Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Middelburg and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,283 in Middelburg, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Middelburg
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Middelburg Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Middelburg

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,283

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,283 per month in Middelburg vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Middelburg $2,283
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $3,354 per month in Middelburg vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Middelburg $3,354
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $4,425 per month in Middelburg vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Middelburg $4,425
Istanbul $3,281

Middelburg costs about 47% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Middelburg and Istanbul sit above the global median – Middelburg by 69%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.10 €11.65

$12.30 ₺609

6.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.9 €80.0

$54.7 ₺2,708

64.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.20 €10.86

$9.22 ₺456

32.32%

Cappuccino

$4.11 €3.65

$4.40 ₺218

-6.59%

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

$3.41 €3.04

$1.68 ₺83.1

102.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 €2.84

$0.59 ₺29.40

440.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.01 €6.23

$4.70 ₺233

49.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 €6.13

$5.91 ₺292

16.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.21 ₺60.0

12.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 €1.96

$0.89 ₺44.10

148.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.19 ₺108

-10.05%

Eggs

$4.45 €3.95

$2.35 ₺116

89.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 €10.96

$10.42 ₺516

18.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.89 €11.47

$5.65 ₺280

128.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.18 €17.06

$20.94 ₺1,037

-8.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$1.90 ₺94.1

41.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.31 ₺114

-2.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.28 ₺63.1

58.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.55 €3.16

$1.80 ₺89.0

97.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.65 ₺32.16

98.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.64 ₺31.91

78.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.25 ₺62.1

-10.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.82

$0.56 ₺27.58

64.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.61 €10.32

$2.37 ₺118

389.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.78 €5.14

$13.42 ₺664

-56.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$2.40 ₺119

-43.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 €1.65

$3.48 ₺172

-46.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 €4.09

$1.29 ₺64.1

255.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.46 €3.08

$0.92 ₺45.70

276.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.26 €29.58

$10.96 ₺542

203.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 €2.06

$1.47 ₺72.9

57.82%

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

$41.7K €37.1K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-17.95%

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

$38.1K €33.9K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-14.33%

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

$142 €127

$88.6 ₺4,387

60.60%

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

$28.79 €25.60

$11.59 ₺574

148.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.9 €47.91

$15.81 ₺783

240.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.01 €40.03

$77.2 ₺3,820

-41.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.09 €12.53

$22.74 ₺1,126

-38.04%

Cinema Ticket

$10.14 €9.02

$8.14 ₺403

24.57%

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

$2,381 €2,117

$1,008 ₺49.9K

136.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.4K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-54.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.4 €84.9

$54.0 ₺2,671

76.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.76 €38.93

$40.83 ₺2,021

7.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.2

$98.9 ₺4,895

7.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 €124

$96.6 ₺4,783

44.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 €1,252

$985 ₺48.7K

42.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 €1,081

$650 ₺32.2K

87.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,045 €1,819

$1,983 ₺98.2K

3.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,874 €1,667

$1,180 ₺58.4K

58.85%

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)

$4,112 €3,658

$1,205 ₺59.7K

241.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

40.92

-91.69%

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

Last update for Middelburg: 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

Middelburg

$1.2K 53.2%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 46.5% $566

Groceries & Markets

Middelburg

$317 13.9%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 18% $57

Eating Out

Middelburg

$266 11.6%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 16% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Middelburg

$225 9.9%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 48.4% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Middelburg

$173 7.6%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 24.6% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Middelburg

$65 2.9%

Istanbul

$93 6% 43.1% $28

Getting Around

Middelburg

$22 * 1%

Istanbul

$77 5% 251% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,407 in Middelburg 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 241% higher in Middelburg, 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 Middelburg versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $317 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Middelburg

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

17:09 5:09 PM

18:09 6:09 PM

1 h ahead of Middelburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,345

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

Middelburg Istanbul 2,260 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Middelburg
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

Middelburg vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Middelburg is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,425 per month in Middelburg 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90.0 in Middelburg and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Middelburg, 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 Middelburg at $2,283. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Middelburg 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, Middelburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.