Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Ar-rustaq

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar-rustaq: $958 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Ar-rustaq
Learn more

Ar-rustaq Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Ar-rustaq

🇴🇲 Oman

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Ar-rustaq

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 Ar-rustaq actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $958 in Ar-rustaq, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Ar-rustaq $958

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,438 in Ar-rustaq, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Ar-rustaq $1,438

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,918 in Ar-rustaq, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Ar-rustaq $1,918

Istanbul costs about 62% more than Ar-rustaq, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Ar-rustaq is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$5.31 OMR 2.04

131.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$39.09 OMR 15.05

39.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$8.01 OMR 3.08

15.11%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$5.10 OMR 1.96

-13.73%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.86 OMR 0.33

95.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.29 OMR 0.11

103.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$13.07 OMR 5.03

-64.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$12.84 OMR 4.94

-53.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$2.29 OMR 0.88

-47.16%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.19 OMR 0.46

-25.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.84 OMR 0.71

19.02%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.06 OMR 1.18

-23.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$7.51 OMR 2.89

38.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$7.11 OMR 2.74

-20.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$10.73 OMR 4.13

95.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.67 OMR 1.41

-48.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.02 OMR 0.78

14.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.31 OMR 0.89

-44.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.32 OMR 0.51

36.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.17 OMR 0.45

-44.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.28 OMR 0.49

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.84 OMR 0.71

-32.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.71 OMR 0.27

-21.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.58 OMR 2.53

-63.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$15.57 OMR 5.99

-13.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$5.81 OMR 2.24

-58.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$10.12 OMR 3.89

-65.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$3.17 OMR 1.22

-59.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.56 OMR 0.99

-64.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$7.96 OMR 3.06

37.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$0.63 OMR 0.24

133.33%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$25.8K OMR 9,938

96.76%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$23.0K OMR 8,854

93.62%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$181 OMR 69.8

-51.14%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$28.68 OMR 11.04

-59.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$70.4 OMR 27.10

-77.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$10.32 OMR 3.97

-21.12%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$293 OMR 113

244.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$10.7K OMR 4,101

139.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$57.4 OMR 22.09

-5.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$43.10 OMR 16.59

-5.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$88.8 OMR 34.20

11.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$86.7 OMR 33.39

11.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$4,439 OMR 1,709

-72.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

5.25

679.43%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ar-rustaq: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Ar-rustaq

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Ar-rustaq

$293 30.6% 13% $34

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Ar-rustaq

$223 23.3% 0% $0

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Ar-rustaq

$124 13% 4.9% $6.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Ar-rustaq

$280 29.3% 142% $164

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Ar-rustaq

$21 * 2.2% 77.9% $73

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Ar-rustaq

$16 * 1.7% 79.2% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 268% higher in Ar-rustaq, 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $39.00 in Ar-rustaq. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Istanbul vs $293 in Ar-rustaq – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇴🇲 Ar-rustaq

🕒 Local time

20:51 8:51 PM

21:51 9:51 PM

1 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

120,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Ar-rustaq 3,290 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Ar-rustaq

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 Ar-rustaq: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $1,437 in Ar-rustaq. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,550 in Istanbul and $958 in Ar-rustaq. That's a gap of about 62%.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $293 in Ar-rustaq. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ar-rustaq, where all-in costs run around $958, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Ar-rustaq it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Ar-rustaq. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.