Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bizerte

For one person, living is cheaper in Bizerte: $611 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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 Bizerte
Learn more

Bizerte Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Bizerte

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bizerte

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $611 in Bizerte.

Istanbul $1,550
Bizerte $611

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $920 in Bizerte.

Istanbul $2,415
Bizerte $920

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $1,228 in Bizerte.

Istanbul $3,281
Bizerte $1,228

Living in Istanbul is roughly 153% more expensive than in Bizerte, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, Bizerte is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$3.35 TND 10.03

267.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$14.99 TND 44.89

264.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$4.06 TND 12.15

127.09%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$0.73 TND 2.18

502.74%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.66 TND 1.96

154.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.22 TND 0.66

168.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.69 TND 5.06

178.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.66 TND 7.95

122.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.43 TND 1.30

181.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.60 TND 1.81

48.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.29 TND 3.87

69.77%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.38 TND 4.13

70.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$10.17 TND 30.46

2.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$6.13 TND 18.35

-7.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$14.34 TND 42.96

46.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.67 TND 5.01

13.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$3.21 TND 9.61

-28.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.38 TND 4.12

-7.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.51 TND 1.53

252.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.59 TND 1.78

10.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.55 TND 1.64

16.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.44 TND 1.31

184.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.32 TND 0.97

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.27 TND 9.78

-27.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$4.98 TND 14.90

169.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$0.98 TND 2.93

144.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.03 TND 3.08

237.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.17 TND 0.51

423.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$8.38 TND 25.09

704.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.32 TND 0.95

303.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.35 TND 1.04

162.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$0.82 TND 2.44

79.27%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$38.8K TND 116.2K

30.91%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$36.7K TND 109.9K

21.32%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$16.73 TND 50.1

429.65%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$9.77 TND 29.25

18.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$22.58 TND 67.6

-29.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$21.83 TND 65.4

253.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$7.57 TND 22.67

200.40%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$3.44 TND 10.30

136.63%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$62.2 TND 186

1520.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$1,938 TND 5,804

1219.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$28.18 TND 84.4

91.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$50.5 TND 151

-19.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$75.9 TND 227

30.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$59.1 TND 177

63.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$146 TND 436

575.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$175 TND 524

271.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$268 TND 803

639.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$221 TND 661

434.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$742 TND 2,222

323.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$339 TND 1,015

425.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$306 TND 917

293.74%

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 Bizerte: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Bizerte

$175 28.6% 73.1% $475

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Bizerte

$186 30.5% 28.2% $73

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Bizerte

$65 10.6% 70.9% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Bizerte

$96 15.7% 26.4% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Bizerte

$49 8% 57.7% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Bizerte

$29 4.7% 69.3% $65

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Bizerte

$11 1.8% 85.6% $66

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $146 in Bizerte. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 294% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $15.00 in Bizerte for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $186 per month, with Bizerte cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇹🇳 Bizerte

🕒 Local time

02:38 2:38 AM

00:38 12:38 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

136,917

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Bizerte 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Bizerte

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 Bizerte: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Bizerte differ by about 153% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $611 including rent). Bizerte is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 294% higher in Istanbul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $146 in Bizerte. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $62.2 in Bizerte. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $611 in Bizerte versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bizerte but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Bizerte the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Bizerte 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 Bizerte gentler on the wallet – expenses run 153% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.