 ₺154.0K
$5,254 €4,683
-41.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,787 ₺88.9K
$4,444 €3,961
-59.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Goes
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,213 ₺60.3K
$3,080 €2,745
-60.61%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
40.69
3.95
930.13%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Goes: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$627
Goes
$1.2K 87% $546
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$263
Goes
$359 36.6% $96
Eating Out
Istanbul
$222
Goes
$304 36.7% $82
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$129
Goes
$145 12.1% $16
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$117
Goes
$425 264% $308
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$93
Goes
$69 25.3% $23
Getting Around
Istanbul
$74
Goes
$120 61% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $1,415 in Goes. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Goes are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in Istanbul versus $73 in Goes. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $359 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇳🇱 Goes
🕒 Local time
10:11 10:11 AM
08:11 8:11 AM
2 h behind Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
27,495
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 49.74 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.8 TRY (100 TRY = 1.79 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Goes 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Goes

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 Goes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Istanbul cheaper than Goes?
Yes – Goes is pricier by about 70%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $3,890 in Goes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Istanbul, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $977 there versus $1,415 in Goes.
What are total monthly expenses in Istanbul and in Goes?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,525 in Istanbul and $2,593 in Goes. That’s a gap of about 70%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 26% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 enough to cover costs in Istanbul or in Goes?
$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,525 in Istanbul and $2,593 in Goes. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is Istanbul or Goes more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Istanbul or Goes?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Goes makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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