Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and The Hague

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,685 in The Hague, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 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
133

Cost of Living Index in The Hague
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The Hague Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

The Hague

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in The Hague

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $2,685 in The Hague, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
The Hague $2,685

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $4,047 in The Hague, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
The Hague $4,047

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $5,409 in The Hague, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
The Hague $5,409

Istanbul is about 43% cheaper than The Hague, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and The Hague sit above the global median – Istanbul by 14%, The Hague by 100%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$22.22 €19.83

-46.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$89.9 €80.2

-38.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$15.31 €13.66

-40.30%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$4.32 €3.86

-1.85%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$4.26 €3.80

-58.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$4.19 €3.74

-87.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$7.14 €6.37

-34.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$7.81 €6.97

-23.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.49 €1.33

-15.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$2.28 €2.03

-58.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.53 €2.26

-8.70%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$4.55 €4.06

-45.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$14.90 €13.30

-29.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$12.82 €11.44

-56.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$19.01 €16.97

11.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.63 €2.35

-26.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.21 €1.97

3.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.05 €1.83

-37.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$3.58 €3.20

-48.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.36 €1.22

-50.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.29 €1.15

-54.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.18 €1.06

12.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.87 €0.78

-32.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$14.60 €13.03

-83.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$5.81 €5.18

131.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.29 €1.15

87.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.89 €1.69

87.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$4.43 €3.95

-81.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$93.7 €83.6

-29.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$4.62 €4.12

-70.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$3.44 €3.07

-75.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$34.21 €30.53

-68.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$2.63 €2.34

-44.11%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$41.2K €36.8K

25.23%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$39.2K €35.0K

13.37%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$280 €250

-68.14%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$28.43 €25.37

-59.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$54.2 €48.40

-70.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$50.2 €44.82

53.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$24.51 €21.87

-7.55%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$17.03 €15.20

-51.03%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$2,418 €2,157

-59.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$11.9K €10.6K

116.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$93.3 €83.3

-43.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$43.31 €38.65

-9.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$106 €94.5

-2.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$139 €124

-30.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$1,666 €1,487

-40.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$1,300 €1,160

-51.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$2,799 €2,498

-27.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$2,275 €2,030

-49.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$6,156 €5,494

-48.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$4,536 €4,048

-59.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$4,034 €3,600

-70.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

3.4

1108.53%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for The Hague: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

The Hague

$1.3K 47.4% 107% $670

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

The Hague

$328 12% 24.3% $64

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

The Hague

$361 13.2% 65.5% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

The Hague

$172 6.3% 30.7% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

The Hague

$363 13.2% 210% $246

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

The Hague

$84 3.1% 10.3% $9.6

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

The Hague

$133 4.9% 76.8% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $1,666 in The Hague. 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 235% higher in The Hague, 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 $90.0 in The Hague. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $328 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇳🇱 The Hague

🕒 Local time

11:41 11:41 AM

10:41 10:41 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

562,839

💱 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 The Hague 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
The Hague

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 The Hague: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – The Hague is pricier by about 76%, 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 $4,027 in The Hague. 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 $2,418 in The Hague. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in The Hague, 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 The Hague at $2,685. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in The Hague 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, The Hague makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.