Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Casablanca and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Casablanca: $957 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Casablanca
🇲🇦 Morocco
$957
/mo nomad
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,526
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $957 in Casablanca versus $1,526 in Istanbul.

  • Casablanca $957
  • Istanbul $1,526

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,507 in Casablanca versus $2,399 in Istanbul.

  • Casablanca $1,507
  • Istanbul $2,399

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,058 in Casablanca versus $3,272 in Istanbul.

  • Casablanca $2,058
  • Istanbul $3,272

Living in Casablanca costs roughly 37% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Casablanca is 29% below, Istanbul is 14% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Casablanca
Istanbul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.59 MAD 45.54
$11.88 ₺585
-61.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$31.67 MAD 314
$55.1 ₺2,715
-42.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.79 MAD 77.3
$9.14 ₺450
-14.77%
Cappuccino
$1.90 MAD 18.87
$4.24 ₺209
-55.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.02 MAD 10.08
$1.75 ₺86.0
-41.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 MAD 6.35
$0.54 ₺26.84
18.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.99 MAD 39.57
$4.69 ₺231
-14.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.35 MAD 53.1
$5.97 ₺294
-10.39%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Casablanca
Istanbul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.96 MAD 9.52
$1.26 ₺62.1
-23.81%
White Bread (500g)
$0.81 MAD 8.04
$0.95 ₺46.82
-14.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.86 MAD 18.47
$2.31 ₺114
-19.48%
Eggs
$1.83 MAD 18.15
$2.47 ₺122
-25.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.85 MAD 108
$10.55 ₺520
2.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.32 MAD 72.6
$5.60 ₺276
30.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.80 MAD 117
$21.21 ₺1,045
-44.37%
Apples (1kg)
$1.58 MAD 15.72
$1.93 ₺95.1
-18.13%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 MAD 15.19
$2.29 ₺113
-33.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.79 MAD 7.83
$1.28 ₺63.1
-38.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.69 MAD 6.82
$1.84 ₺90.8
-62.50%
Potato (1kg)
$0.61 MAD 6.05
$0.67 ₺32.87
-8.96%
Onion (1kg)
$0.63 MAD 6.29
$0.59 ₺29.31
6.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.48 MAD 4.73
$1.33 ₺65.4
-63.91%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 MAD 4.84
$0.59 ₺29.11
-16.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.02 MAD 39.88
$2.36 ₺116
70.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.14 MAD 80.7
$13.47 ₺664
-39.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.32 MAD 22.97
$2.42 ₺119
-4.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 MAD 30.16
$3.54 ₺174
-14.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Casablanca
Istanbul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.82 MAD 8.18
$0.83 ₺40.65
-1.20%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.26 MAD 251
$66.5 ₺3,274
-61.99%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.82 MAD 8.15
$1.35 ₺66.6
-39.26%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.29 MAD 2.87
$0.85 ₺42.06
-65.88%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.48 MAD 44.45
$10.86 ₺535
-58.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 MAD 14.62
$1.47 ₺72.3
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MAD 300.8K
$51.6K ₺2.5M
-41.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.3K MAD 300.5K
$44.4K ₺2.2M
-31.83%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Casablanca
Istanbul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$50.4 MAD 500
$89.2 ₺4,396
-43.50%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.08 MAD 100
$11.60 ₺572
-13.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.39 MAD 401
$16.10 ₺793
150.87%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Casablanca
Istanbul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.63 MAD 314
$77.3 ₺3,806
-59.06%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.85 MAD 207
$22.66 ₺1,116
-7.99%
Cinema Ticket
$7.40 MAD 73.4
$8.34 ₺411
-11.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Casablanca
Istanbul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$581 MAD 5,760
$974 ₺48.0K
-40.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,646 MAD 56.0K
$25.8K ₺1.3M
-78.09%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Casablanca
Istanbul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.1 MAD 576
$52.7 ₺2,597
10.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.80 MAD 434
$39.16 ₺1,930
11.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.4 MAD 916
$103 ₺5,084
-10.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$58.0 MAD 576
$96.6 ₺4,760
-39.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Casablanca
Istanbul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$594 MAD 5,895
$994 ₺49.0K
-40.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$346 MAD 3,436
$629 ₺31.0K
-44.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,083 MAD 10.7K
$2,024 ₺99.7K
-46.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$616 MAD 6,107
$1,155 ₺56.9K
-46.69%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,180 MAD 21.6K
$3,160 ₺155.7K
-31.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,258 MAD 12.5K
$1,838 ₺90.5K
-31.57%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Casablanca
Istanbul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$664 MAD 6,588
$1,203 ₺59.3K
-44.81%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.83
41.09
-88.25%

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

Last update for Casablanca: October 5, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Casablanca
$346
Istanbul
$629 81.6% $283
Groceries & Markets
Casablanca
$206
Istanbul
$264 28.4% $58
Eating Out
Casablanca
$120
Istanbul
$218 81.2% $98
Clothing & Footwear
Casablanca
$114
Istanbul
$131 15.6% $18
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Casablanca
$101
Istanbul
$117 15.9% $16
Sport & Entertainment
Casablanca
$46
Istanbul
$94 102% $48
Getting Around
Casablanca
$31
Istanbul
$75 145% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $594 in Casablanca and $994 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 81% 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: $32.00 in Casablanca vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $264 per month, with Casablanca cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇦 Casablanca
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🕒 Local time
10:49 10:49 AM
12:49 12:49 PM
2 h ahead of Casablanca
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,215,935
15,701,602
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.92 MAD (1 MAD = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.11 MAD (100 MAD = 9 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.27 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.21 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Casablanca Istanbul 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Casablanca
  • 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
Casablanca vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Istanbul cheaper than Casablanca?
Casablanca is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 59% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Casablanca or Istanbul?
On paper, salaries run 81% 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.
What is the rent difference between Casablanca and Istanbul?
Rent for a central apartment: $594 in Casablanca versus $994 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Casablanca or in Istanbul?
Dining out is cheaper in Casablanca – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $55.0 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Casablanca and in Istanbul?
All in, you'll spend $957 per month in Casablanca versus $1,526 in Istanbul – a 59% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Casablanca or in Istanbul?
At $957 in Casablanca versus $1,526 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Casablanca but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Casablanca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Casablanca or Istanbul more family-friendly?
For families, Casablanca is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Istanbul, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Casablanca or Istanbul?
Safety-wise, Casablanca 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Casablanca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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