Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fes and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Fes: $675 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Fes
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Fes Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Fes

🇲🇦 Morocco

$675

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $675 per month in Fes vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Fes $675
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $1,042 per month in Fes vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Fes $1,042
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $1,408 per month in Fes vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Fes $1,408
Istanbul $3,281

Fes is about 56% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Fes sits 50% below the global median, while Istanbul is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.04 MAD 29.68

$12.30 ₺609

-75.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.52 MAD 307

$54.7 ₺2,708

-42.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.09 MAD 59.4

$9.22 ₺456

-33.95%

Cappuccino

$1.31 MAD 12.82

$4.40 ₺218

-70.23%

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

$0.54 MAD 5.31

$1.68 ₺83.1

-67.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MAD 3.75

$0.59 ₺29.40

-35.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.67 MAD 35.81

$4.70 ₺233

-21.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 MAD 40.98

$5.91 ₺292

-28.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 MAD 7.72

$1.21 ₺60.0

-34.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 MAD 5.26

$0.89 ₺44.10

-39.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 MAD 16.99

$2.19 ₺108

-20.55%

Eggs

$1.87 MAD 18.27

$2.35 ₺116

-20.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.74 MAD 95.0

$10.42 ₺516

-6.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.44 MAD 43.30

$5.65 ₺280

-21.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.50 MAD 92.6

$20.94 ₺1,037

-54.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 MAD 18.46

$1.90 ₺94.1

-0.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MAD 15.31

$2.31 ₺114

-32.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.08 MAD 10.53

$1.28 ₺63.1

-15.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 MAD 10.21

$1.80 ₺89.0

-41.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 MAD 8.89

$0.65 ₺32.16

40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 MAD 10.27

$0.64 ₺31.91

64.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 MAD 4.70

$1.25 ₺62.1

-61.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MAD 5.51

$0.56 ₺27.58

1.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 MAD 41.98

$2.37 ₺118

81.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.52 MAD 44.08

$13.42 ₺664

-66.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 MAD 26.07

$2.40 ₺119

11.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 MAD 30.85

$3.48 ₺172

-9.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 MAD 3.83

$0.89 ₺43.84

-56.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.14 MAD 98.9

$67.4 ₺3,338

-84.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 MAD 6.24

$1.29 ₺64.1

-50.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 MAD 7.28

$0.92 ₺45.70

-18.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MAD 14.00

$1.47 ₺72.9

-2.04%

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

$34.9K MAD 339.9K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-31.36%

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

$34.5K MAD 336.5K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-22.50%

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

$32.49 MAD 317

$88.6 ₺4,387

-63.33%

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

$10.33 MAD 101

$11.59 ₺574

-10.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.45 MAD 346

$15.81 ₺783

124.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.35 MAD 257

$77.2 ₺3,820

-65.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.30 MAD 188

$22.74 ₺1,126

-15.13%

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 MAD 49.00

$8.14 ₺403

-38.21%

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

$94.6 MAD 922

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-90.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,313 MAD 61.6K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-75.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.29 MAD 188

$54.0 ₺2,671

-64.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 MAD 511

$40.83 ₺2,021

28.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.8 MAD 797

$98.9 ₺4,895

-17.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.7 MAD 552

$96.6 ₺4,783

-41.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$313 MAD 3,050

$985 ₺48.7K

-68.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 MAD 1,782

$650 ₺32.2K

-71.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$539 MAD 5,252

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-72.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$249 MAD 2,431

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-78.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$724 MAD 7,062

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-76.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$342 MAD 3,333

$1,780 ₺88.1K

-80.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$483 MAD 4,709

$1,205 ₺59.7K

-59.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

-87.78%

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

Last update for Fes: October 13, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fes

$183 27.1%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 256% $467

Groceries & Markets

Fes

$178 26.4%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 45.5% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Fes

$95 14%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 38.1% $36

Eating Out

Fes

$89 13.2%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 151% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fes

$78 11.6%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 48.2% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Fes

$36 5.4%

Istanbul

$93 6% 157% $57

Getting Around

Fes

$16 2.4%

Istanbul

$77 5% 378% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $313 in Fes versus $985 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 150% 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 $32.00 in Fes versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $178 vs $260 – making Fes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Fes

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

17:30 5:30 PM

19:30 7:30 PM

2 h ahead of Fes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,167,842

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇦 Moroccan Dirham (د.م.)

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to MAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Fes Istanbul 3,080 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Fes
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

Fes vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 129% more than Fes, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,013 per month in Fes and $2,325 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Fes and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $675 in Fes and $1,550 in Istanbul. That's a gap of about 129%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Fes, where all-in costs run around $675, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Fes it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Fes costs $675 versus $1,550 in Istanbul. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Fes. 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.