Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and El Faiyum

For one person, living is cheaper in El Faiyum: $381 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in El Faiyum
Learn more

El Faiyum Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

El Faiyum

🇪🇬 Egypt

$381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $381 in El Faiyum.

Istanbul $1,519
El Faiyum $381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $597 in El Faiyum.

Istanbul $2,365
El Faiyum $597

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $813 in El Faiyum.

Istanbul $3,212
El Faiyum $813

Living in Istanbul is roughly 299% more expensive than in El Faiyum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 12% above, El Faiyum is 72% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$2.20 E£118

436.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,753

$12.51 E£673

338.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺464

$3.17 E£170

192.11%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.20 E£64.5

258.33%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.28 E£15.17

532.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.31

$0.08 E£4.53

600.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$0.91 E£48.97

415.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.22 E£119

220.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.67 E£36.08

86.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.15

$0.75 E£40.41

17.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$0.54 E£29.15

307.41%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.08 E£57.9

125.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺525

$2.95 E£159

255.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺266

$3.46 E£186

53.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$5.67 E£305

272.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.0

$0.74 E£39.91

151.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.44 E£23.70

422.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺60.9

$0.30 E£16.37

306.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.1

$0.31 E£16.75

480.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.81

$0.24 E£12.83

187.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.15

$0.28 E£15.04

128.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺67.9

$0.25 E£13.51

444.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.93

$0.21 E£11.06

176.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.42 E£76.4

64.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$2.20 E£118

492.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.15 E£61.7

105.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.49 E£80.0

122.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.05

$0.05 E£2.70

1660.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,315

$5.53 E£298

1095.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.38 E£20.17

236.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.78

$0.17 E£8.95

400.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$0.94 E£50.3

1079.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.38 E£20.58

289.47%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$26.6K E£1.4M

82.95%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.9K E£1.3M

75.78%

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

$92.7 ₺4,648

$14.38 E£773

544.71%

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

$11.20 ₺561

$4.89 E£263

129.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$8.77 E£472

81.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,744

$5.29 E£285

1311.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$2.20 E£118

265.91%

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

$948 ₺47.5K

$22.22 E£1,195

4168.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$1,072 E£57.7K

3343.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,701

$31.61 E£1,700

70.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,080

$40.05 E£2,154

3.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,058

$113 E£6,058

-10.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,578

$35.61 E£1,915

156.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$181 E£9,708

461.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$94.5 E£5,082

560.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.5K

$244 E£13.1K

722.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.4K

$152 E£8,152

642.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$535 E£28.8K

458.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.7K

$286 E£15.4K

505.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$71.5 E£3,843

1490.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

83.73%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for El Faiyum: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

El Faiyum

$95 24.8% 84.9% $530

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

El Faiyum

$91 23.9% 64.8% $167

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

El Faiyum

$52 13.6% 76.5% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

El Faiyum

$99 26% 23.5% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

El Faiyum

$28 7.4% 76.6% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

El Faiyum

$9.7 2.5% 89.3% $81

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

El Faiyum

$6.9 1.8% 90.8% $68

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $181 in El Faiyum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays about 16 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $13 in El Faiyum for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $91 per month, with El Faiyum cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇬 El Faiyum

🕒 Local time

03:25 3:25 AM

02:25 2:25 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

306,393

💱 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 = 1.66 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 7, 2026: 1 USD = 50.13 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.03 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 53.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.86 USD). 1 EUR = 60.09 EGP (100 EGP = 1.66 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul El Faiyum 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
El Faiyum

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 Faiyum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Faiyum is about 75% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Istanbul is about 16 times higher, 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: $1,014 in Istanbul versus $181 in El Faiyum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in El Faiyum runs roughly 92% less than in Istanbul. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $948 in Istanbul versus $22 in El Faiyum. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $381 in El Faiyum versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in El Faiyum but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes El Faiyum the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and El Faiyum are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find El Faiyum gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.