Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Al-`awabi

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-`awabi: $954 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Al-`awabi
Learn more

Al-`awabi Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Al-`awabi

🇴🇲 Oman

$954

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Al-`awabi

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $954 in Al-`awabi, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Al-`awabi $954

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $1,430 in Al-`awabi, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Al-`awabi $1,430

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $1,906 in Al-`awabi, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Al-`awabi $1,906

Istanbul costs about 60% more than Al-`awabi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Istanbul sits 13% above the global median, while Al-`awabi is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$5.07 OMR 1.95

135.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$38.32 OMR 14.76

49.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$8.00 OMR 3.08

18.87%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$5.03 OMR 1.94

-12.52%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$0.87 OMR 0.33

101.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$0.27 OMR 0.10

107.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$13.05 OMR 5.02

-63.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$12.85 OMR 4.95

-52.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$2.29 OMR 0.88

-45.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$1.17 OMR 0.45

-18.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$1.81 OMR 0.70

25.97%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$2.95 OMR 1.14

-16.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$7.48 OMR 2.88

41.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$6.83 OMR 2.63

-19.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$10.72 OMR 4.13

101.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$3.62 OMR 1.39

-49.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.00 OMR 0.77

14.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$2.43 OMR 0.94

-47.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$1.26 OMR 0.49

44.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$1.16 OMR 0.45

-43.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$1.29 OMR 0.50

-51.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.79 OMR 0.69

-29.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.71 OMR 0.27

-21.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$6.47 OMR 2.49

-63.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$15.87 OMR 6.11

-18.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$5.77 OMR 2.22

-57.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$10.38 OMR 4.00

-66.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$3.22 OMR 1.24

-58.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$2.55 OMR 0.98

-64.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$7.72 OMR 2.97

41.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$0.63 OMR 0.24

126.98%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$25.1K OMR 9,659

97.58%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$22.6K OMR 8,707

90.97%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$180 OMR 69.2

-50.62%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$31.04 OMR 11.95

-62.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$69.6 OMR 26.80

-76.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$10.51 OMR 4.05

-21.41%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$290 OMR 112

249.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$10.6K OMR 4,094

142.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$57.2 OMR 22.03

-6.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$43.57 OMR 16.77

-6.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$89.0 OMR 34.28

12.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$86.0 OMR 33.12

8.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

5.25

675.05%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Al-`awabi: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Al-`awabi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Al-`awabi

$292 30.6% 11.1% $29

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Al-`awabi

$220 23.1% 0.8% $1.7

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Al-`awabi

$124 13% 4% $5.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Al-`awabi

$280 29.4% 141% $164

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Al-`awabi

$21 * 2.2% 77.3% $72

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Al-`awabi

$16 * 1.7% 78.5% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Istanbul versus $38.00 in Al-`awabi. Groceries tell a different story – $263 in Istanbul vs $292 in Al-`awabi – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇴🇲 Al-`awabi

🕒 Local time

16:21 4:21 PM

17:21 5:21 PM

1 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

10,711

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Al-`awabi 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Al-`awabi

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-`awabi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 60%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $1,430 in Al-`awabi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,525 in Istanbul and $954 in Al-`awabi. That's a gap of about 60%.

Kindergarten costs $1,015 per month in Istanbul and $290 in Al-`awabi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Al-`awabi, where all-in costs run around $954, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Al-`awabi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al-`awabi – 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 Al-`awabi. 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.