Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Al Rehab

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Rehab: $538 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Al Rehab
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Al Rehab Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Al Rehab

🇪🇬 Egypt

$538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $538 in Al Rehab, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Al Rehab $538

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $832 in Al Rehab, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Al Rehab $832

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,126 in Al Rehab, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Al Rehab $1,126

Istanbul costs about 182% more than Al Rehab, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Al Rehab is 60% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$4.64 E£249

154.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$18.36 E£987

199.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$4.01 E£215

130.92%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.53 E£82.1

181.05%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.32 E£17.47

453.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.13 E£7.20

330.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.14 E£61.3

311.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.13 E£115

234.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.92 E£49.37

35.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.62 E£33.25

41.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$0.68 E£36.60

223.53%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.28 E£68.9

89.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$3.30 E£178

217.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$4.08 E£220

30.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$8.64 E£465

144.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.54 E£83.1

20.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.69 E£37.24

233.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.54 E£29.23

125.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.48 E£25.81

275.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.36 E£19.60

91.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.43 E£23.01

48.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.36 E£19.44

277.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.22 E£11.85

163.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.93 E£104

21.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.46 E£347

101.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.87 E£46.68

171.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.88 E£101

76.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.39 E£21.17

125.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$9.15 E£492

622.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.33 E£17.79

287.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.16 E£8.45

431.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$0.88 E£47.16

1160.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.43 E£23.13

244.19%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$30.6K E£1.6M

59.20%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$22.5K E£1.2M

86.37%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$25.40 E£1,366

265.00%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$4.75 E£255

135.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$14.55 E£782

9.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$15.44 E£830

383.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$5.40 E£290

325.00%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$4.00 E£215

101.25%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$67.9 E£3,652

1296.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$731 E£39.3K

4951.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$22.44 E£1,206

140.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$30.87 E£1,660

34.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$107 E£5,757

-5.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$55.0 E£2,957

66.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$205 E£11.0K

394.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$159 E£8,551

292.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$313 E£16.8K

540.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$247 E£13.3K

355.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$724 E£38.9K

312.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$537 E£28.9K

222.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$108 E£5,818

950.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

21.25

90.21%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Al Rehab: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Al Rehab

$159 29.6% 74.5% $465

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Al Rehab

$123 22.9% 52.4% $135

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Al Rehab

$79 14.7% 64.1% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Al Rehab

$97 18% 25.1% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Al Rehab

$45 8.3% 62.7% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Al Rehab

$23 4.4% 74.2% $67

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Al Rehab

$12 2.2% 84.3% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $205 in Al Rehab. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Istanbul are about 11 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $18 in Al Rehab. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $123 – making Al Rehab the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇬 Al Rehab

🕒 Local time

02:24 2:24 AM

01:24 1:24 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

699,541

💱 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 Rehab 1,270 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Al Rehab

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 Rehab: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 182% more than Al Rehab, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $807 in Al Rehab. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al Rehab, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $205 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,519 in Istanbul and $538 in Al Rehab. That makes Al Rehab about 65% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 86% less in Al Rehab. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Al Rehab, where all-in costs run around $538, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Al Rehab it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Al Rehab. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.