Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-`awabi and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-`awabi: $954 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Al-`awabi
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Al-`awabi Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Al-`awabi

🇴🇲 Oman

$954

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $954 per month in Al-`awabi vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Al-`awabi $954
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $1,430 per month in Al-`awabi vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Al-`awabi $1,430
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $1,906 per month in Al-`awabi vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Al-`awabi $1,906
Istanbul $3,281

Al-`awabi is about 38% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Al-`awabi sits 30% below the global median, while Istanbul is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.07 OMR 1.95

$11.96 ₺592

-57.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.32 OMR 14.76

$57.2 ₺2,834

-33.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.00 OMR 3.08

$9.51 ₺471

-15.88%

Cappuccino

$5.03 OMR 1.94

$4.40 ₺218

14.32%

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

$0.87 OMR 0.33

$1.75 ₺86.6

-50.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 OMR 0.10

$0.56 ₺27.57

-51.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.05 OMR 5.02

$4.71 ₺233

177.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.85 OMR 4.95

$6.14 ₺304

109.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 OMR 0.88

$1.24 ₺61.6

84.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 OMR 0.45

$0.95 ₺47.25

23.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 OMR 0.70

$2.28 ₺113

-20.61%

Eggs

$2.95 OMR 1.14

$2.45 ₺121

20.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.48 OMR 2.88

$10.56 ₺523

-29.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.83 OMR 2.63

$5.50 ₺272

24.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 OMR 4.13

$21.65 ₺1,072

-50.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 OMR 1.39

$1.83 ₺90.6

97.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 OMR 0.77

$2.29 ₺113

-12.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 OMR 0.94

$1.28 ₺63.4

89.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 OMR 0.49

$1.82 ₺90.1

-30.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 OMR 0.45

$0.66 ₺32.74

75.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 OMR 0.50

$0.63 ₺31.14

104.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 OMR 0.69

$1.27 ₺62.8

40.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 OMR 0.27

$0.56 ₺27.62

26.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.47 OMR 2.49

$2.36 ₺117

174.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.87 OMR 6.11

$12.98 ₺642

22.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.77 OMR 2.22

$2.48 ₺123

132.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.38 OMR 4.00

$3.50 ₺174

196.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 OMR 1.24

$1.33 ₺65.7

142.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.55 OMR 0.98

$0.90 ₺44.60

183.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 OMR 2.97

$10.91 ₺540

-29.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 OMR 0.24

$1.43 ₺70.7

-55.94%

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

$25.1K OMR 9,659

$49.6K ₺2.5M

-49.39%

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

$22.6K OMR 8,707

$43.2K ₺2.1M

-47.63%

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

$180 OMR 69.2

$88.8 ₺4,395

102.51%

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

$31.04 OMR 11.95

$11.69 ₺579

165.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.6 OMR 26.80

$16.09 ₺797

332.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$10.51 OMR 4.05

$8.26 ₺409

27.24%

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

$290 OMR 112

$1,015 ₺50.2K

-71.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K OMR 4,094

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-58.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.2 OMR 22.03

$53.3 ₺2,636

7.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.57 OMR 16.77

$40.55 ₺2,008

7.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.0 OMR 34.28

$100 ₺4,956

-11.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.0 OMR 33.12

$93.5 ₺4,630

-8.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

40.69

-87.10%

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

Last update for Al-`awabi: October 18, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Al-`awabi

$292 30.6%

Istanbul

$263 17.2% 10% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-`awabi

$280 29.4%

Istanbul

$117 7.6% 58.4% $164

Eating Out

Al-`awabi

$220 23.1%

Istanbul

$222 14.6% 0.8% $1.7

Clothing & Footwear

Al-`awabi

$124 13%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 4.2% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Al-`awabi

$21 * 2.2%

Istanbul

$93 6.1% 341% $72

Getting Around

Al-`awabi

$16 * 1.7%

Istanbul

$74 4.9% 365% $58

Accommodation & Living

Al-`awabi

- * 0%

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Al-`awabi versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $292 in Al-`awabi vs $260 in Istanbul – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Al-`awabi

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

13:58 1:58 PM

12:58 12:58 PM

1 h behind Al-`awabi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,711

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to OMR – Omani Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇴🇲 Omani Rial (ر.ع.)

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to OMR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Al-`awabi Istanbul 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 63%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,430 per month in Al-`awabi and $2,325 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $954 in Al-`awabi and $1,550 in Istanbul. That's a gap of about 63%.

Kindergarten costs $290 per month in Al-`awabi and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Al-`awabi, where all-in costs run around $954, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Al-`awabi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al-`awabi – 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 Al-`awabi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.