Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Casablanca

For one person, living is cheaper in Casablanca: $957 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Casablanca
Learn more

Casablanca Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Casablanca

🇲🇦 Morocco

$957

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Casablanca

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul versus $957 in Casablanca.

Istanbul $1,526
Casablanca $957

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,399 in Istanbul versus $1,507 in Casablanca.

Istanbul $2,399
Casablanca $1,507

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,272 in Istanbul versus $2,058 in Casablanca.

Istanbul $3,272
Casablanca $2,058

Living in Istanbul is roughly 59% more expensive than in Casablanca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 14% above, Casablanca is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$4.59 MAD 45.54

158.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,715

$31.67 MAD 314

73.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$7.79 MAD 77.3

17.33%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$1.90 MAD 18.87

123.16%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$1.02 MAD 10.08

71.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.84

$0.64 MAD 6.35

-15.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$3.99 MAD 39.57

17.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$5.35 MAD 53.1

11.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$0.96 MAD 9.52

31.25%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.82

$0.81 MAD 8.04

17.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.86 MAD 18.47

24.19%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$1.83 MAD 18.15

34.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$10.85 MAD 108

-2.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$7.32 MAD 72.6

-23.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$11.80 MAD 117

79.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.58 MAD 15.72

22.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.53 MAD 15.19

49.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.79 MAD 7.83

62.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$0.69 MAD 6.82

166.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.87

$0.61 MAD 6.05

9.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.63 MAD 6.29

-6.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.48 MAD 4.73

177.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.11

$0.49 MAD 4.84

20.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$4.02 MAD 39.88

-41.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$8.14 MAD 80.7

65.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$2.32 MAD 22.97

4.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$3.04 MAD 30.16

16.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.65

$0.82 MAD 8.18

1.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,274

$25.26 MAD 251

163.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$0.82 MAD 8.15

64.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.06

$0.29 MAD 2.87

193.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$4.48 MAD 44.45

142.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.47 MAD 14.62

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$30.3K MAD 300.8K

70.25%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$30.3K MAD 300.5K

46.69%

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

$89.2 ₺4,396

$50.4 MAD 500

76.99%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$10.08 MAD 100

15.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$40.39 MAD 401

-60.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,806

$31.63 MAD 314

144.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$20.85 MAD 207

8.68%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$7.40 MAD 73.4

12.70%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$581 MAD 5,760

67.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$5,646 MAD 56.0K

356.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$58.1 MAD 576

-9.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,930

$43.80 MAD 434

-10.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,084

$92.4 MAD 916

11.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,760

$58.0 MAD 576

66.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$594 MAD 5,895

67.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$346 MAD 3,436

81.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$1,083 MAD 10.7K

86.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$616 MAD 6,107

87.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$2,180 MAD 21.6K

44.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$1,258 MAD 12.5K

46.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$664 MAD 6,588

81.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

4.83

750.72%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Casablanca: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Casablanca

$346 35.9% 44.9% $283

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Casablanca

$206 21.3% 22.1% $58

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Casablanca

$120 12.5% 44.8% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Casablanca

$114 11.8% 13.5% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Casablanca

$101 10.5% 13.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Casablanca

$46 4.8% 50.6% $48

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Casablanca

$31 3.2% 59.1% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $994 in Istanbul and $594 in Casablanca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 81% 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 $32.00 in Casablanca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $264 vs $206 per month, with Casablanca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇦 Casablanca

🕒 Local time

10:41 10:41 AM

08:41 8:41 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

3,215,935

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

100 MAD = 10.08 USD

100 MAD = 8.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.27 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.26 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.92 MAD (1 MAD = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.12 MAD (100 MAD = 8.99 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Casablanca 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Casablanca

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 Casablanca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Casablanca is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 59% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 81% 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: $994 in Istanbul versus $594 in Casablanca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Casablanca – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $55.0 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,526 per month in Istanbul versus $957 in Casablanca – a 59% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $957 in Casablanca versus $1,526 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Casablanca but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Casablanca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Casablanca is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Istanbul, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Casablanca 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 Casablanca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.