Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulm and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,139 in Ulm, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Ulm
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Ulm Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Ulm

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,139

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,139 per month in Ulm vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Ulm $2,139
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $3,265 per month in Ulm vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Ulm $3,265
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $4,390 per month in Ulm vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Ulm $4,390
Istanbul $3,272

Ulm costs about 40% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ulm and Istanbul sit above the global median – Ulm by 60%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.64 €14.85

$11.88 ₺585

40.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.4 €59.3

$55.1 ₺2,714

20.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.29 €11.86

$9.14 ₺450

45.40%

Cappuccino

$3.80 €3.39

$4.24 ₺209

-10.38%

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

$4.67 €4.16

$1.75 ₺86.0

166.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.73

$0.54 ₺26.83

257.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.67 €4.17

$4.69 ₺231

-0.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.95

$5.97 ₺294

-25.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 €1.30

$1.26 ₺62.1

15.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 €1.76

$0.95 ₺46.81

108.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.18 €3.73

$2.31 ₺114

80.95%

Eggs

$3.61 €3.22

$2.47 ₺122

46.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.40 €12.85

$10.55 ₺520

36.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.23 €9.13

$5.60 ₺276

82.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.47 €22.73

$21.21 ₺1,045

20.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 €3.11

$1.93 ₺95.1

80.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.29 ₺113

-1.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.28 ₺63.1

54.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 €3.47

$1.84 ₺90.8

111.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.93

$0.67 ₺32.86

55.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$0.59 ₺29.31

91.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.33 ₺65.4

26.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$0.59 ₺29.10

105.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 €8.89

$2.36 ₺116

322.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.03

$13.47 ₺664

-58.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$2.42 ₺119

-52.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$3.54 ₺174

-57.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.19 €2.84

$0.83 ₺40.64

284.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.6 €57.7

$66.5 ₺3,273

-2.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.47 ₺72.3

43.54%

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

$32.7K €29.2K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-36.64%

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

$38.6K €34.5K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-13.10%

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

$384 €342

$89.2 ₺4,395

330.14%

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

$34.18 €30.50

$11.60 ₺572

194.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 €47.12

$16.10 ₺793

228.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.91 €30.26

$77.3 ₺3,805

-56.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.47 €20.05

$22.66 ₺1,116

-0.84%

Cinema Ticket

$13.50 €12.05

$8.34 ₺411

61.87%

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

$451 €402

$974 ₺48.0K

-53.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.5K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-49.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.9

$52.7 ₺2,597

72.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 €49.37

$39.16 ₺1,929

41.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 €82.5

$103 ₺5,083

-10.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 €134

$96.6 ₺4,759

55.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 €855

$994 ₺49.0K

-3.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$629 ₺31.0K

20.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 €1,684

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-6.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 €1,352

$1,155 ₺56.9K

31.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,993 €5,349

$3,160 ₺155.7K

89.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,946 €3,522

$1,838 ₺90.5K

114.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,754 €3,350

$1,203 ₺59.3K

211.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.97

41.09

-90.34%

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

Last update for Ulm: 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

Ulm

$756 35%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 16.7% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulm

$471 21.8%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 75.2% $354

Groceries & Markets

Ulm

$341 15.8%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 22.6% $77

Eating Out

Ulm

$277 12.9%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 21.4% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Ulm

$175 8.1%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 24.9% $44

Getting Around

Ulm

$77 * 3.6%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 2.6% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Ulm

$61 2.8%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 54.2% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $958 in Ulm 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 212% higher in Ulm, 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 $66.0 in Ulm versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $341 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Ulm

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

06:16 6:16 AM

1 h ahead of Ulm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

121,648

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Ulm Istanbul 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ulm
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

Ulm vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,208 per month in Ulm 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 $451 per month in Ulm 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 29% more in Ulm, 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 Ulm at $2,139. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ulm 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, Ulm makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.