Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gafsa and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Gafsa: $586 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Gafsa
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Gafsa Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Gafsa

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$586

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $586 per month in Gafsa vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Gafsa $586
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $903 per month in Gafsa vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Gafsa $903
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $1,220 per month in Gafsa vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Gafsa $1,220
Istanbul $3,281

Gafsa is about 62% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Gafsa sits 57% below the global median, while Istanbul is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.96 TND 11.86

$12.30 ₺609

-67.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.87 TND 29.56

$54.7 ₺2,708

-81.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.47 TND 7.40

$9.22 ₺456

-73.21%

Cappuccino

$0.58 TND 1.74

$4.40 ₺218

-86.82%

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

$0.52 TND 1.55

$1.68 ₺83.1

-69.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 TND 0.71

$0.59 ₺29.40

-59.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 TND 5.15

$4.70 ₺233

-63.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 TND 5.05

$5.91 ₺292

-71.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.46 TND 1.39

$1.21 ₺60.0

-61.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.13 TND 0.39

$0.89 ₺44.10

-85.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 TND 5.02

$2.19 ₺108

-23.74%

Eggs

$1.04 TND 3.13

$2.35 ₺116

-55.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.88 TND 38.59

$10.42 ₺516

23.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 TND 17.90

$5.65 ₺280

5.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.60 TND 34.75

$20.94 ₺1,037

-44.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.39 TND 4.15

$1.90 ₺94.1

-26.84%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 TND 9.05

$2.31 ₺114

30.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.83 TND 2.48

$1.28 ₺63.1

-35.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.93 TND 2.78

$1.80 ₺89.0

-48.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 TND 2.12

$0.65 ₺32.16

9.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 TND 1.40

$0.64 ₺31.91

-26.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 TND 1.35

$1.25 ₺62.1

-64.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.27 TND 0.81

$0.56 ₺27.58

-51.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 TND 7.54

$2.37 ₺118

6.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.16 TND 15.47

$13.42 ₺664

-61.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 TND 3.66

$2.40 ₺119

-49.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 TND 4.05

$3.48 ₺172

-61.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 TND 0.95

$0.89 ₺43.84

-64.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.92 TND 32.70

$67.4 ₺3,338

-83.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 TND 0.86

$1.29 ₺64.1

-77.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 TND 0.75

$0.92 ₺45.70

-72.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.13 TND 12.37

$10.96 ₺542

-62.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 TND 2.61

$1.47 ₺72.9

-40.82%

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

$38.2K TND 114.5K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-24.73%

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

$31.4K TND 93.9K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-29.59%

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

$39.47 TND 118

$88.6 ₺4,387

-55.46%

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

$8.41 TND 25.20

$11.59 ₺574

-27.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.27 TND 57.7

$15.81 ₺783

21.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.29 TND 45.80

$77.2 ₺3,820

-80.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.41 TND 37.16

$22.74 ₺1,126

-45.43%

Cinema Ticket

$3.43 TND 10.27

$8.14 ₺403

-57.86%

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

$59.1 TND 177

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-94.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,023 TND 3,065

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-96.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.72 TND 119

$54.0 ₺2,671

-26.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.5 TND 157

$40.83 ₺2,021

28.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 TND 313

$98.9 ₺4,895

5.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 TND 340

$96.6 ₺4,783

17.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$141 TND 422

$985 ₺48.7K

-85.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$102 TND 304

$650 ₺32.2K

-84.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$205 TND 615

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-89.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$153 TND 458

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-87.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$969 TND 2,904

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-69.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$358 TND 1,073

$1,780 ₺88.1K

-79.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$305 TND 913

$1,205 ₺59.7K

-74.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.88

40.92

-78.30%

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

Last update for Gafsa: October 11, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Gafsa

$180 30.8%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 43.9% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Gafsa

$140 23.8%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 6.4% $8.9

Accommodation & Living

Gafsa

$102 17.3%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 540% $548

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gafsa

$67 11.5%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 72.8% $49

Eating Out

Gafsa

$61 10.4%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 266% $162

Sport & Entertainment

Gafsa

$22 3.8%

Istanbul

$93 6% 322% $71

Getting Around

Gafsa

$14 2.3%

Istanbul

$77 5% 460% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $141 in Gafsa 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 295% 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 $10.00 in Gafsa versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $180 vs $260 – making Gafsa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇳 Gafsa

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

23:43 11:43 PM

01:43 1:43 AM

2 h ahead of Gafsa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

111,170

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇳 Tunisian Dinar (د.ت)

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to TND in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Gafsa Istanbul 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Gafsa
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

Gafsa vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 165%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $878 per month in Gafsa 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 Gafsa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $59.1 per month in Gafsa 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 44% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gafsa, where all-in costs run around $586, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Gafsa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gafsa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Gafsa. 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.