Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carthage and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Carthage: $693 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Carthage
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Carthage Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Carthage

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$693

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $693 in Carthage versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Carthage $693
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,100 in Carthage versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Carthage $1,100
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,508 in Carthage versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Carthage $1,508
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Carthage costs roughly 55% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Carthage is 49% below, Istanbul is 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.09 TND 12.26

$12.30 ₺609

-66.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.71 TND 68.0

$54.7 ₺2,708

-58.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.89 TND 17.65

$9.22 ₺456

-36.12%

Cappuccino

$1.15 TND 3.44

$4.40 ₺218

-73.86%

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

$0.73 TND 2.20

$1.68 ₺83.1

-56.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 TND 0.88

$0.59 ₺29.40

-50.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 TND 5.08

$4.70 ₺233

-63.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 TND 6.14

$5.91 ₺292

-65.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.49 TND 1.46

$1.21 ₺60.0

-59.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.26 TND 0.78

$0.89 ₺44.10

-70.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 TND 5.33

$2.19 ₺108

-18.72%

Eggs

$1.84 TND 5.50

$2.35 ₺116

-21.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 TND 30.56

$10.42 ₺516

-2.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.74 TND 17.21

$5.65 ₺280

1.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 TND 43.20

$20.94 ₺1,037

-31.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 TND 3.92

$1.90 ₺94.1

-31.05%

Banana (1kg)

$3.65 TND 10.93

$2.31 ₺114

58.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.17 TND 3.49

$1.28 ₺63.1

-8.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.83 TND 2.48

$1.80 ₺89.0

-53.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 TND 2.70

$0.65 ₺32.16

38.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 TND 2.07

$0.64 ₺31.91

7.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 TND 1.60

$1.25 ₺62.1

-57.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 TND 1.03

$0.56 ₺27.58

-39.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.59 TND 10.75

$2.37 ₺118

51.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.62 TND 19.82

$13.42 ₺664

-50.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 TND 3.68

$2.40 ₺119

-48.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 TND 3.72

$3.48 ₺172

-64.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 TND 1.30

$0.89 ₺43.84

-51.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.96 TND 41.82

$67.4 ₺3,338

-79.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 TND 0.92

$1.29 ₺64.1

-75.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 TND 1.03

$0.92 ₺45.70

-63.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.78 TND 5.34

$10.96 ₺542

-83.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 TND 2.63

$1.47 ₺72.9

-40.14%

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

$39.9K TND 119.4K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-21.50%

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

$35.4K TND 106.1K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-20.41%

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

$45.22 TND 135

$88.6 ₺4,387

-48.97%

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

$9.23 TND 27.63

$11.59 ₺574

-20.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.98 TND 62.9

$15.81 ₺783

32.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.18 TND 96.4

$77.2 ₺3,820

-58.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.26 TND 39.70

$22.74 ₺1,126

-41.69%

Cinema Ticket

$5.17 TND 15.49

$8.14 ₺403

-36.49%

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

$104 TND 311

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-89.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,218 TND 9,637

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-87.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.72 TND 131

$54.0 ₺2,671

-18.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 TND 178

$40.83 ₺2,021

45.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 TND 340

$98.9 ₺4,895

14.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.7 TND 203

$96.6 ₺4,783

-29.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$211 TND 633

$985 ₺48.7K

-78.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$154 TND 463

$650 ₺32.2K

-76.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$209 TND 625

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-89.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$272 TND 815

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-76.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$972 TND 2,911

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-69.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$622 TND 1,862

$1,780 ₺88.1K

-65.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$269 TND 807

$1,205 ₺59.7K

-77.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.28

40.92

-74.88%

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

Last update for Carthage: 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

Carthage

$194 28%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 33.9% $66

Accommodation & Living

Carthage

$154 22.3%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 321% $495

Clothing & Footwear

Carthage

$128 18.5%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 2.1% $2.7

Eating Out

Carthage

$81 11.7%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 176% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carthage

$75 10.9%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 53.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Carthage

$43 6.1%

Istanbul

$93 6% 120% $51

Getting Around

Carthage

$18 2.6%

Istanbul

$77 5% 334% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $211 in Carthage and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 347% 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: $23.00 in Carthage vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $194 vs $260 per month, with Carthage cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇳 Carthage

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

10:17 10:17 AM

2 h ahead of Carthage

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,276

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇳 Tunisian Dinar (د.ت)

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to TND in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Carthage Istanbul 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Carthage
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

Carthage vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Carthage and Istanbul differ by about 124% in total monthly costs ($693 vs $1,550 including rent). Carthage is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 347% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $211 in Carthage versus $985 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Carthage – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $55.0 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $693 in Carthage versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Carthage but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Carthage the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Carthage 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.

Expats usually find Carthage gentler on the wallet – expenses run 124% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.