Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mortsel and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $2,130 in Mortsel, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Mortsel
Learn more

Mortsel Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Mortsel

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,130

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,130 per month in Mortsel vs $1,525 in Istanbul, rent included.

Mortsel $2,130
Istanbul $1,525

A couple spends around $3,214 per month in Mortsel vs $2,390 in Istanbul, rent included.

Mortsel $3,214
Istanbul $2,390

A family of three spends $4,298 per month in Mortsel vs $3,256 in Istanbul, rent included.

Mortsel $4,298
Istanbul $3,256

Mortsel costs about 40% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mortsel and Istanbul sit above the global median – Mortsel by 57%, Istanbul by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.95 €19.53

$11.96 ₺592

83.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 €94.6

$57.2 ₺2,834

85.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.26 €11.80

$9.51 ₺471

39.43%

Cappuccino

$4.24 €3.77

$4.40 ₺218

-3.64%

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

$3.38 €3.01

$1.75 ₺86.6

93.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 €2.60

$0.56 ₺27.57

421.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.33 €4.74

$4.71 ₺233

13.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$6.14 ₺304

-8.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.24 ₺61.6

8.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 €2.45

$0.95 ₺47.25

189.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.28 ₺113

-5.26%

Eggs

$3.99 €3.55

$2.45 ₺121

62.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.39 €15.47

$10.56 ₺523

64.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.95 €10.63

$5.50 ₺272

117.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.09 €20.54

$21.65 ₺1,072

6.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.47

$1.83 ₺90.6

51.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$2.29 ₺113

1.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$1.28 ₺63.4

106.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.53

$1.82 ₺90.1

56.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.66 ₺32.74

227.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$0.63 ₺31.14

198.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.27 ₺62.8

7.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$0.56 ₺27.62

80.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.18 €11.72

$2.36 ₺117

458.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.79 €7.82

$12.98 ₺642

-32.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.48 ₺123

-21.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.50 ₺174

-35.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 €2.69

$0.82 ₺40.77

268.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.0 €52.5

$65.2 ₺3,228

-9.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.56 €4.95

$1.33 ₺65.7

318.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 €2.43

$0.90 ₺44.60

203.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.72 €21.98

$10.91 ₺540

126.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.43 ₺70.7

43.36%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$49.6K ₺2.5M

-28.39%

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

$33.6K €29.9K

$43.2K ₺2.1M

-22.26%

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

$221 €197

$88.8 ₺4,395

149.51%

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

$20.75 €18.46

$11.69 ₺579

77.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.34 €41.22

$16.09 ₺797

188.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.60 €31.66

$76.3 ₺3,776

-53.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.83 €17.64

$22.72 ₺1,125

-12.72%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 €13.42

$8.26 ₺409

82.69%

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

$565 €502

$1,015 ₺50.2K

-44.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K €18.7K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-18.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 €98.0

$53.3 ₺2,636

106.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.79 €42.51

$40.55 ₺2,008

17.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.7

$100 ₺4,956

4.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 €132

$93.5 ₺4,630

58.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$914 €813

$977 ₺48.4K

-6.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$812 €722

$627 ₺31.0K

29.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 €1,251

$1,980 ₺98.0K

-28.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,194 €1,062

$1,147 ₺56.8K

4.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,134 €3,677

$3,095 ₺153.2K

33.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,946 €2,620

$1,787 ₺88.5K

64.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,323 €2,066

$1,213 ₺60.1K

91.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

40.69

-91.50%

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

Last update for Mortsel: October 17, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mortsel

$812 38.1%

Istanbul

$627 41.1% 22.8% $185

Groceries & Markets

Mortsel

$359 16.9%

Istanbul

$263 17.2% 26.9% $97

Eating Out

Mortsel

$329 15.5%

Istanbul

$222 14.6% 32.6% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mortsel

$289 13.6%

Istanbul

$117 7.6% 59.6% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Mortsel

$185 8.7%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 29.9% $55

Getting Around

Mortsel

$90 4.2%

Istanbul

$74 4.9% 17.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Mortsel

$66 3.1%

Istanbul

$93 6.1% 41.1% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $914 in Mortsel versus $977 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 92% higher in Mortsel, 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 $106 in Mortsel versus $57.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $359 vs $263 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Mortsel

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

22:28 10:28 PM

23:28 11:28 PM

1 h ahead of Mortsel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,525

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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Mortsel
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

Mortsel vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mortsel is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,194 per month in Mortsel and $2,287 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 $565 per month in Mortsel and $1,015 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Mortsel, 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 $1,525, than in Mortsel at $2,130. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mortsel 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, Mortsel makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.