Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Al Fujayrah

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $3,236 in Al Fujayrah, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Al Fujayrah
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Al Fujayrah Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Al Fujayrah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$3,236

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Al Fujayrah

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $3,236 in Al Fujayrah, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Al Fujayrah $3,236

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $4,773 in Al Fujayrah, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Al Fujayrah $4,773

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $6,309 in Al Fujayrah, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Al Fujayrah $6,309

Istanbul is about 53% cheaper than Al Fujayrah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Istanbul and Al Fujayrah sit above the global median – Istanbul by 13%, Al Fujayrah by 139%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$8.09 AED 29.72

47.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$60.6 AED 222

-5.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$9.78 AED 35.91

-2.76%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$5.66 AED 20.79

-22.26%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$1.39 AED 5.11

25.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$0.60 AED 2.22

-6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$13.42 AED 49.27

-64.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$13.38 AED 49.14

-54.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.77 AED 6.49

-29.94%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$1.20 AED 4.39

-20.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$2.38 AED 8.75

-4.20%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$3.41 AED 12.53

-28.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$5.53 AED 20.32

90.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$5.27 AED 19.37

4.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$7.61 AED 27.97

184.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$1.79 AED 6.58

2.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.34 AED 4.93

70.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$1.30 AED 4.79

-1.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$1.40 AED 5.14

30.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$1.02 AED 3.75

-35.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$0.98 AED 3.61

-35.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.11 AED 4.07

14.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.61 AED 2.23

-8.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$6.18 AED 22.71

-61.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$16.25 AED 59.7

-20.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$2.69 AED 9.90

-7.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$2.92 AED 10.74

19.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$2.83 AED 10.39

-71.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$16.19 AED 59.5

302.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$2.65 AED 9.74

-49.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$0.26 AED 0.94

246.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$2.64 AED 9.69

313.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$0.76 AED 2.80

88.16%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$26.4K AED 96.9K

87.90%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$22.1K AED 81.2K

95.34%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$239 AED 877

-62.83%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$45.81 AED 168

-74.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$91.0 AED 334

-82.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$93.6 AED 344

-18.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

$29.99 AED 110

-24.24%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$10.02 AED 36.80

-17.56%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$268 AED 983

279.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$4,457 AED 16.4K

479.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$30.12 AED 111

76.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$53.4 AED 196

-24.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$105 AED 384

-4.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$82.0 AED 301

14.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$2,368 AED 8,697

-58.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$2,114 AED 7,763

-70.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$5,166 AED 19.0K

-61.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$4,008 AED 14.7K

-71.38%

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

$3,694 AED 13.6K

-67.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

1934.50%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Al Fujayrah: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Al Fujayrah

$2.1K 65.3% 237% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Al Fujayrah

$216 6.7% 17.6% $46

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Al Fujayrah

$264 8.2% 18.8% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Al Fujayrah

$122 3.8% 6% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Al Fujayrah

$376 11.6% 222% $259

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Al Fujayrah

$114 3.5% 22.5% $21

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Al Fujayrah

$31 1% 57.7% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $2,368 in Al Fujayrah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 205% higher in Al Fujayrah, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Istanbul versus $61.0 in Al Fujayrah. Groceries tell a different story – $263 in Istanbul vs $216 in Al Fujayrah – so Al Fujayrah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇦🇪 Al Fujayrah

🕒 Local time

13:46 1:46 PM

14:46 2:46 PM

1 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

118,933

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, 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).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Al Fujayrah 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Al Fujayrah

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 Fujayrah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Fujayrah costs about 112% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $4,854 in Al Fujayrah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Istanbul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,015 per month in Istanbul and $268 in Al Fujayrah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 21% cheaper in Al Fujayrah – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,525, than in Al Fujayrah at $3,236. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Al Fujayrah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Istanbul costs $1,525 versus $3,236 in Al Fujayrah. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Al Fujayrah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.