Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bechar

For one person, living is cheaper in Bechar: $524 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Bechar
Learn more

Bechar Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Bechar

🇩🇿 Algeria

$524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bechar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,525 in Istanbul versus $524 in Bechar.

Istanbul $1,525
Bechar $524

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,390 in Istanbul versus $852 in Bechar.

Istanbul $2,390
Bechar $852

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,256 in Istanbul versus $1,180 in Bechar.

Istanbul $3,256
Bechar $1,180

Living in Istanbul is roughly 191% more expensive than in Bechar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 13% above, Bechar is 61% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$3.08 DZD 412

288.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$17.48 DZD 2,340

227.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$3.92 DZD 525

142.60%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$0.68 DZD 91.1

547.06%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$0.58 DZD 78.2

201.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$0.26 DZD 34.98

115.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$1.55 DZD 208

203.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$2.12 DZD 284

189.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$0.84 DZD 113

47.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$0.15 DZD 20.35

533.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$1.10 DZD 147

107.27%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$1.19 DZD 159

105.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$7.89 DZD 1,057

33.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$4.05 DZD 542

35.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$14.53 DZD 1,945

49.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$2.03 DZD 272

-9.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.73 DZD 366

-16.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$1.06 DZD 142

20.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$0.89 DZD 120

104.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$0.61 DZD 81.9

8.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$0.45 DZD 59.9

40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$0.75 DZD 101

69.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.25 DZD 33.36

124.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$2.67 DZD 358

-11.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$6.62 DZD 887

96.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$1.29 DZD 172

92.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$1.94 DZD 259

80.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$0.22 DZD 29.43

272.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$6.77 DZD 907

863.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$0.54 DZD 71.9

146.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$0.44 DZD 58.6

104.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$5.07 DZD 679

115.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$0.35 DZD 47.49

308.57%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$32.1K DZD 4.3M

54.26%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$34.5K DZD 4.6M

25.33%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$35.68 DZD 4,777

148.79%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$9.41 DZD 1,260

24.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$12.19 DZD 1,633

31.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$22.76 DZD 3,047

235.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$4.47 DZD 599

84.79%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$339 DZD 45.4K

199.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$4,855 DZD 650.0K

432.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$32.57 DZD 4,361

63.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$34.89 DZD 4,671

16.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$69.4 DZD 9,285

44.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$79.2 DZD 10.6K

18.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$146 DZD 19.6K

568.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$93.2 DZD 12.5K

572.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$271 DZD 36.3K

630.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$196 DZD 26.3K

484.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$971 DZD 130.0K

218.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$1,037 DZD 138.9K

72.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

5.3

667.74%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bechar: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Bechar

$93 17.8% 85.1% $534

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Bechar

$174 33.3% 33.7% $88

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Bechar

$60 11.4% 73% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Bechar

$97 18.6% 24.8% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Bechar

$57 10.9% 50.8% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Bechar

$32 6.1% 65.8% $61

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Bechar

$10 2% 86% $64

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $977 in Istanbul and $146 in Bechar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $57.0 in Istanbul vs $17.00 in Bechar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $263 vs $174 per month, with Bechar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇩🇿 Bechar

🕒 Local time

00:24 12:24 AM

22:24 10:24 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

165,627

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 134 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Bechar 2,960 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Bechar

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 Bechar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bechar wins on cost – living expenses run 191% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bechar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,287 in Istanbul and $786 in Bechar to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $977 in Istanbul versus $146 in Bechar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bechar – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $57.0 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,525 per month in Istanbul versus $524 in Bechar – a 191% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $524 in Bechar versus $1,525 in Istanbul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bechar but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Bechar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bechar delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $524 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bechar hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Bechar are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bechar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 191% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.