Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Fujayrah and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $3,252 in Al Fujayrah, rent and utilities included – about $20,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Al Fujayrah
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Al Fujayrah Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Al Fujayrah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$3,252

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,252 per month in Al Fujayrah vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Al Fujayrah $3,252
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $4,819 per month in Al Fujayrah vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Al Fujayrah $4,819
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $6,387 per month in Al Fujayrah vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Al Fujayrah $6,387
Istanbul $3,281

Al Fujayrah costs about 110% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Al Fujayrah and Istanbul sit above the global median – Al Fujayrah by 141%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.28 AED 30.42

$12.30 ₺609

-32.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.4 AED 218

$54.7 ₺2,708

8.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 AED 35.37

$9.22 ₺456

4.45%

Cappuccino

$5.69 AED 20.89

$4.40 ₺218

29.32%

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

$1.45 AED 5.33

$1.68 ₺83.1

-13.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 AED 2.23

$0.59 ₺29.40

3.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.75 AED 50.5

$4.70 ₺233

192.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.56 AED 49.79

$5.91 ₺292

129.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 AED 6.91

$1.21 ₺60.0

55.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 AED 4.28

$0.89 ₺44.10

30.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 AED 8.93

$2.19 ₺108

10.96%

Eggs

$3.44 AED 12.62

$2.35 ₺116

46.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.43 AED 19.94

$10.42 ₺516

-47.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.45 AED 20.02

$5.65 ₺280

-3.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.77 AED 28.54

$20.94 ₺1,037

-62.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 AED 6.61

$1.90 ₺94.1

-5.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 AED 5.11

$2.31 ₺114

-39.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 AED 4.79

$1.28 ₺63.1

2.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 AED 5.21

$1.80 ₺89.0

-21.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$0.65 ₺32.16

50.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 AED 3.76

$0.64 ₺31.91

59.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 AED 4.11

$1.25 ₺62.1

-10.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 AED 2.24

$0.56 ₺27.58

8.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.93 AED 21.79

$2.37 ₺118

150.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.38 AED 60.1

$13.42 ₺664

22.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 AED 9.47

$2.40 ₺119

7.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 AED 11.27

$3.48 ₺172

-11.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 AED 10.75

$0.89 ₺43.84

229.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.45 AED 60.4

$67.4 ₺3,338

-75.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 AED 10.06

$1.29 ₺64.1

112.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.28 AED 1.03

$0.92 ₺45.70

-69.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 AED 9.95

$10.96 ₺542

-75.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 AED 3.05

$1.47 ₺72.9

-43.54%

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

$27.3K AED 100.3K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-46.25%

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

$22.6K AED 83.1K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-49.20%

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

$236 AED 868

$88.6 ₺4,387

166.88%

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

$45.36 AED 167

$11.59 ₺574

291.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$15.81 ₺783

480.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.5 AED 347

$77.2 ₺3,820

22.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.89 AED 110

$22.74 ₺1,126

31.44%

Cinema Ticket

$9.92 AED 36.43

$8.14 ₺403

21.87%

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

$268 AED 984

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-73.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,502 AED 16.5K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-82.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.10 AED 111

$54.0 ₺2,671

-44.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.7 AED 201

$40.83 ₺2,021

33.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 373

$98.9 ₺4,895

2.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.9 AED 304

$96.6 ₺4,783

-14.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,400 AED 8,815

$985 ₺48.7K

143.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,124 AED 7,802

$650 ₺32.2K

226.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,998 AED 18.4K

$1,983 ₺98.2K

152.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,078 AED 15.0K

$1,180 ₺58.4K

245.55%

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)

$3,694 AED 13.6K

$1,205 ₺59.7K

206.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

-95.11%

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

Last update for Al Fujayrah: October 11, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al Fujayrah

$2.1K 65.3%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 69.4% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Fujayrah

$374 11.5%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 68.9% $258

Eating Out

Al Fujayrah

$267 8.2%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 16.5% $44

Groceries & Markets

Al Fujayrah

$219 6.7%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 18.5% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Al Fujayrah

$121 3.7%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 7.9% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Al Fujayrah

$114 3.5%

Istanbul

$93 6% 18.3% $21

Getting Around

Al Fujayrah

$32 1%

Istanbul

$77 5% 138% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,400 in Al Fujayrah versus $985 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 206% higher in Al Fujayrah, 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 $59.0 in Al Fujayrah versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $219 in Al Fujayrah vs $260 in Istanbul – so Al Fujayrah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Al Fujayrah

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

13:14 1:14 PM

12:14 12:14 PM

1 h behind Al Fujayrah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

118,933

15,701,602

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 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 AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Al Fujayrah Istanbul 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Al Fujayrah costs about 110% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,878 per month in Al Fujayrah and $2,325 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 $268 per month in Al Fujayrah and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 19% cheaper in Al Fujayrah – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Al Fujayrah at $3,252. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Al Fujayrah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Istanbul costs $1,550 versus $3,252 in Al Fujayrah. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Al Fujayrah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.