Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Beja

For one person, living is cheaper in Beja: $621 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Beja
Learn more

Beja Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Beja

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Beja

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $621 in Beja, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Beja $621

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,066 in Beja, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Beja $1,066

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,512 in Beja, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Beja $1,512

Istanbul costs about 150% more than Beja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Beja is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$3.91 TND 11.72

214.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$16.43 TND 49.19

232.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$4.65 TND 13.93

98.28%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$0.60 TND 1.81

633.33%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.52 TND 1.54

223.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.25 TND 0.74

136.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.19 TND 3.56

294.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$1.70 TND 5.08

247.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.43 TND 1.29

181.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.14 TND 0.42

535.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.63 TND 4.87

34.36%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.43 TND 4.29

64.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$8.04 TND 24.07

29.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$6.44 TND 19.28

-12.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$13.25 TND 39.69

58.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.65 TND 4.94

15.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$4.59 TND 13.73

-49.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.07 TND 3.21

19.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.89 TND 2.66

102.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.59 TND 1.78

10.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.59 TND 1.77

8.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.48 TND 1.42

160.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.30 TND 0.91

86.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.29 TND 9.86

-27.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$5.05 TND 15.12

165.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.22 TND 3.65

96.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.35 TND 4.06

157.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.42 TND 1.25

111.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$15.10 TND 45.21

346.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.31 TND 0.94

316.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.39 TND 1.16

135.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$4.90 TND 14.68

123.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$0.74 TND 2.22

98.65%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$39.1K TND 117.1K

29.90%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$35.9K TND 107.4K

24.16%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$44.26 TND 133

100.20%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$10.38 TND 31.09

11.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$19.74 TND 59.1

-19.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$19.68 TND 59.0

292.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$23.25 TND 69.6

-2.19%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$3.39 TND 10.14

140.12%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$60.2 TND 180

1575.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$1,189 TND 3,560

2050.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$55.8 TND 167

-3.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$65.1 TND 195

-37.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$111 TND 333

-10.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$138 TND 414

-30.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$167 TND 501

488.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$83.4 TND 250

678.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$267 TND 801

641.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$287 TND 858

311.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$396 TND 1,185

693.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$105 TND 314

1596.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$337 TND 1,010

257.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

272.00%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Beja: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Beja

$83 13.4% 87.2% $566

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Beja

$186 30% 28.4% $74

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Beja

$65 10.5% 70.9% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Beja

$167 26.8% 27.6% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Beja

$74 12% 35.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Beja

$26 4.3% 71.7% $67

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Beja

$19 3.1% 75.3% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $167 in Beja. 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 257% higher in Istanbul, 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 $16.00 in Beja. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $186 – making Beja the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇹🇳 Beja

🕒 Local time

05:00 5:00 AM

03:00 3:00 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

57,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Beja 1,770 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Beja

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 Beja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 150% more than Beja, 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 $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $931 in Beja. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Beja, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 347% less in Beja. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $60.2 in Beja. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Beja, where all-in costs run around $621, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Beja it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Beja costs $621 versus $1,550 in Istanbul. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Beja. 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.