Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Ulm

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,139 in Ulm, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Ulm
Learn more

Ulm Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Ulm

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,139

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Ulm

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $2,139 in Ulm, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Ulm $2,139

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $3,265 in Ulm, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Ulm $3,265

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $4,390 in Ulm, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Ulm $4,390

Istanbul is about 29% cheaper than Ulm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Ulm sit above the global median – Istanbul by 14%, Ulm by 60%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$16.64 €14.85

-28.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$66.4 €59.3

-17.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$13.29 €11.86

-31.23%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$3.80 €3.39

11.58%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$4.67 €4.16

-62.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$1.93 €1.73

-72.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$4.67 €4.17

0.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$4.42 €3.95

35.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.45 €1.30

-13.10%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.98 €1.76

-52.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$4.18 €3.73

-44.74%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$3.61 €3.22

-31.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$14.40 €12.85

-26.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$10.23 €9.13

-45.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$25.47 €22.73

-16.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$3.48 €3.11

-44.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.25 €2.01

1.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.98 €1.77

-35.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$3.89 €3.47

-52.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.04 €0.93

-35.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.13 €1.01

-47.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.68 €1.50

-20.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$1.21 €1.08

-51.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$9.97 €8.89

-76.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$5.64 €5.03

138.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.15 €1.02

110.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.49 €1.33

137.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$3.19 €2.84

-73.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$64.6 €57.7

2.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$2.11 €1.88

-30.33%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$32.7K €29.2K

57.83%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$38.6K €34.5K

15.08%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$384 €342

-76.75%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$34.18 €30.50

-66.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$52.8 €47.12

-69.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$33.91 €30.26

127.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$22.47 €20.05

0.85%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$13.50 €12.05

-38.22%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$451 €402

116.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$12.9K €11.5K

99.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$90.7 €80.9

-41.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$55.3 €49.37

-29.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$92.4 €82.5

11.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$150 €134

-35.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$958 €855

3.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$756 €674

-16.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$1,887 €1,684

7.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$1,515 €1,352

-23.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$5,993 €5,349

-47.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$3,946 €3,522

-53.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$3,754 €3,350

-67.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

3.97

935.01%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Ulm: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Ulm

$756 35% 20.1% $126

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Ulm

$341 15.8% 29.2% $77

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Ulm

$277 12.9% 27.2% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Ulm

$175 8.1% 33.2% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Ulm

$471 21.8% 303% $354

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Ulm

$61 2.8% 35.1% $33

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Ulm

$77 * 3.6% 2.7% $2

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $958 in Ulm. 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 212% higher in Ulm, 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 $66.0 in Ulm. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $341 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇩🇪 Ulm

🕒 Local time

06:58 6:58 AM

05:58 5:58 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

121,648

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Ulm 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Ulm

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 Ulm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ulm is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $3,208 in Ulm. 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 $451 in Ulm. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Ulm, 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 Ulm at $2,139. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ulm 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, Ulm makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.