Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Damietta and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Damietta: $321 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

15

Cost of Living Index in Damietta
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Damietta Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Damietta

🇪🇬 Egypt

$321

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $321 in Damietta versus $1,519 in Istanbul.

Damietta $321
Istanbul $1,519

Estimated couple costs with rent: $543 in Damietta versus $2,365 in Istanbul.

Damietta $543
Istanbul $2,365

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $764 in Damietta versus $3,212 in Istanbul.

Damietta $764
Istanbul $3,212

Living in Damietta costs roughly 79% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Damietta is 76% below, Istanbul is 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.91 E£210

$11.81 ₺592

-66.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.69 E£575

$54.9 ₺2,754

-80.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.48 E£241

$9.26 ₺465

-51.62%

Cappuccino

$1.25 E£67.6

$4.30 ₺216

-70.93%

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

$0.29 E£15.59

$1.77 ₺89.0

-83.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 E£6.19

$0.56 ₺28.32

-80.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.25 E£67.2

$4.69 ₺235

-73.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 E£150

$7.12 ₺357

-60.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.69 E£37.19

$1.25 ₺62.7

-44.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.28 E£15.22

$0.88 ₺44.17

-68.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.61 E£32.66

$2.20 ₺111

-72.27%

Eggs

$1.13 E£60.8

$2.43 ₺122

-53.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.16 E£116

$10.48 ₺526

-79.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.39 E£129

$5.31 ₺267

-54.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 E£409

$21.10 ₺1,058

-63.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.39 E£74.9

$1.86 ₺93.1

-25.27%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 E£34.95

$2.30 ₺115

-71.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.49 E£26.37

$1.22 ₺61.0

-59.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.21 E£11.26

$1.80 ₺90.2

-88.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 E£12.87

$0.69 ₺34.83

-65.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.27 E£14.69

$0.64 ₺32.16

-57.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.23 E£12.36

$1.36 ₺68.0

-83.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.16 E£8.87

$0.58 ₺28.94

-72.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.68 E£90.3

$2.34 ₺117

-28.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.58 E£247

$13.03 ₺653

-64.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 E£63.4

$2.36 ₺118

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 E£89.7

$3.32 ₺166

-50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.09 E£4.98

$0.88 ₺44.07

-89.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$3.85 E£208

$66.1 ₺3,316

-94.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 E£20.27

$1.28 ₺64.4

-70.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.83

$0.85 ₺42.80

-76.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 E£58.7

$11.09 ₺556

-90.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.44 E£23.52

$1.48 ₺74.0

-70.27%

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

$22.3K E£1.2M

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-54.25%

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

$23.7K E£1.3M

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-43.48%

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

$14.76 E£795

$92.7 ₺4,650

-84.08%

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

$6.74 E£363

$11.20 ₺562

-39.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.43 E£669

$15.89 ₺797

-21.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.51 E£1,105

$74.7 ₺3,745

-72.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.64 E£196

$22.95 ₺1,151

-84.14%

Cinema Ticket

$2.78 E£150

$8.05 ₺404

-65.47%

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

$53.7 E£2,890

$948 ₺47.6K

-94.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,140 E£61.4K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-96.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.08 E£543

$53.9 ₺2,702

-81.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.77 E£1,926

$41.49 ₺2,081

-13.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.61 E£2,402

$101 ₺5,060

-55.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.4 E£3,089

$91.3 ₺4,580

-37.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$26.79 E£1,443

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-97.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$21.84 E£1,176

$625 ₺31.3K

-96.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$107 E£5,737

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-94.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$90.3 E£4,861

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-91.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$892 E£48.0K

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-70.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$636 E£34.2K

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-63.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$115 E£6,213

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-89.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

-80.21%

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

Last update for Damietta: October 31, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Damietta

$94 29.4%

Istanbul

$258 17% 174% $164

Eating Out

Damietta

$73 22.8%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 202% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Damietta

$67 20.7%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 94.5% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Damietta

$34 10.6%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 253% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Damietta

$26 8.1%

Istanbul

$91 6% 248% $65

Accommodation & Living

Damietta

$22 6.8%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 2760% $603

Getting Around

Damietta

$5.6 1.7%

Istanbul

$75 5% 1240% $70

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $27 in Damietta and $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays about 9.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $11 in Damietta vs $55 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $94 vs $258 per month, with Damietta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Damietta

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

21:54 9:54 PM

22:54 10:54 PM

1 h ahead of Damietta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

267,000

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.86 USD

100 EGP = 1.66 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 53.85 EGP (100 EGP = 1.86 USD). 1 EUR = 60.18 EGP (100 EGP = 1.66 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.05 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Damietta Istanbul 1,100 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Damietta
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

Damietta vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Damietta wins on cost – living expenses run 79% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Damietta the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 90% lower in Damietta. 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: $27 in Damietta versus $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $321 per month in Damietta versus $1,519 in Istanbul – Damietta is about 79% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Damietta runs roughly 94% less than in Istanbul. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $321 in Damietta versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $800 budget is realistic in Damietta but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Damietta 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, Damietta and Istanbul are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Damietta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.