Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bizerte and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Bizerte: $611 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bizerte
🇹🇳 Tunisia
$611
/mo nomad
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,550
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $611 in Bizerte versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

  • Bizerte $611
  • Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $920 in Bizerte versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

  • Bizerte $920
  • Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,228 in Bizerte versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

  • Bizerte $1,228
  • Istanbul $3,281

Living in Bizerte costs roughly 61% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bizerte is 55% below, Istanbul is 15% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bizerte
Istanbul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.35 TND 10.03
$12.30 ₺609
-72.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$14.99 TND 44.89
$54.7 ₺2,708
-72.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.06 TND 12.15
$9.22 ₺456
-55.97%
Cappuccino
$0.73 TND 2.18
$4.40 ₺218
-83.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66 TND 1.96
$1.68 ₺83.1
-60.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.22 TND 0.66
$0.59 ₺29.40
-62.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.69 TND 5.06
$4.70 ₺233
-64.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 TND 7.95
$5.91 ₺292
-54.99%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bizerte
Istanbul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.43 TND 1.30
$1.21 ₺60.0
-64.46%
White Bread (500g)
$0.60 TND 1.81
$0.89 ₺44.10
-32.58%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.29 TND 3.87
$2.19 ₺108
-41.10%
Eggs
$1.38 TND 4.13
$2.35 ₺116
-41.28%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.17 TND 30.46
$10.42 ₺516
-2.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.13 TND 18.35
$5.65 ₺280
8.50%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.34 TND 42.96
$20.94 ₺1,037
-31.52%
Apples (1kg)
$1.67 TND 5.01
$1.90 ₺94.1
-12.11%
Banana (1kg)
$3.21 TND 9.61
$2.31 ₺114
38.96%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.38 TND 4.12
$1.28 ₺63.1
7.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.51 TND 1.53
$1.80 ₺89.0
-71.67%
Potato (1kg)
$0.59 TND 1.78
$0.65 ₺32.16
-9.23%
Onion (1kg)
$0.55 TND 1.64
$0.64 ₺31.91
-14.06%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.44 TND 1.31
$1.25 ₺62.1
-64.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.32 TND 0.97
$0.56 ₺27.58
-42.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.27 TND 9.78
$2.37 ₺118
37.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.98 TND 14.90
$13.42 ₺664
-62.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.98 TND 2.93
$2.40 ₺119
-59.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 TND 3.08
$3.48 ₺172
-70.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Bizerte
Istanbul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.17 TND 0.51
$0.89 ₺43.84
-80.90%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.38 TND 25.09
$67.4 ₺3,338
-87.57%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.32 TND 0.95
$1.29 ₺64.1
-75.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 TND 1.04
$0.92 ₺45.70
-61.96%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$10.96 ₺542
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 TND 2.44
$1.47 ₺72.9
-44.22%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.8K TND 116.2K
$50.8K ₺2.5M
-23.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.7K TND 109.9K
$44.5K ₺2.2M
-17.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bizerte
Istanbul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$16.73 TND 50.1
$88.6 ₺4,387
-81.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.77 TND 29.25
$11.59 ₺574
-15.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.58 TND 67.6
$15.81 ₺783
42.82%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bizerte
Istanbul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.83 TND 65.4
$77.2 ₺3,820
-71.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.57 TND 22.67
$22.74 ₺1,126
-66.71%
Cinema Ticket
$3.44 TND 10.30
$8.14 ₺403
-57.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bizerte
Istanbul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$62.2 TND 186
$1,008 ₺49.9K
-93.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,938 TND 5,804
$25.6K ₺1.3M
-92.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bizerte
Istanbul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$28.18 TND 84.4
$54.0 ₺2,671
-47.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.5 TND 151
$40.83 ₺2,021
23.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.9 TND 227
$98.9 ₺4,895
-23.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$59.1 TND 177
$96.6 ₺4,783
-38.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bizerte
Istanbul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$146 TND 436
$985 ₺48.7K
-85.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$175 TND 524
$650 ₺32.2K
-73.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$268 TND 803
$1,983 ₺98.2K
-86.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$221 TND 661
$1,180 ₺58.4K
-81.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$742 TND 2,222
$3,138 ₺155.4K
-76.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$339 TND 1,015
$1,780 ₺88.1K
-80.96%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bizerte
Istanbul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$306 TND 917
$1,205 ₺59.7K
-74.60%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11
40.92
-73.12%

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

Last update for Bizerte: October 12, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Bizerte
$186
Istanbul
$260 39.4% $73
Accommodation & Living
Bizerte
$175
Istanbul
$650 271% $475
Clothing & Footwear
Bizerte
$96
Istanbul
$131 35.9% $34
Eating Out
Bizerte
$65
Istanbul
$223 244% $158
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bizerte
$49
Istanbul
$116 136% $67
Sport & Entertainment
Bizerte
$29
Istanbul
$93 226% $65
Getting Around
Bizerte
$11
Istanbul
$77 593% $66

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $146 in Bizerte and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 294% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $15.00 in Bizerte vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $186 vs $260 per month, with Bizerte cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇳 Bizerte
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🕒 Local time
22:26 10:26 PM
00:26 12:26 AM
2 h ahead of Bizerte
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
136,917
15,701,602
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bizerte Istanbul 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bizerte
  • 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
Bizerte vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Bizerte and in Istanbul?
Bizerte and Istanbul differ by about 153% in total monthly costs ($611 vs $1,550 including rent). Bizerte is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 294% lower in Istanbul. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Bizerte and in Istanbul?
Rent for a central apartment: $146 in Bizerte versus $985 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Bizerte and Istanbul?
Childcare runs $62.2 in Bizerte versus $1,008 in Istanbul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $611 in Bizerte versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bizerte but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Bizerte the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Bizerte and Istanbul?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Is Bizerte or Istanbul safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Bizerte 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.
Where should expats move: Bizerte or Istanbul?
Expats usually find Bizerte gentler on the wallet – expenses run 153% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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