Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Al `arish

For one person, living is cheaper in Al `arish: $427 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 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 `arish
Learn more

Al `arish Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Al `arish

🇪🇬 Egypt

$427

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $427 in Al `arish.

Istanbul $1,519
Al `arish $427

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $684 in Al `arish.

Istanbul $2,365
Al `arish $684

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $940 in Al `arish.

Istanbul $3,212
Al `arish $940

Living in Istanbul is roughly 256% more expensive than in Al `arish, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 12% above, Al `arish is 68% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$3.81 E£205

209.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$14.41 E£775

281.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$4.40 E£236

110.45%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.11 E£59.5

287.39%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.32 E£17.45

453.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.13 E£6.85

330.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.36 E£73.2

244.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.74 E£148

159.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.80 E£42.80

56.25%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.32 E£17.04

175.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$0.61 E£32.99

260.66%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.27 E£68.4

91.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$2.26 E£121

363.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$3.37 E£181

57.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$7.41 E£398

184.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.40 E£75.4

32.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.56 E£30.12

310.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.40 E£21.60

205.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.33 E£17.48

445.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.41 E£21.88

68.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.43 E£22.99

48.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.25 E£13.36

444.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.19 E£10.07

205.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.79 E£96.4

30.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$4.40 E£236

196.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.01 E£54.3

133.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.54 E£82.9

115.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.17 E£9.27

417.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.28 E£15.21

357.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.37 E£19.94

129.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$1.15 E£61.8

864.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.40 E£21.47

270.00%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$29.9K E£1.6M

62.87%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.4K E£1.3M

79.71%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$14.23 E£765

551.51%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$6.74 E£362

66.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$23.26 E£1,250

-31.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$15.12 E£813

393.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$3.62 E£195

122.38%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$79.4 E£4,267

1095.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$2,230 E£119.9K

1555.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$9.85 E£529

447.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$43.67 E£2,348

-4.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$149 E£7,985

-32.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$51.4 E£2,766

77.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$124 E£6,686

715.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$72.3 E£3,887

763.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$240 E£12.9K

734.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$137 E£7,361

722.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$713 E£38.3K

318.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$334 E£18.0K

417.89%

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 Al `arish: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Al `arish

$72 16.9% 88.4% $552

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Al `arish

$100 23.5% 61.1% $158

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Al `arish

$71 16.6% 67.8% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Al `arish

$114 26.7% 11.9% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Al `arish

$44 10.4% 63.1% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Al `arish

$22 5.2% 75.4% $68

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Al `arish

$2.8 * 0.7% 96.2% $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 $124 in Al `arish. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $14 in Al `arish for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $100 per month, with Al `arish cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇬 Al `arish

🕒 Local time

23:55 11:55 PM

22:55 10:55 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

199,243

💱 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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Between locations

Istanbul Al `arish 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Al `arish

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 `arish: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al `arish wins on cost – living expenses run 72% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Al `arish the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,278 in Istanbul and $641 in Al `arish 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 $124 in Al `arish. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 157% 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 $427 in Al `arish – Al `arish is about 72% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $427 in Al `arish versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $800 budget is realistic in Al `arish but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Al `arish 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.