Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Al-masna'ah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-masna’ah: $952 a month against $1,516 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Istanbul, Turkey
Al-masna'ah, Oman
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,516
/mo nomad
Al-masna'ah
🇴🇲 Oman
$952
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Al-masna'ah

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-masna'ah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,516 per month in Istanbul vs $952 in Al-masna’ah, rent included.

  • Istanbul $1,516
  • Al-masna'ah $952

A couple spends around $2,356 per month in Istanbul vs $1,432 in Al-masna’ah, rent included.

  • Istanbul $2,356
  • Al-masna'ah $1,432

A family of three spends $3,197 per month in Istanbul vs $1,912 in Al-masna’ah, rent included.

  • Istanbul $3,197
  • Al-masna'ah $1,912

Istanbul costs about 59% more than Al-masna’ah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Istanbul sits 11% above the global median, while Al-masna’ah is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Al-masna'ah
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.59 ₺577
$5.15 OMR 1.98
125.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.7 ₺2,725
$39.68 OMR 15.28
37.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.39 ₺468
$7.60 OMR 2.93
23.55%
Cappuccino
$4.23 ₺211
$4.97 OMR 1.91
-14.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 ₺85.6
$0.87 OMR 0.33
97.70%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.57 ₺28.26
$0.27 OMR 0.10
111.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.65 ₺232
$12.99 OMR 5.00
-64.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.84 ₺341
$12.83 OMR 4.94
-46.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Al-masna'ah
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.20 ₺60.0
$2.28 OMR 0.88
-47.37%
White Bread (500g)
$0.94 ₺46.97
$1.19 OMR 0.46
-21.01%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 ₺112
$1.88 OMR 0.72
19.15%
Eggs
$2.42 ₺121
$3.01 OMR 1.16
-19.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.24 ₺510
$7.49 OMR 2.88
36.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.38 ₺268
$7.01 OMR 2.70
-23.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.19 ₺1,056
$10.45 OMR 4.02
102.78%
Apples (1kg)
$1.89 ₺94.3
$3.65 OMR 1.40
-48.22%
Banana (1kg)
$2.22 ₺111
$1.94 OMR 0.75
14.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.26 ₺62.7
$2.40 OMR 0.92
-47.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.81 ₺90.0
$1.30 OMR 0.50
39.23%
Potato (1kg)
$0.70 ₺34.84
$1.21 OMR 0.46
-42.15%
Onion (1kg)
$0.64 ₺32.13
$1.28 OMR 0.49
-50.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.22 ₺60.9
$1.80 OMR 0.69
-32.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ₺27.35
$0.69 OMR 0.27
-20.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.32 ₺116
$6.48 OMR 2.49
-64.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.31 ₺663
$15.70 OMR 6.05
-15.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 ₺116
$5.98 OMR 2.30
-61.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.46 ₺172
$10.36 OMR 3.99
-66.60%
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Al-masna'ah
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.91 ₺45.18
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.3 ₺3,306
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.29 ₺64.2
$3.35 OMR 1.29
-61.49%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.86 ₺42.66
$2.53 OMR 0.97
-66.01%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.09 ₺553
$7.89 OMR 3.04
40.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 ₺70.8
$0.61 OMR 0.23
132.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$49.2K ₺2.5M
$24.6K OMR 9,472
99.92%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$42.8K ₺2.1M
$20.8K OMR 8,024
105.36%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Al-masna'ah
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$87.7 ₺4,373
$177 OMR 68.3
-50.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.28 ₺562
$30.86 OMR 11.88
-63.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.89 ₺792
$69.8 OMR 26.87
-77.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Al-masna'ah
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$75.9 ₺3,783
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.04 ₺1,148
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.20 ₺409
$10.23 OMR 3.94
-19.84%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Al-masna'ah
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,028 ₺51.2K
$493 OMR 190
108.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$26.0K ₺1.3M
$10.4K OMR 4,015
148.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Al-masna'ah
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.3 ₺2,658
$57.5 OMR 22.15
-7.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.69 ₺1,978
$44.09 OMR 16.97
-9.98%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.8 ₺4,972
$90.1 OMR 34.69
10.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.5 ₺4,661
$87.8 OMR 33.81
6.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Al-masna'ah
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,003 ₺50.0K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$628 ₺31.3K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,963 ₺97.8K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,122 ₺55.9K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,075 ₺153.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,753 ₺87.3K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Al-masna'ah
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,180 ₺58.8K
$4,094 OMR 1,576
-71.19%
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 27, 2026

Last update for Al-masna'ah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$628
Al-masna'ah
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$258
Al-masna'ah
$293 13.4% $35
Eating Out
Istanbul
$218
Al-masna'ah
$219 0.5% $1.1
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$129
Al-masna'ah
$126 2.4% $3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$115
Al-masna'ah
$278 142% $163
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$92
Al-masna'ah
$20 * 77.8% $72
Getting Around
Istanbul
$76
Al-masna'ah
$16 * 78.8% $60

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Al-masna’ah are about 3.5 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $40 in Al-masna’ah. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Istanbul vs $293 in Al-masna’ah – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇴🇲 Al-masna'ah
🕒 Local time
20:38 8:38 PM
21:38 9:38 PM
1 h ahead of Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
💱 Currency
Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.
Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.429 OMR (1 OMR = 2.33 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Al-masna'ah 3,280 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Al-masna'ah

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-masna'ah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Istanbul and in Al-masna’ah compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,516 in Istanbul, $952 in Al-masna’ah – roughly 59% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.
What salary covers living expenses in Istanbul compared to Al-masna’ah?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,274 per month in Istanbul and $1,428 in Al-masna’ah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city is more expensive overall: Istanbul or Al-masna’ah?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,516 in Istanbul and $952 in Al-masna’ah. That’s a gap of about 59%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Istanbul and Al-masna’ah?
Kindergarten costs $1,028 per month in Istanbul and $493 in Al-masna’ah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Al-masna’ah, where all-in costs run around $952, than in Istanbul at $1,516. In Al-masna’ah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Istanbul and Al-masna’ah?
It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $952 in Al-masna’ah to $1,516 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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