Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maastricht and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,528 in Maastricht, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Maastricht
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Maastricht Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Maastricht

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,528

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,528 per month in Maastricht vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Maastricht $2,528
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $3,646 per month in Maastricht vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Maastricht $3,646
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $4,764 per month in Maastricht vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Maastricht $4,764
Istanbul $3,272

Maastricht costs about 66% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Maastricht and Istanbul sit above the global median – Maastricht by 89%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.54 €18.33

$11.88 ₺585

72.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.9 €80.3

$55.1 ₺2,714

63.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.20 €10.89

$9.14 ₺450

33.48%

Cappuccino

$4.44 €3.96

$4.24 ₺209

4.72%

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

$3.88 €3.47

$1.75 ₺86.0

121.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 €2.80

$0.54 ₺26.83

481.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.64 €7.71

$4.69 ₺231

84.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 €5.13

$5.97 ₺294

-3.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.26 ₺62.1

-0.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 €2.24

$0.95 ₺46.81

164.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.73 €2.44

$2.31 ₺114

18.18%

Eggs

$4.67 €4.17

$2.47 ₺122

89.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.86 €13.26

$10.55 ₺520

40.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 €12.37

$5.60 ₺276

147.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.76 €14.06

$21.21 ₺1,045

-25.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$1.93 ₺95.1

38.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 €2.17

$2.29 ₺113

6.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.28 ₺63.1

47.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 €3.86

$1.84 ₺90.8

135.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.74

$0.67 ₺32.86

189.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 €2.14

$0.59 ₺29.31

306.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.33 ₺65.4

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.59 ₺29.10

42.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.91 €12.41

$2.36 ₺116

489.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.82 €6.09

$13.47 ₺664

-49.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.42 ₺119

-39.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 €2.37

$3.54 ₺174

-25.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.10 €2.77

$0.83 ₺40.64

273.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 €79.7

$66.5 ₺3,273

34.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.17 €9.96

$1.35 ₺66.6

727.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 €2.87

$0.85 ₺42.05

277.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.07 €25.05

$10.86 ₺535

158.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 €2.16

$1.47 ₺72.3

64.63%

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

$41.1K €36.7K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-20.41%

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

$40.0K €35.7K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-10.11%

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

$295 €263

$89.2 ₺4,395

230.77%

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

$17.39 €15.52

$11.60 ₺572

49.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.97 €43.70

$16.10 ₺793

204.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.12 €41.16

$77.3 ₺3,805

-40.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.45 €25.39

$22.66 ₺1,116

25.55%

Cinema Ticket

$15.59 €13.91

$8.34 ₺411

86.93%

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

$1,245 €1,111

$974 ₺48.0K

27.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €10.0K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-56.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 €72.7

$52.7 ₺2,597

54.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.19 €34.08

$39.16 ₺1,929

-2.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €101

$103 ₺5,083

9.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$96.6 ₺4,759

33.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 €1,145

$994 ₺49.0K

29.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,138 €1,016

$629 ₺31.0K

80.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,112 €1,885

$2,024 ₺99.7K

4.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 €1,496

$1,155 ₺56.9K

45.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,385 €4,805

$3,160 ₺155.7K

70.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,551 €3,169

$1,838 ₺90.5K

93.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,251 €2,901

$1,203 ₺59.3K

170.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.42

41.09

-89.24%

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

Last update for Maastricht: October 4, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maastricht

$1.1K 44.8%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 44.7% $509

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maastricht

$361 14.2%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 67.7% $245

Groceries & Markets

Maastricht

$338 13.3%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 21.9% $74

Eating Out

Maastricht

$337 13.3%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 35.3% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Maastricht

$163 6.4%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 19.4% $32

Getting Around

Maastricht

$129 5.1%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 41.5% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Maastricht

$77 3%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 21.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,284 in Maastricht 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 170% higher in Maastricht, 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 $90.0 in Maastricht versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $338 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Maastricht

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

05:35 5:35 AM

06:35 6:35 AM

1 h ahead of Maastricht

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,105

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

Maastricht Istanbul 2,090 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Maastricht
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

Maastricht vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Maastricht is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,791 per month in Maastricht 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 $1,245 per month in Maastricht 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 28% more in Maastricht, 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 Maastricht at $2,528. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maastricht 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, Maastricht makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.