Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ar-rustaq and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar-rustaq: $958 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Ar-rustaq
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Ar-rustaq Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Ar-rustaq

🇴🇲 Oman

$958

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $958 per month in Ar-rustaq vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Ar-rustaq $958
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $1,438 per month in Ar-rustaq vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Ar-rustaq $1,438
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $1,918 per month in Ar-rustaq vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Ar-rustaq $1,918
Istanbul $3,281

Ar-rustaq is about 38% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Ar-rustaq sits 29% below the global median, while Istanbul is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.31 OMR 2.04

$12.30 ₺609

-56.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.09 OMR 15.05

$54.7 ₺2,708

-28.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.01 OMR 3.08

$9.22 ₺456

-13.12%

Cappuccino

$5.10 OMR 1.96

$4.40 ₺218

15.91%

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

$0.86 OMR 0.33

$1.68 ₺83.1

-48.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 OMR 0.11

$0.59 ₺29.40

-50.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.07 OMR 5.03

$4.70 ₺233

178.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.84 OMR 4.94

$5.91 ₺292

117.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 OMR 0.88

$1.21 ₺60.0

89.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 OMR 0.46

$0.89 ₺44.10

33.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 OMR 0.71

$2.19 ₺108

-15.98%

Eggs

$3.06 OMR 1.18

$2.35 ₺116

30.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 OMR 2.89

$10.42 ₺516

-27.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.11 OMR 2.74

$5.65 ₺280

25.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.73 OMR 4.13

$20.94 ₺1,037

-48.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.67 OMR 1.41

$1.90 ₺94.1

93.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 OMR 0.78

$2.31 ₺114

-12.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 OMR 0.89

$1.28 ₺63.1

80.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 OMR 0.51

$1.80 ₺89.0

-26.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 OMR 0.45

$0.65 ₺32.16

80.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 OMR 0.49

$0.64 ₺31.91

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 OMR 0.71

$1.25 ₺62.1

47.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 OMR 0.27

$0.56 ₺27.58

26.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 OMR 2.53

$2.37 ₺118

177.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.57 OMR 5.99

$13.42 ₺664

16.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.81 OMR 2.24

$2.40 ₺119

142.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.12 OMR 3.89

$3.48 ₺172

190.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 OMR 1.22

$1.29 ₺64.1

145.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.56 OMR 0.99

$0.92 ₺45.70

178.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 OMR 3.06

$10.96 ₺542

-27.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 OMR 0.24

$1.47 ₺72.9

-57.14%

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

$25.8K OMR 9,938

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-49.18%

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

$23.0K OMR 8,854

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-48.35%

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

$181 OMR 69.8

$88.6 ₺4,387

104.65%

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

$28.68 OMR 11.04

$11.59 ₺574

147.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.4 OMR 27.10

$15.81 ₺783

345.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$10.32 OMR 3.97

$8.14 ₺403

26.78%

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

$293 OMR 113

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-70.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K OMR 4,101

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-58.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 OMR 22.09

$54.0 ₺2,671

6.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.10 OMR 16.59

$40.83 ₺2,021

5.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.8 OMR 34.20

$98.9 ₺4,895

-10.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.7 OMR 33.39

$96.6 ₺4,783

-10.23%

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)

$4,439 OMR 1,709

$1,205 ₺59.7K

268.26%

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 Ar-rustaq: October 10, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ar-rustaq

$293 30.6%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 11.5% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ar-rustaq

$280 29.3%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 58.6% $164

Eating Out

Ar-rustaq

$223 23.3%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 0% $0

Clothing & Footwear

Ar-rustaq

$124 13%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 5.1% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Ar-rustaq

$21 * 2.2%

Istanbul

$93 6% 353% $73

Getting Around

Ar-rustaq

$16 * 1.7%

Istanbul

$77 5% 381% $61

Accommodation & Living

Ar-rustaq

- * 0%

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 268% higher in Ar-rustaq, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Ar-rustaq versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $293 in Ar-rustaq vs $260 in Istanbul – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Ar-rustaq

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

18:23 6:23 PM

17:23 5:23 PM

1 h behind Ar-rustaq

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,000

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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to OMR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ar-rustaq Istanbul 3,290 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ar-rustaq
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

Ar-rustaq vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,437 per month in Ar-rustaq 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 $958 in Ar-rustaq and $1,550 in Istanbul. That's a gap of about 62%.

Kindergarten costs $293 per month in Ar-rustaq 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 Ar-rustaq, where all-in costs run around $958, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Ar-rustaq it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ar-rustaq – 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 Ar-rustaq. 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.