Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Leiden

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,824 in Leiden, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Leiden
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Leiden Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Leiden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,824

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Leiden

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $2,824 in Leiden, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Leiden $2,824

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $3,929 in Leiden, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Leiden $3,929

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $5,034 in Leiden, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Leiden $5,034

Istanbul is about 46% cheaper than Leiden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Leiden sit above the global median – Istanbul by 14%, Leiden by 111%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$19.79 €17.66

-39.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$90.5 €80.8

-39.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$13.71 €12.23

-33.33%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$3.92 €3.50

8.16%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$3.57 €3.18

-50.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$2.99 €2.67

-81.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$7.88 €7.04

-40.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$5.01 €4.47

19.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.25 €1.11

0.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$2.25 €2.01

-57.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.46 €2.20

-6.10%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$4.67 €4.17

-47.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$14.92 €13.32

-29.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$14.67 €13.09

-61.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$15.86 €14.15

33.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.86 €2.55

-32.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.33 €2.08

-1.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.98 €1.77

-35.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$4.98 €4.45

-63.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.75 €1.57

-61.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.92 €1.71

-69.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.35 €1.20

-1.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.75 €0.67

-21.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$13.50 €12.05

-82.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$7.20 €6.42

87.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.51 €1.35

60.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.71 €2.42

30.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$2.89 €2.58

-71.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$128 €114

-48.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$3.40 €3.03

-60.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$3.28 €2.93

-74.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$22.71 €20.26

-52.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$2.47 €2.20

-40.49%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$41.7K €37.2K

23.93%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$39.0K €34.8K

13.85%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$276 €246

-67.67%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$15.21 €13.57

-23.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$50.1 €44.75

-67.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$45.75 €40.83

68.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$11.86 €10.59

91.06%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$14.64 €13.07

-43.03%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$1,749 €1,561

-44.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$13.2K €11.8K

94.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$118 €105

-55.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$47.74 €42.60

-17.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$117 €104

-11.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$139 €124

-30.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$1,696 €1,513

-41.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$1,409 €1,257

-55.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$2,511 €2,240

-19.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$1,974 €1,762

-41.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$7,402 €6,605

-57.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$5,788 €5,165

-68.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$4,100 €3,659

-70.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

2.8

1367.50%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Leiden: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Leiden

$1.4K 49.7% 124% $779

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Leiden

$341 12% 29.2% $77

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Leiden

$322 11.4% 47.8% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Leiden

$190 6.7% 44.5% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Leiden

$341 12% 192% $224

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Leiden

$75 2.6% 20.1% $19

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Leiden

$159 5.6% 111% $84

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $1,696 in Leiden. 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 241% higher in Leiden, 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $91.0 in Leiden. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $341 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇳🇱 Leiden

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

10:16 10:16 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

127,089

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Leiden 2,230 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Leiden

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 Leiden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Leiden is pricier by about 85%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $4,235 in Leiden. 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.

Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Istanbul and $1,749 in Leiden. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Leiden, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Leiden at $2,824. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Leiden 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, Leiden makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.