Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ismailia and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Ismailia: $313 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

15

Cost of Living Index in Ismailia
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Ismailia Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Ismailia

🇪🇬 Egypt

$313

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $313 in Ismailia versus $1,519 in Istanbul.

Ismailia $313
Istanbul $1,519

Estimated couple costs with rent: $522 in Ismailia versus $2,365 in Istanbul.

Ismailia $522
Istanbul $2,365

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $731 in Ismailia versus $3,212 in Istanbul.

Ismailia $731
Istanbul $3,212

Living in Ismailia costs roughly 79% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ismailia is 77% below, Istanbul is 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.12 E£168

$11.81 ₺592

-73.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.17 E£763

$54.9 ₺2,754

-74.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.58 E£193

$9.26 ₺465

-61.34%

Cappuccino

$1.01 E£54.4

$4.30 ₺216

-76.51%

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

$0.31 E£16.71

$1.77 ₺89.0

-82.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.65

$0.56 ₺28.32

-78.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 E£69.6

$4.69 ₺235

-72.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 E£96.3

$7.12 ₺357

-74.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 E£40.48

$1.25 ₺62.7

-40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.37 E£20.17

$0.88 ₺44.17

-57.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.56 E£30.05

$2.20 ₺111

-74.55%

Eggs

$1.12 E£60.3

$2.43 ₺122

-53.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.58 E£193

$10.48 ₺526

-65.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.83 E£207

$5.31 ₺267

-27.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.74 E£363

$21.10 ₺1,058

-68.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.44 E£77.4

$1.86 ₺93.1

-22.58%

Banana (1kg)

$0.57 E£30.46

$2.30 ₺115

-75.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.39 E£21.17

$1.22 ₺61.0

-68.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.27 E£14.65

$1.80 ₺90.2

-85.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 E£14.02

$0.69 ₺34.83

-62.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.30 E£16.18

$0.64 ₺32.16

-53.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.23 E£12.33

$1.36 ₺68.0

-83.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.16 E£8.61

$0.58 ₺28.94

-72.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.58 E£85.3

$2.34 ₺117

-32.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.49 E£242

$13.03 ₺653

-65.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 E£59.9

$2.36 ₺118

-52.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 E£117

$3.32 ₺166

-34.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.11 E£5.82

$0.88 ₺44.07

-87.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.28 E£14.98

$1.28 ₺64.4

-78.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 E£27.74

$0.85 ₺42.80

-38.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 E£61.5

$11.09 ₺556

-89.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.40 E£21.56

$1.48 ₺74.0

-72.97%

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

$26.8K E£1.4M

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-44.93%

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

$14.6K E£786.5K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-65.20%

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

$14.68 E£791

$92.7 ₺4,650

-84.17%

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

$7.00 E£377

$11.20 ₺562

-37.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.72 E£577

$15.89 ₺797

-32.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$7.91 E£426

$74.7 ₺3,745

-89.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$2.64 E£142

$8.05 ₺404

-67.20%

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

$62.7 E£3,378

$948 ₺47.6K

-93.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$450 E£24.2K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-98.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.98 E£861

$53.9 ₺2,702

-70.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$8.86 E£477

$41.49 ₺2,081

-78.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 E£6,006

$101 ₺5,060

10.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$27.34 E£1,472

$91.3 ₺4,580

-70.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$76.0 E£4,094

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-92.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$26.58 E£1,431

$625 ₺31.3K

-95.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$113 E£6,101

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-94.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$63.3 E£3,407

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-94.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$448 E£24.1K

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-85.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$180 E£9,673

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-89.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$124 E£6,697

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-89.06%

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 Ismailia: November 2, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ismailia

$105 33.4%

Istanbul

$258 17% 147% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Ismailia

$74 23.5%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 75.7% $56

Eating Out

Ismailia

$60 19%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 271% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ismailia

$32 10.3%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 270% $87

Accommodation & Living

Ismailia

$27 8.5%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 2250% $598

Sport & Entertainment

Ismailia

$13 4.2%

Istanbul

$91 6% 588% $78

Getting Around

Ismailia

$3.3 * 1.1%

Istanbul

$75 5% 2185% $72

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $76 in Ismailia and $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays about 9.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $14 in Ismailia vs $55 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $105 vs $258 per month, with Ismailia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Ismailia

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

18:53 6:53 PM

19:53 7:53 PM

1 h ahead of Ismailia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

352,000

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.86 USD

100 EGP = 1.65 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 = 60.48 EGP (100 EGP = 1.65 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ismailia Istanbul 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Ismailia
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

Ismailia vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 89% lower in Ismailia. 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: $76 in Ismailia versus $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 147% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $313 per month in Ismailia versus $1,519 in Istanbul – Ismailia is about 79% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $313 in Ismailia versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $800 budget is realistic in Ismailia but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Ismailia 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, Ismailia and Istanbul are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ismailia wins on affordability, Istanbul on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.