Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and El Jadida

For one person, living is cheaper in El Jadida: $621 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in El Jadida
Learn more

El Jadida Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

El Jadida

🇲🇦 Morocco

$621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $621 in El Jadida.

Istanbul $1,550
El Jadida $621

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $935 in El Jadida.

Istanbul $2,415
El Jadida $935

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $1,250 in El Jadida.

Istanbul $3,281
El Jadida $1,250

Living in Istanbul is roughly 150% more expensive than in El Jadida, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, El Jadida is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$2.83 MAD 27.58

334.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$20.87 MAD 203

162.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$6.08 MAD 59.3

51.64%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.52 MAD 14.80

189.47%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.42 MAD 4.13

300.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.28 MAD 2.72

110.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.65 MAD 25.80

77.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.60 MAD 25.32

127.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.93 MAD 9.04

30.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.38 MAD 3.67

134.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.98 MAD 19.33

10.61%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.84 MAD 17.94

27.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$6.33 MAD 61.7

64.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$3.89 MAD 37.95

45.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$7.61 MAD 74.2

175.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.57 MAD 15.34

21.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.41 MAD 13.70

63.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.65 MAD 6.31

96.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.70 MAD 6.80

157.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.72 MAD 7.06

-9.72%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.51 MAD 4.97

25.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.30 MAD 2.90

316.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.52 MAD 5.09

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.96 MAD 38.64

-40.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$4.18 MAD 40.77

221.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.51 MAD 24.46

-4.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.95 MAD 28.78

17.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.48 MAD 4.68

85.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$16.82 MAD 164

300.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$1.02 MAD 9.94

26.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.01 MAD 9.80

-8.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$5.26 MAD 51.3

108.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.47 MAD 14.33

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$34.4K MAD 335.2K

47.72%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$31.0K MAD 302.3K

43.62%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$29.18 MAD 285

203.67%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$10.38 MAD 101

11.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$30.70 MAD 299

-48.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$28.75 MAD 280

168.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$11.84 MAD 115

92.06%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$6.34 MAD 61.8

28.39%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$114 MAD 1,112

784.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$3,165 MAD 30.9K

707.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$27.58 MAD 269

95.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$36.84 MAD 359

10.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$65.3 MAD 637

51.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$69.5 MAD 677

39.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$210 MAD 2,050

368.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$165 MAD 1,606

294.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$359 MAD 3,498

452.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$229 MAD 2,230

415.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$1,533 MAD 14.9K

104.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$782 MAD 7,628

127.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$470 MAD 4,581

156.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

5.5

644.00%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for El Jadida: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

El Jadida

$165 26.6% 74.6% $485

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

El Jadida

$149 24.1% 42.5% $110

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

El Jadida

$80 12.9% 64% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

El Jadida

$90 14.4% 31.4% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

El Jadida

$70 11.3% 39.4% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

El Jadida

$41 6.7% 55.7% $52

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

El Jadida

$25 4% 67.8% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $210 in El Jadida. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 157% 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 $21.00 in El Jadida for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $149 per month, with El Jadida cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇦 El Jadida

🕒 Local time

23:48 11:48 PM

21:48 9:48 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

237,464

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul El Jadida 3,410 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
El Jadida

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 Jadida: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Jadida wins on cost – living expenses run 150% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making El Jadida the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 157% 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: $985 in Istanbul versus $210 in El Jadida. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 74% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in El Jadida – a meal for two runs $21.00 versus $55.0 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $621 in El Jadida versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in El Jadida but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes El Jadida the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but El Jadida delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $621 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes El Jadida hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and El Jadida 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 El Jadida gentler on the wallet – expenses run 150% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.