Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Ijmuiden

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,569 in Ijmuiden, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Ijmuiden
Learn more

Ijmuiden Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Ijmuiden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,569

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Ijmuiden

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,569 in Ijmuiden.

Istanbul $1,550
Ijmuiden $2,569

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $3,624 in Ijmuiden.

Istanbul $2,415
Ijmuiden $3,624

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $4,679 in Ijmuiden.

Istanbul $3,281
Ijmuiden $4,679

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 40% less than in Ijmuiden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Ijmuiden 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$19.05 €16.94

-35.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$67.2 €59.8

-18.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$12.25 €10.90

-24.73%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$4.42 €3.93

-0.45%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$3.86 €3.43

-56.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$3.10 €2.75

-80.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$3.43 €3.05

37.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$4.94 €4.39

19.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.29 €1.15

-6.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.42 €2.15

-63.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.68 €2.39

-18.28%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$4.55 €4.05

-48.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$14.86 €13.22

-29.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$13.72 €12.21

-58.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$15.69 €13.96

33.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.66 €2.37

-28.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.41 €2.15

-4.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.97 €1.75

-35.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$4.28 €3.81

-57.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.92 €1.71

-66.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.40 €2.14

-73.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.33 €1.18

-6.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.83 €0.74

-32.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$14.13 €12.57

-83.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$6.49 €5.78

106.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.52 €1.36

57.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.76 €2.45

26.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.76 €3.34

-76.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$98.1 €87.3

-31.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$4.18 €3.72

-69.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$3.24 €2.88

-71.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$28.13 €25.02

-61.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.40 €2.13

-38.75%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$42.0K €37.3K

21.00%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$39.3K €34.9K

13.43%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$296 €264

-70.09%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$17.14 €15.24

-32.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$49.35 €43.90

-67.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$36.66 €32.61

110.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$23.71 €21.09

-4.09%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$15.19 €13.51

-46.41%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$1,252 €1,114

-19.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$11.2K €9,994

127.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$81.0 €72.1

-33.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$38.41 €34.16

6.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$112 €99.4

-11.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$125 €111

-22.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,593 €1,417

-38.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$1,213 €1,079

-46.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$2,726 €2,425

-27.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,780 €1,583

-33.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$6,011 €5,346

-47.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$4,400 €3,914

-59.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$4,196 €3,732

-71.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.5

1069.14%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ijmuiden: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Ijmuiden

$1.2K 47.2% 86.7% $563

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Ijmuiden

$335 13.1% 29.1% $76

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Ijmuiden

$297 11.6% 33% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Ijmuiden

$160 6.2% 22.8% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Ijmuiden

$363 14.1% 213% $247

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Ijmuiden

$67 2.6% 28.3% $26

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Ijmuiden

$133 5.2% 73.6% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $1,593 in Ijmuiden. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ijmuiden pays 248% 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 $67.0 in Ijmuiden for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $335 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇳🇱 Ijmuiden

🕒 Local time

12:10 12:10 PM

11:10 11:10 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

31,307

💱 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 Ijmuiden 2,230 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Ijmuiden

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 Ijmuiden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Ijmuiden differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $2,569 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 248% lower in Ijmuiden. 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 $1,593 in Ijmuiden. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $67.0 in Ijmuiden. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,550 per month in Istanbul versus $2,569 in Ijmuiden – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,569 in Ijmuiden, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Ijmuiden. 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 Ijmuiden 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 66% less than in Ijmuiden. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.