Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Ben Arous

For one person, living is cheaper in Ben Arous: $698 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Ben Arous
Learn more

Ben Arous Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Ben Arous

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Ben Arous

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $698 in Ben Arous, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Ben Arous $698

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,098 in Ben Arous, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Ben Arous $1,098

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,497 in Ben Arous, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Ben Arous $1,497

Istanbul costs about 122% more than Ben Arous, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Ben Arous is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$5.31 TND 15.90

131.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$19.81 TND 59.3

176.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$5.06 TND 15.14

82.21%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.16 TND 3.48

279.31%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.65 TND 1.95

158.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.27 TND 0.81

118.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.65 TND 4.95

184.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.04 TND 6.12

189.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.52 TND 1.54

132.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.10 TND 0.29

790.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.70 TND 5.08

28.82%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.48 TND 4.43

58.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$10.27 TND 30.76

1.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$5.91 TND 17.70

-4.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$17.19 TND 51.5

21.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.67 TND 5.01

13.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$4.47 TND 13.38

-48.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.95 TND 2.84

34.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.80 TND 2.41

125.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.90 TND 2.69

-27.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.66 TND 1.97

-3.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.52 TND 1.56

140.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.31 TND 0.93

80.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.49 TND 10.46

-32.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$6.62 TND 19.82

102.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.00 TND 2.99

140.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.23 TND 3.68

182.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.38 TND 1.14

134.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$13.56 TND 40.61

397.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.31 TND 0.93

316.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.31 TND 0.92

196.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$1.75 TND 5.23

526.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$0.86 TND 2.58

70.93%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$39.9K TND 119.6K

27.13%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$23.0K TND 69.0K

93.23%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$53.9 TND 162

64.31%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$9.87 TND 29.56

17.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$20.83 TND 62.4

-24.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$32.08 TND 96.1

140.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$16.52 TND 49.46

37.65%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$5.11 TND 15.29

59.30%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$61.0 TND 183

1552.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$1,947 TND 5,830

1213.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$43.31 TND 130

24.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$60.2 TND 180

-32.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$85.8 TND 257

15.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$46.95 TND 141

105.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$209 TND 626

370.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$156 TND 467

316.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$386 TND 1,155

414.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$267 TND 799

342.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$933 TND 2,795

236.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$415 TND 1,243

328.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$247 TND 739

388.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

10.5

289.71%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ben Arous: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Ben Arous

$156 22.4% 76% $494

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Ben Arous

$204 29.3% 21.4% $55

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Ben Arous

$88 12.6% 60.8% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Ben Arous

$106 15.2% 18.6% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Ben Arous

$85 12.1% 27.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Ben Arous

$42 6.1% 54.7% $51

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Ben Arous

$17 2.4% 78% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $209 in Ben Arous. 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 389% 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 $20.00 in Ben Arous. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $204 – making Ben Arous the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇹🇳 Ben Arous

🕒 Local time

01:04 1:04 AM

23:04 11:04 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

88,322

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Ben Arous 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Ben Arous

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 Ben Arous: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul, $698 in Ben Arous – roughly 122% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $1,047 in Ben Arous. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $20.00 in Ben Arous. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,550 in Istanbul and $698 in Ben Arous. That's a gap of about 122%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ben Arous, where all-in costs run around $698, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Ben Arous it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $698 in Ben Arous to $1,550 in Istanbul. 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 Ben Arous. 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.