Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $643 per month in Cairo vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Cairo $643
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Cairo vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Cairo $1,037
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $1,431 per month in Cairo vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Cairo $1,431
Istanbul $3,272

Cairo is about 58% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cairo sits 52% below the global median, while Istanbul is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 E£245

$11.88 ₺585

-60.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 E£1,491

$55.1 ₺2,714

-48.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£315

$9.14 ₺450

-34.03%

Cappuccino

$1.81 E£94.7

$4.24 ₺209

-57.31%

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

$0.35 E£18.18

$1.75 ₺86.0

-80.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£7.95

$0.54 ₺26.83

-72.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 E£76.0

$4.69 ₺231

-69.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£117

$5.97 ₺294

-62.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£50.7

$1.26 ₺62.1

-23.02%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£37.96

$0.95 ₺46.81

-23.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 E£40.24

$2.31 ₺114

-66.67%

Eggs

$1.17 E£61.2

$2.47 ₺122

-52.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 E£226

$10.55 ₺520

-59.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 E£265

$5.60 ₺276

-9.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 E£467

$21.21 ₺1,045

-57.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 E£95.8

$1.93 ₺95.1

-5.18%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£39.07

$2.29 ₺113

-67.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.78

$1.28 ₺63.1

-55.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£26.62

$1.84 ₺90.8

-72.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.05

$0.67 ₺32.86

-43.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£21.88

$0.59 ₺29.31

-28.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 E£18.43

$1.33 ₺65.4

-73.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 E£12.57

$0.59 ₺29.10

-59.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£104

$2.36 ₺116

-15.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 E£391

$13.47 ₺664

-44.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 E£79.4

$2.42 ₺119

-37.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 E£112

$3.54 ₺174

-39.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 E£17.10

$0.83 ₺40.64

-60.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 E£453

$66.5 ₺3,273

-86.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£19.27

$1.35 ₺66.6

-72.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.65

$0.85 ₺42.05

-76.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 E£77.8

$10.86 ₺535

-86.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£23.94

$1.47 ₺72.3

-68.71%

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

$32.6K E£1.7M

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-36.80%

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

$28.4K E£1.5M

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-36.12%

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

$27.54 E£1,441

$89.2 ₺4,395

-69.13%

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

$8.27 E£432

$11.60 ₺572

-28.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 E£735

$16.10 ₺793

-12.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 E£1,479

$77.3 ₺3,805

-63.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 E£350

$22.66 ₺1,116

-70.43%

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 E£230

$8.34 ₺411

-47.24%

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

$121 E£6,356

$974 ₺48.0K

-87.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,619 E£189.3K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-85.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.16 E£2,101

$52.7 ₺2,597

-23.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 E£2,596

$39.16 ₺1,929

26.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,033

$103 ₺5,083

11.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 E£3,170

$96.6 ₺4,759

-37.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 E£11.5K

$994 ₺49.0K

-77.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 E£10.2K

$629 ₺31.0K

-69.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 E£26.9K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-74.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 E£17.5K

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-71.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 E£42.2K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-74.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$513 E£26.9K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

-72.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-83.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

41.09

-60.55%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$194 30.1%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 224% $435

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$141 21.9%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 86.8% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$120 18.6%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 9.8% $12

Eating Out

Cairo

$91 14.1%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 139% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 135% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$37 5.8%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 153% $57

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.8%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 564% $64

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $220 in Cairo versus $994 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 501% higher in Istanbul, 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 $28.00 in Cairo versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $141 vs $264 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

08:00 8:00 AM

Same time as Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.68 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Istanbul 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
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

Cairo vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 137%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $965 per month in Cairo and $2,289 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cairo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 87% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cairo – 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 Cairo. 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.