Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Al `alamayn

For one person, living is cheaper in Al `alamayn: $414 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Al `alamayn
Learn more

Al `alamayn Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Al `alamayn

🇪🇬 Egypt

$414

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Al `alamayn

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 Al `alamayn actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $414 in Al `alamayn.

Istanbul $1,519
Al `alamayn $414

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $666 in Al `alamayn.

Istanbul $2,365
Al `alamayn $666

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $917 in Al `alamayn.

Istanbul $3,212
Al `alamayn $917

Living in Istanbul is roughly 267% more expensive than in Al `alamayn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 12% above, Al `alamayn is 69% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$4.54 E£244

160.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$13.08 E£703

319.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$2.81 E£151

229.54%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.26 E£68.0

241.27%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.34 E£18.35

420.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.11 E£6.12

409.09%

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

$2.66 E£143

167.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.90 E£48.27

38.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.29 E£15.60

203.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$0.53 E£28.72

315.09%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.32 E£70.7

84.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$2.69 E£145

289.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$3.87 E£208

37.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$7.09 E£381

197.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.50 E£80.5

24.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.63 E£33.99

265.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.45 E£24.33

171.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.32 E£17.14

462.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.30 E£16.38

130.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.39 E£21.06

64.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.38 E£20.66

257.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.20 E£10.63

190.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.94 E£105

20.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$5.66 E£305

130.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.11 E£59.8

112.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.88 E£101

76.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.18 E£9.90

388.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.32 E£17.26

300.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.42 E£22.68

102.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$0.92 E£49.61

1105.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.38 E£20.18

289.47%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$29.5K E£1.6M

64.75%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$21.7K E£1.2M

93.81%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$20.47 E£1,101

352.91%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$3.69 E£198

203.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$8.03 E£432

97.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$14.84 E£798

403.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$2.61 E£140

208.43%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$29.27 E£1,574

3140.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$1,748 E£94.0K

2011.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$16.27 E£875

231.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$40.86 E£2,197

1.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$94.5 E£5,079

6.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$80.8 E£4,345

13.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$129 E£6,920

687.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$72.0 E£3,873

767.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$245 E£13.2K

717.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$135 E£7,280

731.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$722 E£38.8K

313.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$322 E£17.3K

436.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

55.46%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Al `alamayn: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Al `alamayn

$72 17.4% 88.5% $552

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Al `alamayn

$109 26.3% 57.8% $149

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Al `alamayn

$73 17.7% 66.8% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Al `alamayn

$105 25.2% 19.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Al `alamayn

$32 7.8% 73.1% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Al `alamayn

$20 4.8% 77.9% $71

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Al `alamayn

$3.2 * 0.8% 95.8% $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 $1,014 in Istanbul and $129 in Al `alamayn. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $13 in Al `alamayn for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $109 per month, with Al `alamayn cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇬 Al `alamayn

🕒 Local time

00:34 12:34 AM

23:34 11:34 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

7,400

💱 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 = 1.66 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 = 56.05 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 53.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.86 USD). 1 EUR = 60.09 EGP (100 EGP = 1.66 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Al `alamayn 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Al `alamayn

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 Al `alamayn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al `alamayn is about 73% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,278 in Istanbul and $621 in Al `alamayn to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,014 in Istanbul versus $129 in Al `alamayn. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 137% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,519 per month in Istanbul versus $414 in Al `alamayn – Al `alamayn is about 73% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $414 in Al `alamayn versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al `alamayn but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Al `alamayn 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.