Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Aja

For one person, living is cheaper in Aja: $373 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Aja
Learn more

Aja Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Aja

🇪🇬 Egypt

$373

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Aja

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Istanbul and in Aja actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $373 in Aja, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Aja $373

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $608 in Aja, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Aja $608

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $843 in Aja, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Aja $843

Istanbul costs about 307% more than Aja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Aja is 72% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$3.73 E£201

216.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$13.97 E£752

293.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$2.83 E£152

227.21%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.11 E£60.0

287.39%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.34 E£18.33

420.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.12 E£6.25

366.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.26 E£67.6

272.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.71 E£146

162.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.76 E£40.91

64.47%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.29 E£15.71

203.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$0.53 E£28.66

315.09%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.30 E£70.0

86.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$2.26 E£122

363.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$3.42 E£184

55.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$6.88 E£371

206.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.43 E£77.1

30.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.54 E£29.05

325.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.38 E£20.21

221.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.30 E£15.95

500.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.33 E£17.94

109.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.37 E£19.73

72.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.27 E£14.56

403.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.21 E£11.18

176.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.82 E£97.9

28.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$4.39 E£236

196.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.95 E£51.2

148.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.50 E£80.7

121.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.17 E£8.96

417.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.26 E£13.82

392.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.38 E£20.34

123.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$0.87 E£47.08

1174.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.38 E£20.38

289.47%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$29.6K E£1.6M

64.08%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$21.4K E£1.2M

96.19%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$14.28 E£769

549.23%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$3.85 E£208

190.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$7.77 E£418

104.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$14.99 E£807

398.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$2.63 E£142

206.08%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$29.44 E£1,585

3121.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$2,222 E£119.7K

1561.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$9.89 E£533

444.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$41.26 E£2,222

0.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$97.0 E£5,223

4.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$52.6 E£2,832

73.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$129 E£6,924

688.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$70.8 E£3,813

781.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$241 E£13.0K

731.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$137 E£7,368

722.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$722 E£38.9K

314.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$324 E£17.5K

433.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

22.5

79.64%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Aja: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Aja

$71 19% 88.7% $554

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Aja

$98 26.2% 62.2% $161

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Aja

$65 17.5% 70.5% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Aja

$90 24.2% 30.2% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Aja

$26 7% 78.4% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Aja

$20 5.4% 77.7% $71

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Aja

$2.8 * 0.8% 96.3% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $129 in Aja. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $14 in Aja. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $98 – making Aja the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇬 Aja

🕒 Local time

13:07 1:07 PM

12:07 12:07 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

47,013

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

100 EGP = 1.86 USD

100 EGP = 1.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

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).

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).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Aja 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Aja

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

Istanbul vs Aja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 307% more than Aja, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $559 in Aja. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aja, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $129 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,519 in Istanbul and $373 in Aja. That makes Aja about 75% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $29 in Aja. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Aja, where all-in costs run around $373, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Aja it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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