Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Al Kharijah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Kharijah: $407 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
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Istanbul Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Al Kharijah
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Al Kharijah Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Al Kharijah

🇪🇬 Egypt

$407

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $407 in Al Kharijah, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Al Kharijah $407

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $658 in Al Kharijah, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Al Kharijah $658

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $909 in Al Kharijah, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Al Kharijah $909

Istanbul costs about 273% more than Al Kharijah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Al Kharijah is 70% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$3.61 E£194

227.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$14.18 E£762

287.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$4.32 E£232

114.35%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.17 E£63.1

267.52%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.28 E£14.91

532.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.10 E£5.49

460.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.27 E£68.4

269.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.72 E£146

161.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.82 E£44.14

52.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.67 E£35.88

31.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$0.58 E£31.44

279.31%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.16 E£62.4

109.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$3.16 E£170

231.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$3.67 E£197

44.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$7.77 E£418

171.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.35 E£72.6

37.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.64 E£34.33

259.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.45 E£24.42

171.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.32 E£17.31

462.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.30 E£16.09

130.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.29 E£15.52

120.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.23 E£12.36

491.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.19 E£10.34

205.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.76 E£94.7

32.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$5.86 E£315

122.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.11 E£59.9

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

$0.16 E£8.81

450.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.38 E£20.29

236.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.19 E£10.05

347.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$1.18 E£63.7

839.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.39 E£21.15

279.49%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$30.3K E£1.6M

60.75%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.7K E£1.3M

77.41%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$14.11 E£759

557.05%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$6.21 E£334

80.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$12.59 E£677

26.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$15.28 E£822

388.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$2.70 E£145

198.15%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$80.6 E£4,335

1076.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$1,792 E£96.4K

1959.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$16.28 E£876

230.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$41.32 E£2,222

0.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$110 E£5,922

-8.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$51.1 E£2,748

78.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$128 E£6,879

692.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$70.7 E£3,803

782.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$241 E£13.0K

732.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$137 E£7,382

720.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$712 E£38.3K

319.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$325 E£17.5K

432.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

16.21

149.35%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Al Kharijah: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Al Kharijah

$71 17.4% 88.7% $554

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Al Kharijah

$113 27.7% 56.4% $146

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Al Kharijah

$69 17% 68.6% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Al Kharijah

$98 24.2% 23.9% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Al Kharijah

$33 8.1% 72.5% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Al Kharijah

$21 5.1% 77.2% $70

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Al Kharijah

$2 * 0.5% 97.4% $73

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 $128 in Al Kharijah. 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 Al Kharijah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $113 – making Al Kharijah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇬 Al Kharijah

🕒 Local time

01:43 1:43 AM

00:43 12:43 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

83,108

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Al Kharijah 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Al Kharijah

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 Kharijah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 273%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $610 in Al Kharijah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al Kharijah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $128 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,519 in Istanbul and $407 in Al Kharijah. That makes Al Kharijah about 73% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $81 in Al Kharijah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Al Kharijah, where all-in costs run around $407, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Al Kharijah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.