Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between The Hague and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,685 in The Hague, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in The Hague
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The Hague Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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The Hague

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,685

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,685 per month in The Hague vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

The Hague $2,685
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $4,047 per month in The Hague vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

The Hague $4,047
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $5,409 per month in The Hague vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

The Hague $5,409
Istanbul $3,272

The Hague costs about 76% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both The Hague and Istanbul sit above the global median – The Hague by 100%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.22 €19.83

$11.88 ₺585

87.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.9 €80.2

$55.1 ₺2,714

63.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.31 €13.66

$9.14 ₺450

67.51%

Cappuccino

$4.32 €3.86

$4.24 ₺209

1.89%

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

$4.26 €3.80

$1.75 ₺86.0

143.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 €3.74

$0.54 ₺26.83

675.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.14 €6.37

$4.69 ₺231

52.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.81 €6.97

$5.97 ₺294

30.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.26 ₺62.1

18.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.95 ₺46.81

140.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 €2.26

$2.31 ₺114

9.52%

Eggs

$4.55 €4.06

$2.47 ₺122

84.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.90 €13.30

$10.55 ₺520

41.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.82 €11.44

$5.60 ₺276

128.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.01 €16.97

$21.21 ₺1,045

-10.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$1.93 ₺95.1

36.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$2.29 ₺113

-3.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.28 ₺63.1

60.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.58 €3.20

$1.84 ₺90.8

94.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.67 ₺32.86

102.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.59 ₺29.31

118.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.33 ₺65.4

-11.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 €0.78

$0.59 ₺29.10

47.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.60 €13.03

$2.36 ₺116

518.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.81 €5.18

$13.47 ₺664

-56.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.42 ₺119

-46.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$3.54 ₺174

-46.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.43 €3.95

$0.83 ₺40.64

433.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.7 €83.6

$66.5 ₺3,273

41.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.62 €4.12

$1.35 ₺66.6

242.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.44 €3.07

$0.85 ₺42.05

304.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.21 €30.53

$10.86 ₺535

215.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.47 ₺72.3

78.91%

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

$41.2K €36.8K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-20.15%

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

$39.2K €35.0K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-11.79%

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

$280 €250

$89.2 ₺4,395

213.89%

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

$28.43 €25.37

$11.60 ₺572

145.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.2 €48.40

$16.10 ₺793

236.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 €44.82

$77.3 ₺3,805

-34.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.51 €21.87

$22.66 ₺1,116

8.16%

Cinema Ticket

$17.03 €15.20

$8.34 ₺411

104.20%

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

$2,418 €2,157

$974 ₺48.0K

148.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K €10.6K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-53.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 €83.3

$52.7 ₺2,597

76.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.31 €38.65

$39.16 ₺1,929

10.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.5

$103 ₺5,083

2.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €124

$96.6 ₺4,759

43.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,666 €1,487

$994 ₺49.0K

67.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,160

$629 ₺31.0K

106.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,799 €2,498

$2,024 ₺99.7K

38.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,275 €2,030

$1,155 ₺56.9K

96.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,156 €5,494

$3,160 ₺155.7K

94.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,536 €4,048

$1,838 ₺90.5K

146.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,034 €3,600

$1,203 ₺59.3K

235.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

41.09

-91.73%

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

Last update for The Hague: October 3, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

The Hague

$1.3K 47.4%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 51.6% $670

Monthly Utilities & Internet

The Hague

$363 13.2%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 67.8% $246

Eating Out

The Hague

$361 13.2%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 39.6% $143

Groceries & Markets

The Hague

$328 12%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 19.6% $64

Clothing & Footwear

The Hague

$172 6.3%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 23.5% $40

Getting Around

The Hague

$133 4.9%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 43.4% $58

Sport & Entertainment

The Hague

$84 3.1%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 11.4% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,666 in The Hague 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 235% higher in The Hague, 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 The Hague versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 The Hague

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

09:47 9:47 AM

10:47 10:47 AM

1 h ahead of The Hague

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

562,839

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 →

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The Hague Istanbul 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

The Hague
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

The Hague vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – The Hague is pricier by about 76%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,027 per month in The Hague 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 $2,418 per month in The Hague 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 24% more in The Hague, 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 The Hague at $2,685. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in The Hague 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, The Hague makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.