Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mons and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,893 in Mons, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Mons
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Mons Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Mons

🇧🇪 Belgium

$1,893

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,893 per month in Mons vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Mons $1,893
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,798 per month in Mons vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Mons $2,798
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,704 per month in Mons vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Mons $3,704
Istanbul $3,281

Mons costs about 22% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mons and Istanbul sit above the global median – Mons by 40%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.03 €15.15

$12.30 ₺609

38.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.4 €73.3

$54.7 ₺2,708

50.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.05 €8.94

$9.22 ₺456

9.00%

Cappuccino

$2.51 €2.23

$4.40 ₺218

-42.95%

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

$2.74 €2.44

$1.68 ₺83.1

63.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.51

$0.59 ₺29.40

188.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.44

$4.70 ₺233

-17.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 €3.83

$5.91 ₺292

-27.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.21 ₺60.0

-4.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.96

$0.89 ₺44.10

147.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.19 ₺108

0.46%

Eggs

$4.10 €3.64

$2.35 ₺116

74.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.83 €16.75

$10.42 ₺516

80.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.42 €11.05

$5.65 ₺280

119.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.48 €17.33

$20.94 ₺1,037

-6.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.90 ₺94.1

43.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$2.31 ₺114

2.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.31

$1.28 ₺63.1

103.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.79 €2.48

$1.80 ₺89.0

55.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$0.65 ₺32.16

227.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 €1.03

$0.64 ₺31.91

81.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.25 ₺62.1

4.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.56 ₺27.58

91.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.66 €8.59

$2.37 ₺118

307.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.65 €5.02

$13.42 ₺664

-57.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.40 ₺119

-20.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 €1.61

$3.48 ₺172

-47.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 €2.71

$0.89 ₺43.84

241.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.67 €37.06

$67.4 ₺3,338

-38.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.95 €9.74

$1.29 ₺64.1

748.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.85 €2.54

$0.92 ₺45.70

209.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.21 €22.42

$10.96 ₺542

130.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.47 ₺72.9

24.49%

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

$35.7K €31.7K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-29.72%

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

$33.5K €29.8K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-24.82%

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

$223 €198

$88.6 ₺4,387

151.74%

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

$20.52 €18.25

$11.59 ₺574

77.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.91 €40.84

$15.81 ₺783

190.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.32 €23.41

$77.2 ₺3,820

-65.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.37 €16.34

$22.74 ₺1,126

-19.22%

Cinema Ticket

$12.18 €10.84

$8.14 ₺403

49.63%

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

$552 €491

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-45.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K €18.7K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-17.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 €94.7

$54.0 ₺2,671

97.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.28 €41.17

$40.83 ₺2,021

13.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.3

$98.9 ₺4,895

9.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 €131

$96.6 ₺4,783

52.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$686 €610

$985 ₺48.7K

-30.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 €630

$650 ₺32.2K

9.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,031 €917

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-48.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$996 €886

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-15.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,094 €3,641

$3,138 ₺155.4K

30.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,906 €2,585

$1,780 ₺88.1K

63.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,796 €2,487

$1,205 ₺59.7K

131.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.2

40.92

-92.18%

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

Last update for Mons: October 10, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mons

$709 37.4%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 8.3% $59

Groceries & Markets

Mons

$339 17.9%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 23.4% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mons

$290 15.3%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 59.9% $173

Eating Out

Mons

$242 12.8%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 7.8% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Mons

$184 9.7%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 28.8% $53

Getting Around

Mons

$79 4.2%

Istanbul

$77 5% 2.7% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Mons

$51 2.7%

Istanbul

$93 6% 84.3% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $686 in Mons 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 132% higher in Mons, 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 $82.0 in Mons versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $339 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Mons

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

04:38 4:38 AM

05:38 5:38 AM

1 h ahead of Mons

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,721

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

Mons Istanbul 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mons
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

Mons vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mons is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,839 per month in Mons 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 $552 per month in Mons 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 31% more in Mons, 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 Mons at $1,893. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mons 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, Mons makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.