Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alexandria, Egypt and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $432 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Alexandria

🇪🇬 Egypt

$432

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $432 per month in Alexandria vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Alexandria $432
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $718 per month in Alexandria vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Alexandria $718
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $1,003 per month in Alexandria vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Alexandria $1,003
Istanbul $3,212

Alexandria is about 72% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Alexandria sits 68% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.06 E£218

$11.81 ₺592

-65.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.90 E£909

$54.9 ₺2,754

-69.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.45 E£240

$9.26 ₺465

-51.94%

Cappuccino

$1.26 E£67.8

$4.30 ₺216

-70.70%

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

$0.29 E£15.34

$1.77 ₺89.0

-83.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 E£5.70

$0.56 ₺28.32

-80.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.28 E£68.6

$4.69 ₺235

-72.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 E£142

$7.12 ₺357

-62.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 E£44.49

$1.25 ₺62.7

-33.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 E£38.30

$0.88 ₺44.17

-19.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.61 E£33.03

$2.20 ₺111

-72.27%

Eggs

$1.12 E£60.0

$2.43 ₺122

-53.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.94 E£212

$10.48 ₺526

-62.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.08 E£219

$5.31 ₺267

-23.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.44 E£454

$21.10 ₺1,058

-60.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 E£78.8

$1.86 ₺93.1

-20.97%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£39.24

$2.30 ₺115

-68.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.52 E£28.16

$1.22 ₺61.0

-57.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.29 E£15.57

$1.80 ₺90.2

-83.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 E£12.87

$0.69 ₺34.83

-65.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.28 E£14.86

$0.64 ₺32.16

-56.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.23 E£12.35

$1.36 ₺68.0

-83.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 E£11.59

$0.58 ₺28.94

-62.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.79 E£96.3

$2.34 ₺117

-23.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.48 E£241

$13.03 ₺653

-65.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 E£63.5

$2.36 ₺118

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 E£117

$3.32 ₺166

-34.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 E£9.79

$0.88 ₺44.07

-79.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.86 E£584

$66.1 ₺3,316

-83.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£20.10

$1.28 ₺64.4

-71.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 E£28.40

$0.85 ₺42.80

-37.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 E£58.1

$11.09 ₺556

-90.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.44 E£23.79

$1.48 ₺74.0

-70.27%

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

$32.1K E£1.7M

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-33.98%

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

$24.1K E£1.3M

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-42.63%

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

$14.81 E£796

$92.7 ₺4,650

-84.03%

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

$6.90 E£371

$11.20 ₺562

-38.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.67 E£681

$15.89 ₺797

-20.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.44 E£669

$74.7 ₺3,745

-83.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.78 E£365

$22.95 ₺1,151

-70.46%

Cinema Ticket

$2.67 E£143

$8.05 ₺404

-66.83%

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

$82.8 E£4,453

$948 ₺47.6K

-91.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,027 E£109.0K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-94.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.55 E£1,750

$53.9 ₺2,702

-39.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.20 E£2,162

$41.49 ₺2,081

-3.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 E£5,982

$101 ₺5,060

10.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.9 E£3,003

$91.3 ₺4,580

-38.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$130 E£6,999

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-87.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$64.2 E£3,450

$625 ₺31.3K

-89.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$279 E£15.0K

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-86.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$140 E£7,524

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-87.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$657 E£35.3K

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-78.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$390 E£20.9K

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-77.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$134 E£7,202

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-88.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

-45.57%

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

Last update for Alexandria: November 1, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Alexandria

$119 27.6%

Istanbul

$258 17% 117% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Alexandria

$108 25%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 19.9% $21

Eating Out

Alexandria

$74 17.2%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 198% $147

Accommodation & Living

Alexandria

$64 14.9%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 873% $560

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alexandria

$34 8%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 248% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Alexandria

$18 4.1%

Istanbul

$91 6% 411% $73

Getting Around

Alexandria

$15 3.4%

Istanbul

$75 5% 415% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $130 in Alexandria 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.

Salaries in Istanbul are about 8.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $17 in Alexandria versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $119 vs $258 – making Alexandria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Alexandria

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

00:49 12:49 AM

01:49 1:49 AM

1 h ahead of Alexandria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,546,231

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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Highest

Between locations

Alexandria Istanbul 1,090 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Alexandria
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

Alexandria vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 251% more than Alexandria, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $648 per month in Alexandria 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 Alexandria, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $130 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $83 per month in Alexandria and $948 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 117% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Alexandria, where all-in costs run around $432, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Alexandria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Alexandria. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.