Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
Learn more

Cairo Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Cairo

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $643 in Cairo, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Cairo $643

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $1,037 in Cairo, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Cairo $1,037

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $1,431 in Cairo, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Cairo $1,431

Istanbul costs about 137% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Cairo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$4.69 E£245

153.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$28.49 E£1,491

93.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$6.03 E£315

51.58%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$1.81 E£94.7

134.25%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$0.35 E£18.18

400.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.15 E£7.95

260.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$1.45 E£76.0

223.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$2.24 E£117

166.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$0.97 E£50.7

29.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$0.73 E£37.96

30.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.77 E£40.24

200.00%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$1.17 E£61.2

111.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$4.32 E£226

144.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$5.07 E£265

10.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$8.92 E£467

137.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.83 E£95.8

5.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$0.75 E£39.07

205.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.57 E£29.78

124.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$0.51 E£26.62

260.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$0.38 E£20.05

76.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.42 E£21.88

40.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.35 E£18.43

280.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.24 E£12.57

145.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$1.99 E£104

18.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$7.48 E£391

80.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.52 E£79.4

59.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.13 E£112

66.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$0.33 E£17.10

151.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$8.66 E£453

667.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$0.37 E£19.27

264.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.20 E£10.65

325.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$1.49 E£77.8

628.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$0.46 E£23.94

219.57%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$32.6K E£1.7M

58.22%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$28.4K E£1.5M

56.53%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$27.54 E£1,441

223.97%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$8.27 E£432

40.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$14.05 E£735

14.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$28.27 E£1,479

173.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$6.70 E£350

238.21%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$4.40 E£230

89.55%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$121 E£6,356

701.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$3,619 E£189.3K

612.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$40.16 E£2,101

31.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$49.61 E£2,596

-21.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$115 E£6,033

-10.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$60.6 E£3,170

59.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$220 E£11.5K

351.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$194 E£10.2K

224.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$514 E£26.9K

293.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$334 E£17.5K

246.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$806 E£42.2K

291.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$513 E£26.9K

258.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$200 E£10.5K

501.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

16.21

153.49%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Cairo

$194 30.1% 69.1% $435

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Cairo

$141 21.9% 46.5% $123

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Cairo

$91 14.1% 58.2% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Cairo

$120 18.6% 8.9% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 57.4% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Cairo

$37 5.8% 60.5% $57

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Cairo

$11 1.8% 84.9% $64

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $220 in Cairo. 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 501% 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 $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $141 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

04:39 4:39 AM

Same time as Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.68 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

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Between locations

Istanbul Cairo 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Cairo

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 Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 137%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $965 in Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 87% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $28.00 in Cairo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cairo – 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 Cairo. 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.