Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-Buraimi and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-Buraimi: $916 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Al-Buraimi
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Al-Buraimi Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Al-Buraimi

🇴🇲 Oman

$916

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $916 in Al-Buraimi versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Al-Buraimi $916
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,357 in Al-Buraimi versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Al-Buraimi $1,357
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,797 in Al-Buraimi versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Al-Buraimi $1,797
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Al-Buraimi costs roughly 41% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Al-Buraimi is 32% below, Istanbul is 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.27 OMR 2.03

$12.30 ₺609

-57.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.14 OMR 5.06

$54.7 ₺2,708

-75.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.82 OMR 3.01

$9.22 ₺456

-15.18%

Cappuccino

$5.02 OMR 1.93

$4.40 ₺218

14.09%

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

$0.91 OMR 0.35

$1.68 ₺83.1

-45.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 OMR 0.10

$0.59 ₺29.40

-54.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.89 OMR 4.96

$4.70 ₺233

174.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.20 OMR 5.08

$5.91 ₺292

123.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 OMR 0.87

$1.21 ₺60.0

86.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 OMR 0.46

$0.89 ₺44.10

34.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 OMR 0.61

$2.19 ₺108

-27.85%

Eggs

$2.99 OMR 1.15

$2.35 ₺116

27.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.33 OMR 2.44

$10.42 ₺516

-39.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.79 OMR 2.23

$5.65 ₺280

2.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 OMR 3.58

$20.94 ₺1,037

-55.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 OMR 0.80

$1.90 ₺94.1

8.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 OMR 0.70

$2.31 ₺114

-20.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 OMR 0.79

$1.28 ₺63.1

60.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 OMR 0.51

$1.80 ₺89.0

-26.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 OMR 0.46

$0.65 ₺32.16

84.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 OMR 0.38

$0.64 ₺31.91

53.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 OMR 0.35

$1.25 ₺62.1

-27.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 OMR 0.27

$0.56 ₺27.58

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.23 OMR 2.01

$2.37 ₺118

120.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.32 OMR 5.90

$13.42 ₺664

14.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.82 OMR 2.24

$2.40 ₺119

142.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.15 OMR 3.91

$3.48 ₺172

191.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.94 OMR 14.99

$67.4 ₺3,338

-42.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 OMR 1.26

$1.29 ₺64.1

154.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 OMR 0.51

$0.92 ₺45.70

44.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.57 OMR 2.92

$10.96 ₺542

-30.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 OMR 0.23

$1.47 ₺72.9

-59.18%

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

$25.2K OMR 9,711

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-50.33%

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

$22.7K OMR 8,734

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-49.06%

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

$77.5 OMR 29.84

$88.6 ₺4,387

-12.54%

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

$30.24 OMR 11.64

$11.59 ₺574

160.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.7 OMR 27.23

$15.81 ₺783

347.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.9 OMR 24.62

$77.2 ₺3,820

-17.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 OMR 2.95

$8.14 ₺403

-5.77%

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

$260 OMR 100

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-74.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K OMR 4,036

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-58.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 OMR 21.86

$54.0 ₺2,671

5.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.55 OMR 16.77

$40.83 ₺2,021

6.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 OMR 35.01

$98.9 ₺4,895

-8.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.7 OMR 34.13

$96.6 ₺4,783

-8.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,620 OMR 1,394

$1,205 ₺59.7K

200.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

40.92

-87.17%

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

Last update for Al-Buraimi: October 13, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Al-Buraimi

$262 28.7%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 1.1% $2.8

Eating Out

Al-Buraimi

$221 24.2%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 0.8% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-Buraimi

$178 19.5%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 35% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Al-Buraimi

$126 13.7%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 3.7% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Al-Buraimi

$79 8.7%

Istanbul

$93 6% 17.9% $14

Getting Around

Al-Buraimi

$49 * 5.3%

Istanbul

$77 5% 57.3% $28

Accommodation & Living

Al-Buraimi

- * 0%

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

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

Cost Breakdown

Al-Buraimi pays 200% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $13.00 in Al-Buraimi vs $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries flip the comparison at $262 vs $260, with Istanbul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Al-Buraimi

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

20:11 8:11 PM

19:11 7:11 PM

1 h behind Al-Buraimi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,670

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 19, 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 19, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Al-Buraimi Istanbul 3,100 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Al-Buraimi
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-Buraimi vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-Buraimi is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 69% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 200% higher in Al-Buraimi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

A monthly transit pass in Al-Buraimi runs roughly 73% less than in Istanbul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $260 in Al-Buraimi versus $1,008 in Istanbul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $916 in Al-Buraimi versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Al-Buraimi but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Al-Buraimi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Al-Buraimi is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Istanbul, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Al-Buraimi and Istanbul are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Al-Buraimi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.