Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Hilversum

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,920 in Hilversum, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
142

Cost of Living Index in Hilversum
Learn more

Hilversum Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Hilversum

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,920

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Hilversum

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,920 in Hilversum.

Istanbul $1,550
Hilversum $2,920

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $4,236 in Hilversum.

Istanbul $2,415
Hilversum $4,236

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $5,553 in Hilversum.

Istanbul $3,281
Hilversum $5,553

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 47% less than in Hilversum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Hilversum 116% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$27.73 €24.67

-55.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$79.5 €70.7

-31.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$16.70 €14.85

-44.79%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$4.30 €3.82

2.33%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$3.92 €3.49

-57.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$2.98 €2.65

-80.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$5.53 €4.92

-15.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$5.53 €4.92

6.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.81 €1.61

-33.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.37 €2.11

-62.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$3.47 €3.09

-36.89%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$5.27 €4.69

-55.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$14.30 €12.72

-27.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$13.89 €12.35

-59.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$16.46 €14.64

27.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.53 €2.25

-24.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.68 €2.38

-13.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.71 €2.41

-52.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$5.21 €4.63

-65.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.89 €1.68

-65.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.23 €1.98

-71.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.48 €1.32

-15.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.14 €1.02

-50.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$12.60 €11.21

-81.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$6.83 €6.07

96.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.48 €1.31

62.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.72 €2.42

27.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.62 €3.22

-75.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$66.0 €58.7

2.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.50 €4.89

-76.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$3.44 €3.06

-73.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$22.12 €19.67

-50.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.39 €2.13

-38.49%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$41.8K €37.2K

21.43%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$42.6K €37.9K

4.58%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$265 €236

-66.55%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$28.28 €25.15

-59.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$63.2 €56.2

-74.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$68.0 €60.5

13.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$33.61 €29.89

-32.34%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$16.73 €14.88

-51.34%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$678 €603

48.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$15.6K €13.9K

63.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$113 €100

-52.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$47.90 €42.60

-14.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$90.3 €80.4

9.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$141 €126

-31.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,683 €1,497

-41.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$1,432 €1,274

-54.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$2,924 €2,601

-32.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$2,281 €2,029

-48.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$6,800 €6,049

-53.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$5,225 €4,648

-65.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$3,910 €3,478

-69.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.3

851.63%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Hilversum: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Hilversum

$1.4K 49.1% 120% $782

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Hilversum

$360 12.3% 38.8% $101

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Hilversum

$390 13.4% 74.6% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Hilversum

$177 6.1% 35.2% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Hilversum

$356 12.2% 207% $240

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Hilversum

$101 3.5% 8.5% $8

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Hilversum

$103 3.5% 34.2% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $1,683 in Hilversum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hilversum pays 224% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $80.0 in Hilversum for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $360 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇳🇱 Hilversum

🕒 Local time

09:00 9:00 AM

08:00 8:00 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

93,345

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Hilversum 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Hilversum

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 Hilversum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Hilversum differ by about 88% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $2,920 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 224% lower in Hilversum. 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: $985 in Istanbul versus $1,683 in Hilversum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Istanbul runs roughly 2% less than in Hilversum. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $678 in Hilversum. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,920 in Hilversum, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Hilversum. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Hilversum are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Istanbul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 88% less than in Hilversum. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.