Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lelystad and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,716 in Lelystad, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. The total is higher in Lelystad despite lower rent and utilities.

83

Cost of Living Index in Lelystad
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Lelystad Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Lelystad

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$1,716

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lelystad 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 Lelystad and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,716 per month in Lelystad vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lelystad $1,716
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,666 per month in Lelystad vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lelystad $2,666
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,616 per month in Lelystad vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lelystad $3,616
Istanbul $3,281

Lelystad costs about 11% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lelystad and Istanbul sit above the global median – Lelystad by 27%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.35 €19.88

$12.30 ₺609

81.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.3 €75.9

$54.7 ₺2,708

55.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.13 €11.68

$9.22 ₺456

42.41%

Cappuccino

$4.23 €3.76

$4.40 ₺218

-3.86%

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

$2.61 €2.32

$1.68 ₺83.1

55.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.59 ₺29.40

293.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.40 €4.80

$4.70 ₺233

14.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 €4.01

$5.91 ₺292

-23.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.21 ₺60.0

3.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$0.89 ₺44.10

80.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 €2.16

$2.19 ₺108

10.96%

Eggs

$4.39 €3.91

$2.35 ₺116

86.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.65 €5.91

$10.42 ₺516

-36.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.17 €12.61

$5.65 ₺280

150.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.69 €14.85

$20.94 ₺1,037

-20.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.90 ₺94.1

16.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 €2.21

$2.31 ₺114

7.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.28 ₺63.1

45.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 €3.03

$1.80 ₺89.0

89.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 €1.49

$0.65 ₺32.16

156.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.64 ₺31.91

171.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.25 ₺62.1

1.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.71

$0.56 ₺27.58

42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.62 €8.56

$2.37 ₺118

305.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.50 €5.78

$13.42 ₺664

-51.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$2.40 ₺119

-44.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 €2.24

$3.48 ₺172

-27.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 €99.0

$67.4 ₺3,338

64.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.43

$1.29 ₺64.1

198.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.65 €2.36

$0.92 ₺45.70

188.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.29 €23.38

$10.96 ₺542

139.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.47 ₺72.9

46.94%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-33.58%

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

$38.4K €34.1K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-13.81%

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

$245 €218

$88.6 ₺4,387

176.83%

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

$14.38 €12.79

$11.59 ₺574

24.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.80 €29.17

$15.81 ₺783

107.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.98 €37.34

$77.2 ₺3,820

-45.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$13.57 €12.07

$8.14 ₺403

66.71%

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

$2,772 €2,466

$1,008 ₺49.9K

174.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,022 €7,136

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-68.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.9 €85.3

$54.0 ₺2,671

77.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.95 €43.54

$40.83 ₺2,021

19.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 €83.1

$98.9 ₺4,895

-5.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €100

$96.6 ₺4,783

16.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$674 €600

$985 ₺48.7K

-31.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 €399

$650 ₺32.2K

-31.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,190

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-32.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$775 €689

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-34.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,390 €2,126

$1,205 ₺59.7K

98.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.23

40.92

-92.11%

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

Last update for Lelystad: October 12, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lelystad

$448 26.1%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 44.9% $201

Eating Out

Lelystad

$325 18.9%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 31.2% $101

Groceries & Markets

Lelystad

$295 17.2%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 12% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lelystad

$292 17%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 60.3% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Lelystad

$158 9.2%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 17.3% $27

Getting Around

Lelystad

$128 * 7.5%

Istanbul

$77 5% 40.1% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Lelystad

$69 4%

Istanbul

$93 6% 35.2% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $674 in Lelystad versus $985 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 98% higher in Lelystad, 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 $85.0 in Lelystad versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Lelystad

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

09:43 9:43 AM

10:43 10:43 AM

1 h ahead of Lelystad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,598

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lelystad Istanbul 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lelystad
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

Lelystad vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lelystad is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,574 per month in Lelystad and $2,325 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 $2,772 per month in Lelystad and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Lelystad, 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 $1,550, than in Lelystad at $1,716. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lelystad 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, Lelystad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.