Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aja and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Aja: $373 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

18

Cost of Living Index in Aja
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Aja Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Aja

🇪🇬 Egypt

$373

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $373 per month in Aja vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Aja $373
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $608 per month in Aja vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Aja $608
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $843 per month in Aja vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Aja $843
Istanbul $3,212

Aja is about 75% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Aja sits 72% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 E£201

$11.81 ₺591

-68.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.97 E£753

$54.9 ₺2,748

-74.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.83 E£152

$9.26 ₺463

-69.44%

Cappuccino

$1.11 E£60.0

$4.30 ₺215

-74.19%

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

$0.34 E£18.35

$1.77 ₺88.8

-80.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.26

$0.56 ₺28.26

-78.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.26 E£67.7

$4.69 ₺234

-73.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 E£146

$7.12 ₺356

-61.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 E£40.95

$1.25 ₺62.6

-39.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.29 E£15.73

$0.88 ₺44.07

-67.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.53 E£28.69

$2.20 ₺110

-75.91%

Eggs

$1.30 E£70.0

$2.43 ₺122

-46.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.26 E£122

$10.48 ₺524

-78.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.42 E£184

$5.31 ₺266

-35.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.88 E£371

$21.10 ₺1,056

-67.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 E£77.1

$1.86 ₺92.9

-23.12%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 E£29.08

$2.30 ₺115

-76.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.23

$1.22 ₺60.8

-68.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.30 E£15.97

$1.80 ₺90.0

-83.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 E£17.96

$0.69 ₺34.75

-52.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 E£19.75

$0.64 ₺32.09

-42.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.27 E£14.57

$1.36 ₺67.8

-80.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.19

$0.58 ₺28.88

-63.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.82 E£98.0

$2.34 ₺117

-22.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.39 E£236

$13.03 ₺652

-66.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 E£51.2

$2.36 ₺118

-59.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 E£80.8

$3.32 ₺166

-54.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 E£8.97

$0.88 ₺43.97

-80.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,309

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.26 E£13.83

$1.28 ₺64.3

-79.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 E£20.35

$0.85 ₺42.70

-55.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 E£47.12

$11.09 ₺555

-92.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.38 E£20.40

$1.48 ₺73.9

-74.32%

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

$29.6K E£1.6M

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-39.05%

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

$21.4K E£1.2M

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-49.03%

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

$14.28 E£770

$92.7 ₺4,639

-84.60%

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

$3.85 E£208

$11.20 ₺560

-65.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.77 E£419

$15.89 ₺795

-51.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.99 E£808

$74.7 ₺3,737

-79.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,149

Cinema Ticket

$2.63 E£142

$8.05 ₺403

-67.33%

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

$29.44 E£1,587

$948 ₺47.5K

-96.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,222 E£119.8K

$36.9K ₺1.8M

-93.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$9.89 E£533

$53.9 ₺2,696

-81.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.26 E£2,224

$41.49 ₺2,076

-0.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.0 E£5,228

$101 ₺5,049

-3.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.6 E£2,835

$91.3 ₺4,570

-42.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$129 E£6,930

$1,014 ₺50.7K

-87.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$70.8 E£3,817

$625 ₺31.3K

-88.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$241 E£13.0K

$2,005 ₺100.4K

-87.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$137 E£7,375

$1,126 ₺56.3K

-87.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$722 E£38.9K

$2,988 ₺149.5K

-75.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$324 E£17.5K

$1,730 ₺86.6K

-81.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺56.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.5

40.42

-44.33%

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

Last update for Aja: October 31, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Aja

$98 26.2%

Istanbul

$258 17% 165% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Aja

$90 24.2%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 43.3% $39

Accommodation & Living

Aja

$71 19%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 782% $554

Eating Out

Aja

$65 17.5%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 239% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aja

$26 7%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 363% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Aja

$20 5.4%

Istanbul

$91 6% 348% $71

Getting Around

Aja

$2.8 * 0.8%

Istanbul

$75 5% 2575% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $129 in Aja versus $1,014 in Istanbul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $14 in Aja versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $98 vs $258 – making Aja the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Aja

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

11:34 11:34 AM

12:34 12:34 PM

1 h ahead of Aja

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,013

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.86 USD

100 EGP = 1.65 EUR

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 53.9 EGP (100 EGP = 1.86 USD). 1 EUR = 60.53 EGP (100 EGP = 1.65 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Aja Istanbul 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Aja
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

Aja vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 307% more than Aja, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $559 per month in Aja and $2,278 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aja, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $129 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $373 in Aja and $1,519 in Istanbul. That makes Aja about 75% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $29 per month in Aja and $948 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Aja, where all-in costs run around $373, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Aja it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Aja – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.