Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Alges

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,009 in Alges, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Alges
Learn more

Alges Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Alges

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Alges

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $2,009 in Alges, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Alges $2,009

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,853 in Alges, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Alges $2,853

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,697 in Alges, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Alges $3,697

Istanbul is about 23% cheaper than Alges, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Istanbul and Alges sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Alges by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$15.36 €13.66

-19.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$54.7 €48.68

-0.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$9.41 €8.37

-2.02%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.64 €2.35

66.67%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.35 €2.09

-28.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$2.25 €2.00

-73.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$3.39 €3.01

38.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$5.54 €4.93

6.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.04 €0.93

16.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.96 €1.75

-54.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.23 €1.98

-1.79%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.42 €3.04

-31.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$10.82 €9.63

-3.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$7.10 €6.31

-20.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$14.95 €13.30

40.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.85 €2.54

-33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.37 €1.22

68.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.78 €1.59

-28.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.24 €2.00

-19.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.56 €1.39

-58.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.23 €1.98

-71.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.54 €1.37

-18.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.78 €0.69

-28.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$5.67 €5.05

-58.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$4.90 €4.35

173.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.16 €1.03

106.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.09 €2.75

12.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$2.26 €2.01

-60.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$44.01 €39.15

53.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$4.56 €4.06

-71.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.99 €0.88

-7.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$17.84 €15.87

-38.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.05 €1.83

-28.29%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$33.8K €30.1K

50.29%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$38.1K €33.9K

16.82%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$137 €122

-35.14%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$24.63 €21.91

-52.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$56.3 €50.1

-71.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$44.85 €39.89

72.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$17.11 €15.22

32.90%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$7.20 €6.40

13.06%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$597 €531

68.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$18.7K €16.6K

36.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$76.8 €68.3

-29.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$33.38 €29.69

22.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$90.7 €80.6

9.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$94.8 €84.3

1.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,240 €1,103

-20.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$1,055 €938

-38.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$2,047 €1,821

-3.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,559 €1,386

-24.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,991 €2,660

4.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,264 €2,014

-21.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,229 €1,093

-1.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.67

1014.99%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Alges: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Alges

$1.1K 52.5% 62.3% $405

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Alges

$253 12.6% 2.7% $7

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Alges

$229 11.4% 2.7% $5.9

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Alges

$133 6.6% 1.8% $2.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Alges

$218 10.8% 87.5% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Alges

$59 3% 36.6% $34

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Alges

$63 3.1% 18.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $1,240 in Alges. 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 2% higher in Alges, 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $55.0 in Alges. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Istanbul vs $253 in Alges – so Alges wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇹 Alges

🕒 Local time

17:19 5:19 PM

15:19 3:19 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

19,327

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Alges 3,250 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Alges

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 Alges: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul, $2,009 in Alges – roughly 30% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $3,013 in Alges. 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 $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $597 in Alges. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Alges – 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 $1,550, than in Alges at $2,009. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alges it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Alges has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,550 in Istanbul to $2,009 in Alges. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Alges makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.