Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Damanhur

For one person, living is cheaper in Damanhur: $297 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
14

Cost of Living Index in Damanhur
Learn more

Damanhur Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Damanhur

🇪🇬 Egypt

$297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Damanhur

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $297 in Damanhur, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Damanhur $297

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $485 in Damanhur, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Damanhur $485

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $673 in Damanhur, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Damanhur $673

Istanbul costs about 411% more than Damanhur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Damanhur is 78% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$2.05 E£110

476.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$9.25 E£498

493.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$3.44 E£185

169.19%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$0.72 E£38.83

497.22%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.27 E£14.52

555.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.10 E£5.51

460.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$0.71 E£38.09

560.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$1.46 E£78.9

387.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.87 E£46.91

43.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.72 E£38.62

22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$0.47 E£25.14

368.09%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.10 E£59.0

120.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$2.88 E£155

263.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$3.60 E£194

47.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$7.88 E£424

167.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.04 E£55.9

78.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.69 E£37.11

233.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.44 E£23.55

177.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.26 E£13.85

592.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.25 E£13.54

176.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.28 E£15.13

128.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.12 E£6.41

1033.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.20 E£10.75

190.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.79 E£96.5

30.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$7.11 E£383

83.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.07 E£57.6

120.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.96 E£106

69.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.14 E£7.43

528.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$8.44 E£454

683.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.37 E£20.18

245.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.19 E£10.06

347.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$0.51 E£27.73

2074.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.42 E£22.44

252.38%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$32.1K E£1.7M

51.51%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.4K E£1.4M

65.45%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$14.09 E£759

557.98%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$4.10 E£221

173.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$8.21 E£442

93.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$5.66 E£305

1219.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$0.87 E£47.00

825.29%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$122 E£6,576

676.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$10.1K E£542.3K

266.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$6.27 E£338

759.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$14.18 E£764

192.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$109 E£5,887

-7.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$26.69 E£1,437

242.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$44.42 E£2,392

2181.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$26.81 E£1,444

2229.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$105 E£5,657

1808.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$62.2 E£3,347

1711.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$456 E£24.5K

555.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$184 E£9,887

842.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$101 E£5,423

1028.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

15.93

153.74%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Damanhur: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Damanhur

$27 9% 95.7% $598

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Damanhur

$112 37.8% 56.5% $146

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Damanhur

$43 14.6% 80.4% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Damanhur

$70 23.7% 45.6% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Damanhur

$26 8.9% 78% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Damanhur

$7.4 2.5% 91.8% $83

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Damanhur

$10 3.5% 86.3% $65

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $44 in Damanhur. 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 11 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $9 in Damanhur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $112 – making Damanhur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇬 Damanhur

🕒 Local time

10:42 10:42 AM

09:42 9:42 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

227,943

💱 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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Between locations

Istanbul Damanhur 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Damanhur

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 Damanhur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 411%, 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 $446 in Damanhur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Damanhur, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $44 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Public transport costs about 87% less in Damanhur. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $122 in Damanhur. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Damanhur, where all-in costs run around $297, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Damanhur it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Damanhur – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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