Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fujairah and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Fujairah: $1,446 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Fujairah
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Fujairah Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Fujairah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,446

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,446 per month in Fujairah vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Fujairah $1,446
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $4,001 per month in Fujairah vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Fujairah $4,001
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $6,556 per month in Fujairah vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Fujairah $6,556
Istanbul $3,281

Fujairah is about 7% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Fujairah and Istanbul sit above the global median – Fujairah by 7%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.70 AED 28.27

$12.30 ₺609

-37.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.48 AED 152

$54.7 ₺2,708

-24.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.74 AED 28.44

$9.22 ₺456

-16.05%

Cappuccino

$5.62 AED 20.63

$4.40 ₺218

27.73%

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

$1.11 AED 4.08

$1.68 ₺83.1

-33.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 AED 1.57

$0.59 ₺29.40

-27.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.94 AED 32.83

$4.70 ₺233

90.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.40 AED 34.53

$5.91 ₺292

59.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 AED 6.06

$1.21 ₺60.0

36.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 AED 4.88

$0.89 ₺44.10

49.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 AED 7.17

$2.19 ₺108

-10.96%

Eggs

$2.39 AED 8.78

$2.35 ₺116

1.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.58 AED 46.22

$10.42 ₺516

20.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.47

$5.65 ₺280

70.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.94 AED 29.15

$20.94 ₺1,037

-62.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 AED 6.65

$1.90 ₺94.1

-4.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 AED 5.93

$2.31 ₺114

-30.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 AED 5.49

$1.28 ₺63.1

17.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 AED 3.63

$1.80 ₺89.0

-45.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 AED 3.11

$0.65 ₺32.16

30.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 AED 3.41

$0.64 ₺31.91

45.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 AED 3.06

$1.25 ₺62.1

-33.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 AED 1.59

$0.56 ₺27.58

-23.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.38 AED 19.75

$2.37 ₺118

127.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.51 AED 49.62

$13.42 ₺664

0.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 AED 8.18

$2.40 ₺119

-7.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 AED 9.04

$3.48 ₺172

-29.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.34 AED 12.26

$0.89 ₺43.84

275.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.43 AED 152

$67.4 ₺3,338

-38.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 AED 10.57

$1.29 ₺64.1

123.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 AED 1.90

$0.92 ₺45.70

-43.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.34 AED 30.64

$10.96 ₺542

-23.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 AED 3.08

$1.47 ₺72.9

-42.86%

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

$25.6K AED 94.0K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-49.58%

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

$20.1K AED 73.8K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-54.88%

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

$126 AED 461

$88.6 ₺4,387

41.80%

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

$46.21 AED 170

$11.59 ₺574

298.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.5 AED 284

$15.81 ₺783

389.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.35 AED 178

$77.2 ₺3,820

-37.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 AED 49.52

$22.74 ₺1,126

-40.72%

Cinema Ticket

$10.81 AED 39.70

$8.14 ₺403

32.80%

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

$262 AED 963

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-73.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,560 AED 16.7K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-82.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.80 AED 80.1

$54.0 ₺2,671

-59.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.77 AED 50.6

$40.83 ₺2,021

-66.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.3 AED 280

$98.9 ₺4,895

-22.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.7 AED 223

$96.6 ₺4,783

-37.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 AED 2,195

$985 ₺48.7K

-39.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$524 AED 1,924

$650 ₺32.2K

-19.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,366 AED 19.7K

$1,983 ₺98.2K

170.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,622 AED 17.0K

$1,180 ₺58.4K

291.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,677 AED 13.5K

$1,205 ₺59.7K

205.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.5

40.92

-93.89%

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

Last update for Fujairah: October 11, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fujairah

$524 36.2%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 24% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fujairah

$249 17.3%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 53.5% $133

Groceries & Markets

Fujairah

$243 16.8%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 7% $17

Eating Out

Fujairah

$222 15.4%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 0.6% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Fujairah

$78 5.4%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 68.2% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Fujairah

$70 4.8%

Istanbul

$93 6% 33.5% $23

Getting Around

Fujairah

$60 4.2%

Istanbul

$77 5% 27.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $598 in Fujairah 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 205% higher in Fujairah, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Fujairah versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $260 – making Fujairah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Fujairah

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

23:39 11:39 PM

22:39 10:39 PM

1 h behind Fujairah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

93,673

15,701,602

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 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 AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Fujairah
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

Fujairah vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,446 in Fujairah, $1,550 in Istanbul – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,169 per month in Fujairah 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 Fujairah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $262 per month in Fujairah and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Fujairah, where all-in costs run around $1,446, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Fujairah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Fujairah has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,446 in Fujairah to $1,550 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Fujairah. 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.