Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Netherlands and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,659 in the Netherlands, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in the Netherlands
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Netherlands Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,659

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: The Netherlands is 40.1% more expensive than Istanbul without rent, and 74.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: The Netherlands is 42.4% more expensive than Istanbul without rent, and 58.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.46 €20.04

$11.88 ₺585

89.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.9 €80.2

$55.1 ₺2,714

63.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.89 €12.39

$9.14 ₺450

51.97%

Cappuccino

$4.16 €3.71

$4.24 ₺209

-1.89%

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

$3.69 €3.30

$1.75 ₺86.0

110.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 €2.81

$0.54 ₺26.83

483.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.62 €5.91

$4.69 ₺231

41.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.48 €4.89

$5.97 ₺294

-8.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.26 ₺62.1

5.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 €2.01

$0.95 ₺46.81

137.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 €2.46

$2.31 ₺114

19.48%

Eggs

$4.93 €4.40

$2.47 ₺122

99.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 €12.42

$10.55 ₺520

31.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.32 €12.78

$5.60 ₺276

155.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.09 €15.25

$21.21 ₺1,045

-19.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.93 ₺95.1

36.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.48 €2.22

$2.29 ₺113

8.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.28 ₺63.1

61.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 €3.79

$1.84 ₺90.8

130.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$0.67 ₺32.86

179.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$0.59 ₺29.31

218.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.33 ₺65.4

-4.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.80

$0.59 ₺29.10

52.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 €12.40

$2.36 ₺116

488.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.79 €6.06

$13.47 ₺664

-49.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.36

$2.42 ₺119

-37.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 €2.33

$3.54 ₺174

-26.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.88 €3.46

$0.83 ₺40.64

367.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 €84.8

$66.5 ₺3,273

43.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.53 €4.04

$1.35 ₺66.6

235.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.04 €2.71

$0.85 ₺42.05

257.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.23 €29.66

$10.86 ₺535

205.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.50 €2.23

$1.47 ₺72.3

70.07%

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

$40.8K €36.4K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-20.92%

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

$39.2K €35.0K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-11.82%

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

$261 €233

$89.2 ₺4,395

192.87%

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

$22.50 €20.08

$11.60 ₺572

93.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.3 €45.76

$16.10 ₺793

218.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.47 €37.90

$77.3 ₺3,805

-45.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.73 €22.96

$22.66 ₺1,116

13.55%

Cinema Ticket

$15.43 €13.77

$8.34 ₺411

85.01%

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

$2,256 €2,014

$974 ₺48.0K

131.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,006 €8,037

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-65.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.9 €85.6

$52.7 ₺2,597

81.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.51 €37.93

$39.16 ₺1,929

8.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.1

$103 ₺5,083

2.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

$96.6 ₺4,759

38.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,625 €1,450

$994 ₺49.0K

63.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 €1,174

$629 ₺31.0K

109.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 €2,293

$2,024 ₺99.7K

26.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,022 €1,804

$1,155 ₺56.9K

75.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,529 €5,826

$3,160 ₺155.7K

106.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,871 €4,347

$1,838 ₺90.5K

165.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,761 €3,356

$1,203 ₺59.3K

212.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.86

41.09

-90.61%

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

Last update for the Netherlands: 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

Netherlands

$1.3K 48.6%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 52.2% $687

Eating Out

Netherlands

$343 12.7%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 36.4% $125

Groceries & Markets

Netherlands

$340 12.6%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 22.5% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Netherlands

$335 12.4%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 65.1% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Netherlands

$170 6.3%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 22.7% $38

Getting Around

Netherlands

$130 4.8%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 42.2% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Netherlands

$73 2.7%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 28.1% $21

Good to know

🇳🇱 Netherlands

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

13:32 1:32 PM

1 h ahead of the Netherlands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,100,715

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

On the map

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Between locations

Netherlands Istanbul 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Netherlands
Istanbul

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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Netherlands

Istanbul

Netherlands

Istanbul

Netherlands vs other spots: cost of living compared

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