Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Faiyum and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in El Faiyum: $381 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

18

Cost of Living Index in El Faiyum
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El Faiyum Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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El Faiyum

🇪🇬 Egypt

$381

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $381 in El Faiyum versus $1,519 in Istanbul.

El Faiyum $381
Istanbul $1,519

Estimated couple costs with rent: $597 in El Faiyum versus $2,365 in Istanbul.

El Faiyum $597
Istanbul $2,365

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $813 in El Faiyum versus $3,212 in Istanbul.

El Faiyum $813
Istanbul $3,212

Living in El Faiyum costs roughly 75% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: El Faiyum is 72% below, Istanbul is 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.20 E£118

$11.81 ₺592

-81.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.51 E£673

$54.9 ₺2,753

-77.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.17 E£170

$9.26 ₺464

-65.77%

Cappuccino

$1.20 E£64.5

$4.30 ₺216

-72.09%

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

$0.28 E£15.17

$1.77 ₺89.0

-84.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.08 E£4.53

$0.56 ₺28.31

-85.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.91 E£48.97

$4.69 ₺235

-80.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 E£119

$7.12 ₺357

-68.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.67 E£36.08

$1.25 ₺62.7

-46.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 E£40.41

$0.88 ₺44.15

-14.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.54 E£29.15

$2.20 ₺111

-75.45%

Eggs

$1.08 E£57.9

$2.43 ₺122

-55.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.95 E£159

$10.48 ₺525

-71.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.46 E£186

$5.31 ₺266

-34.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.67 E£305

$21.10 ₺1,058

-73.13%

Apples (1kg)

$0.74 E£39.91

$1.86 ₺93.0

-60.22%

Banana (1kg)

$0.44 E£23.70

$2.30 ₺115

-80.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.30 E£16.37

$1.22 ₺60.9

-75.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.31 E£16.75

$1.80 ₺90.1

-82.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 E£12.83

$0.69 ₺34.81

-65.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.28 E£15.04

$0.64 ₺32.15

-56.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.25 E£13.51

$1.36 ₺67.9

-81.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.06

$0.58 ₺28.93

-63.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.42 E£76.4

$2.34 ₺117

-39.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.20 E£118

$13.03 ₺653

-83.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 E£61.7

$2.36 ₺118

-51.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 E£80.0

$3.32 ₺166

-55.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.05 E£2.70

$0.88 ₺44.05

-94.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.53 E£298

$66.1 ₺3,315

-91.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 E£20.17

$1.28 ₺64.4

-70.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 E£8.95

$0.85 ₺42.78

-80.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 E£50.3

$11.09 ₺556

-91.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.38 E£20.58

$1.48 ₺74.0

-74.32%

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

$26.6K E£1.4M

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-45.34%

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

$23.9K E£1.3M

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-43.11%

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

$14.38 E£773

$92.7 ₺4,648

-84.49%

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

$4.89 E£263

$11.20 ₺561

-56.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.77 E£472

$15.89 ₺797

-44.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$5.29 E£285

$74.7 ₺3,744

-92.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$2.20 E£118

$8.05 ₺404

-72.67%

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

$22.22 E£1,195

$948 ₺47.5K

-97.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,072 E£57.7K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-97.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.61 E£1,700

$53.9 ₺2,701

-41.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.05 E£2,154

$41.49 ₺2,080

-3.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 E£6,058

$101 ₺5,058

11.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.61 E£1,915

$91.3 ₺4,578

-61.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$181 E£9,708

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-82.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$94.5 E£5,082

$625 ₺31.3K

-84.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$244 E£13.1K

$2,005 ₺100.5K

-87.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$152 E£8,152

$1,126 ₺56.4K

-86.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$535 E£28.8K

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-82.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$286 E£15.4K

$1,730 ₺86.7K

-83.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$71.5 E£3,843

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-93.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

-45.57%

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

Last update for El Faiyum: November 1, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Clothing & Footwear

El Faiyum

$99 26%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 30.8% $30

Accommodation & Living

El Faiyum

$95 24.8%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 561% $530

Groceries & Markets

El Faiyum

$91 23.9%

Istanbul

$258 17% 184% $167

Eating Out

El Faiyum

$52 13.6%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 325% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Faiyum

$28 7.4%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 327% $92

Sport & Entertainment

El Faiyum

$9.7 2.5%

Istanbul

$91 6% 837% $81

Getting Around

El Faiyum

$6.9 1.8%

Istanbul

$75 5% 983% $68

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $181 in El Faiyum and $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays about 16 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $13 in El Faiyum vs $55 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $91 vs $258 per month, with El Faiyum cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇬 El Faiyum

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

02:15 2:15 AM

03:15 3:15 AM

1 h ahead of El Faiyum

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

306,393

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 7, 2026: 1 USD = 53.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.86 USD). 1 EUR = 60.09 EGP (100 EGP = 1.66 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 50.13 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.03 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

El Faiyum Istanbul 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

El Faiyum
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

El Faiyum vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Faiyum is about 75% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 94% lower in El Faiyum. 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: $181 in El Faiyum versus $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in El Faiyum runs roughly 92% less than in Istanbul. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $22 in El Faiyum versus $948 in Istanbul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $381 in El Faiyum versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in El Faiyum but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes El Faiyum 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, El Faiyum and Istanbul are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find El Faiyum gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.