Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Alexandria, Egypt

Name: Alexandria
Address: Alexandria, EG

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $432 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 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
21

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇪🇬 Egypt

$432

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Alexandria

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $432 in Alexandria, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Alexandria $432

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $718 in Alexandria, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Alexandria $718

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,003 in Alexandria, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Alexandria $1,003

Istanbul costs about 251% more than Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Alexandria is 68% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$4.06 E£218

190.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$16.90 E£909

224.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$4.45 E£240

108.09%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.26 E£67.8

241.27%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.29 E£15.34

510.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.11 E£5.70

409.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.28 E£68.6

266.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.64 E£142

169.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.83 E£44.49

50.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.71 E£38.30

23.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$0.61 E£33.03

260.66%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.12 E£60.0

116.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$3.94 E£212

165.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$4.08 E£219

30.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$8.44 E£454

150.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.47 E£78.8

26.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.73 E£39.24

215.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.52 E£28.16

134.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.29 E£15.57

520.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.24 E£12.87

187.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.28 E£14.86

128.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.23 E£12.35

491.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.22 E£11.59

163.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.79 E£96.3

30.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$4.48 E£241

190.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.18 E£63.5

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.17 E£117

53.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.18 E£9.79

388.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$10.86 E£584

508.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.37 E£20.10

245.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.53 E£28.40

60.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$1.08 E£58.1

926.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.44 E£23.79

236.36%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$32.1K E£1.7M

51.46%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.1K E£1.3M

74.31%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$14.81 E£796

526.00%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$6.90 E£371

62.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$12.67 E£681

25.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$12.44 E£669

500.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$6.78 E£365

238.50%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$2.67 E£143

201.50%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$82.8 E£4,453

1045.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$2,027 E£109.0K

1721.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$32.55 E£1,750

65.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$40.20 E£2,162

3.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$111 E£5,982

-9.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$55.9 E£3,003

63.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$130 E£6,999

678.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$64.2 E£3,450

873.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$279 E£15.0K

619.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$140 E£7,524

704.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$657 E£35.3K

354.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$390 E£20.9K

344.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$134 E£7,202

748.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

83.73%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Alexandria

$64 14.9% 89.7% $560

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Alexandria

$119 27.6% 53.9% $139

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Alexandria

$74 17.2% 66.4% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Alexandria

$108 25% 16.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Alexandria

$34 8% 71.3% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Alexandria

$18 4.1% 80.4% $73

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Alexandria

$15 3.4% 80.6% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $130 in Alexandria. 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 8.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $17 in Alexandria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $119 – making Alexandria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇬 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

22:38 10:38 PM

21:38 9:38 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

4,546,231

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Alexandria 1,090 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Alexandria

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 Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 251% more than Alexandria, 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 $648 in Alexandria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alexandria, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $130 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $83 in Alexandria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 117% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Alexandria, where all-in costs run around $432, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Alexandria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Alexandria – 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 Alexandria. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.