Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Dahab

For one person, living is cheaper in Dahab: $431 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Dahab

🇪🇬 Egypt

$431

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Dahab

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $431 in Dahab, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Dahab $431

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $718 in Dahab, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Dahab $718

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,005 in Dahab, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Dahab $1,005

Istanbul costs about 253% more than Dahab, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Dahab is 68% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$3.64 E£196

224.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$12.50 E£673

339.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$4.61 E£248

100.87%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.52 E£82.0

182.89%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.47 E£25.34

276.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.24 E£12.89

133.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.76 E£95.0

166.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.32 E£125

206.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.97 E£52.0

28.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.05 E£56.4

-16.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$0.66 E£35.50

233.33%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.29 E£69.7

88.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$9.74 E£524

7.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$3.71 E£200

43.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$9.83 E£529

114.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$2.23 E£120

-16.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.37 E£73.6

67.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.60 E£32.53

103.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.57 E£30.45

215.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.56 E£30.28

23.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.56 E£30.42

14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.83 E£44.67

63.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.17 E£9.09

241.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.47 E£79.3

59.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.46 E£348

101.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.51 E£81.3

56.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.15 E£8.32

486.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$7.35 E£396

799.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.75 E£40.12

70.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.40 E£21.53

270.00%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$17.10 E£921

442.16%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$6.22 E£335

80.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$16.70 E£899

-4.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$14.34 E£772

420.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$9.21 E£496

149.19%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$4.56 E£246

76.54%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$177 E£9,536

472.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$122 E£6,590

410.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$497 E£26.8K

303.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$301 E£16.2K

274.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$124 E£6,695

814.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Dahab: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Dahab

–

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Dahab

–

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Dahab

–

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Dahab

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Dahab

–

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Dahab

–

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Dahab

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $177 in Dahab. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Istanbul are about 9.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $13 in Dahab. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $158 – making Dahab the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇬 Dahab

🕒 Local time

15:50 3:50 PM

14:50 2:50 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

12,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

100 EGP = 1.86 USD

100 EGP = 1.65 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 53.85 EGP (100 EGP = 1.86 USD). 1 EUR = 60.48 EGP (100 EGP = 1.65 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Dahab 1,480 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Dahab

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 Dahab: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 253%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $646 in Dahab. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dahab, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $177 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,519 in Istanbul and $431 in Dahab. That makes Dahab about 72% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $13 in Dahab. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Dahab, where all-in costs run around $431, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Dahab it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Dahab costs $431 versus $1,519 in Istanbul. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Dahab. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.