Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leiden and Istanbul

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.

137

Cost of Living Index in Leiden
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Leiden Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Leiden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,824

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Leiden and in Istanbul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Leiden and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Leiden $2,824
Istanbul $1,526

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

Leiden $3,929
Istanbul $2,399

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

Leiden $5,034
Istanbul $3,272

Leiden costs about 85% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.79 €17.66

$11.88 ₺585

66.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.5 €80.8

$55.1 ₺2,714

64.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.71 €12.23

$9.14 ₺450

50.00%

Cappuccino

$3.92 €3.50

$4.24 ₺209

-7.55%

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

$3.57 €3.18

$1.75 ₺86.0

104.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 €2.67

$0.54 ₺26.83

453.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.88 €7.04

$4.69 ₺231

68.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 €4.47

$5.97 ₺294

-16.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.26 ₺62.1

-0.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.01

$0.95 ₺46.81

136.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.46 €2.20

$2.31 ₺114

6.49%

Eggs

$4.67 €4.17

$2.47 ₺122

89.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.92 €13.32

$10.55 ₺520

41.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.67 €13.09

$5.60 ₺276

161.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.86 €14.15

$21.21 ₺1,045

-25.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 €2.55

$1.93 ₺95.1

48.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 €2.08

$2.29 ₺113

1.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.28 ₺63.1

54.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 €4.45

$1.84 ₺90.8

170.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 €1.57

$0.67 ₺32.86

161.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$0.59 ₺29.31

225.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.33 ₺65.4

1.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$0.59 ₺29.10

27.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.50 €12.05

$2.36 ₺116

472.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 €6.42

$13.47 ₺664

-46.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.42 ₺119

-37.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 €2.42

$3.54 ₺174

-23.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.89 €2.58

$0.83 ₺40.64

248.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$128 €114

$66.5 ₺3,273

92.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 €3.03

$1.35 ₺66.6

151.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.28 €2.93

$0.85 ₺42.05

285.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.71 €20.26

$10.86 ₺535

109.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.47 ₺72.3

68.03%

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

$41.7K €37.2K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-19.31%

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

$39.0K €34.8K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-12.17%

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

$276 €246

$89.2 ₺4,395

209.31%

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

$15.21 €13.57

$11.60 ₺572

31.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.1 €44.75

$16.10 ₺793

211.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.75 €40.83

$77.3 ₺3,805

-40.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.86 €10.59

$22.66 ₺1,116

-47.66%

Cinema Ticket

$14.64 €13.07

$8.34 ₺411

75.54%

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

$1,749 €1,561

$974 ₺48.0K

79.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K €11.8K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-48.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$118 €105

$52.7 ₺2,597

122.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.74 €42.60

$39.16 ₺1,929

21.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 €104

$103 ₺5,083

13.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €124

$96.6 ₺4,759

44.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,696 €1,513

$994 ₺49.0K

70.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 €1,257

$629 ₺31.0K

123.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,511 €2,240

$2,024 ₺99.7K

24.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,974 €1,762

$1,155 ₺56.9K

70.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,402 €6,605

$3,160 ₺155.7K

134.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,788 €5,165

$1,838 ₺90.5K

214.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,100 €3,659

$1,203 ₺59.3K

240.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

41.09

-93.19%

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

Last update for Leiden: October 3, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leiden

$1.4K 49.7%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 55.3% $779

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leiden

$341 12%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 65.7% $224

Groceries & Markets

Leiden

$341 12%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 22.6% $77

Eating Out

Leiden

$322 11.4%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 32.4% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Leiden

$190 6.7%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 30.8% $58

Getting Around

Leiden

$159 5.6%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 52.7% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Leiden

$75 2.6%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 25.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇳🇱 Leiden

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

07:35 7:35 AM

08:35 8:35 AM

1 h ahead of Leiden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,089

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Leiden
Istanbul

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

Leiden vs Istanbul: 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 $4,235 per month in Leiden and $2,289 in Istanbul. 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 $1,749 per month in Leiden and $974 in Istanbul. 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.