Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and El Ejido

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $1,634 in El Ejido, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in El Ejido
Learn more

El Ejido Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

El Ejido

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in El Ejido

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,525 in Istanbul versus $1,634 in El Ejido.

Istanbul $1,525
El Ejido $1,634

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,390 in Istanbul versus $2,449 in El Ejido.

Istanbul $2,390
El Ejido $2,449

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,256 in Istanbul versus $3,264 in El Ejido.

Istanbul $3,256
El Ejido $3,264

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 7% less than in El Ejido, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 13% above, El Ejido 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$16.73 €14.88

-28.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$67.6 €60.2

-15.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$11.10 €9.87

-14.32%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.17 €1.93

102.76%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$2.31 €2.06

-24.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$1.34 €1.19

-58.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$3.29 €2.92

43.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$3.27 €2.91

87.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.13 €1.01

9.73%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$1.57 €1.39

-39.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$1.63 €1.45

39.88%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$3.40 €3.02

-27.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$16.79 €14.93

-37.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$9.56 €8.51

-42.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$17.46 €15.53

24.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$2.58 €2.30

-29.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.95 €1.73

17.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$1.95 €1.74

-34.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$2.69 €2.39

-32.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$1.93 €1.71

-65.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$1.92 €1.71

-67.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.24 €1.11

2.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.71 €0.63

-21.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$6.66 €5.92

-64.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$5.77 €5.13

124.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$1.21 €1.08

104.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$2.12 €1.88

65.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$1.71 €1.52

-52.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$36.17 €32.17

80.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$3.06 €2.73

-56.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$1.31 €1.17

-31.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$16.86 €15.00

-35.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$1.86 €1.65

-23.12%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$31.3K €27.9K

58.29%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$31.3K €27.8K

37.95%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$142 €126

-37.50%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$18.78 €16.71

-37.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$29.88 €26.58

-46.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$41.99 €37.35

81.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

$16.57 €14.74

37.12%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$9.00 €8.01

-8.22%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$689 €613

47.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$9,454 €8,410

173.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$85.4 €76.0

-37.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$35.45 €31.53

14.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$93.2 €82.9

7.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$106 €94.0

-11.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$902 €802

8.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$668 €594

-6.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$1,326 €1,179

49.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$994 €884

15.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$3,015 €2,682

2.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$2,239 €1,992

-20.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

2.99

1260.87%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for El Ejido: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

El Ejido

$668 40.9% 6.5% $41

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

El Ejido

$288 17.7% 9.9% $26

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

El Ejido

$231 14.1% 3.9% $8.6

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

El Ejido

$144 8.8% 11.3% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

El Ejido

$191 11.7% 63.6% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

El Ejido

$60 3.7% 35.3% $33

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

El Ejido

$53 3.2% 29.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $977 in Istanbul and $902 in El Ejido. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $57.0 in Istanbul vs $68.0 in El Ejido for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $263 vs $288 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇸 El Ejido

🕒 Local time

16:28 4:28 PM

15:28 3:28 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

89,975

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul El Ejido 2,780 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
El Ejido

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 El Ejido: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,287 in Istanbul and $2,451 in El Ejido to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $977 in Istanbul versus $902 in El Ejido. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $57.0 versus $68.0 in El Ejido. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,525 per month in Istanbul versus $1,634 in El Ejido – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,525 in Istanbul versus $1,634 in El Ejido, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in El Ejido. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Istanbul and El Ejido 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 Istanbul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in El Ejido. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.