Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al `arish and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Al `arish: $427 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Al `arish
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Al `arish Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Al `arish

🇪🇬 Egypt

$427

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $427 in Al `arish versus $1,519 in Istanbul.

Al `arish $427
Istanbul $1,519

Estimated couple costs with rent: $684 in Al `arish versus $2,365 in Istanbul.

Al `arish $684
Istanbul $2,365

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $940 in Al `arish versus $3,212 in Istanbul.

Al `arish $940
Istanbul $3,212

Living in Al `arish costs roughly 72% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Al `arish is 68% below, Istanbul is 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.81 E£205

$11.81 ₺592

-67.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.41 E£775

$54.9 ₺2,754

-73.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.40 E£236

$9.26 ₺465

-52.48%

Cappuccino

$1.11 E£59.5

$4.30 ₺216

-74.19%

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

$0.32 E£17.45

$1.77 ₺89.0

-81.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 E£6.85

$0.56 ₺28.32

-76.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.36 E£73.2

$4.69 ₺235

-71.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 E£148

$7.12 ₺357

-61.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 E£42.80

$1.25 ₺62.7

-36.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.32 E£17.04

$0.88 ₺44.17

-63.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.61 E£32.99

$2.20 ₺111

-72.27%

Eggs

$1.27 E£68.4

$2.43 ₺122

-47.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.26 E£121

$10.48 ₺526

-78.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 E£181

$5.31 ₺267

-36.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.41 E£398

$21.10 ₺1,058

-64.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 E£75.4

$1.86 ₺93.1

-24.73%

Banana (1kg)

$0.56 E£30.12

$2.30 ₺115

-75.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.40 E£21.60

$1.22 ₺61.0

-67.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.33 E£17.48

$1.80 ₺90.2

-81.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.88

$0.69 ₺34.83

-40.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.43 E£22.99

$0.64 ₺32.16

-32.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.25 E£13.36

$1.36 ₺68.0

-81.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.19 E£10.07

$0.58 ₺28.94

-67.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.79 E£96.4

$2.34 ₺117

-23.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.40 E£236

$13.03 ₺653

-66.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 E£54.3

$2.36 ₺118

-57.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 E£82.9

$3.32 ₺166

-53.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 E£9.27

$0.88 ₺44.07

-80.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.28 E£15.21

$1.28 ₺64.4

-78.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 E£19.94

$0.85 ₺42.80

-56.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 E£61.8

$11.09 ₺556

-89.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.40 E£21.47

$1.48 ₺74.0

-72.97%

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

$29.9K E£1.6M

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-38.60%

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

$23.4K E£1.3M

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-44.36%

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

$14.23 E£765

$92.7 ₺4,650

-84.65%

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

$6.74 E£362

$11.20 ₺562

-39.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.26 E£1,250

$15.89 ₺797

46.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.12 E£813

$74.7 ₺3,745

-79.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$3.62 E£195

$8.05 ₺404

-55.03%

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

$79.4 E£4,267

$948 ₺47.6K

-91.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,230 E£119.9K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-93.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$9.85 E£529

$53.9 ₺2,702

-81.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.67 E£2,348

$41.49 ₺2,081

5.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$149 E£7,985

$101 ₺5,060

47.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.4 E£2,766

$91.3 ₺4,580

-43.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$124 E£6,686

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-87.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$72.3 E£3,887

$625 ₺31.3K

-88.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$240 E£12.9K

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-88.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$137 E£7,361

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-87.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$713 E£38.3K

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-76.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$334 E£18.0K

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-80.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

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 Al `arish: November 1, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Clothing & Footwear

Al `arish

$114 26.7%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 13.5% $15

Groceries & Markets

Al `arish

$100 23.5%

Istanbul

$258 17% 157% $158

Accommodation & Living

Al `arish

$72 16.9%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 764% $552

Eating Out

Al `arish

$71 16.6%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 211% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al `arish

$44 10.4%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 171% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Al `arish

$22 5.2%

Istanbul

$91 6% 306% $68

Getting Around

Al `arish

$2.8 * 0.7%

Istanbul

$75 5% 2557% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $124 in Al `arish and $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $14 in Al `arish vs $55 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $100 vs $258 per month, with Al `arish cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Al `arish

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

23:17 11:17 PM

00:17 12:17 AM

1 h ahead of Al `arish

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

199,243

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.86 USD

100 EGP = 1.66 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 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 = 53.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.86 USD). 1 EUR = 60.09 EGP (100 EGP = 1.66 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.05 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Al `arish Istanbul 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Al `arish
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

Al `arish vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al `arish wins on cost – living expenses run 72% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Al `arish the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $641 in Al `arish and $2,278 in Istanbul to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $124 in Al `arish versus $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 157% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $427 per month in Al `arish versus $1,519 in Istanbul – Al `arish is about 72% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $427 in Al `arish versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $800 budget is realistic in Al `arish but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Al `arish the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.