Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and El Mahalla El Kubra

For one person, living is cheaper in El Mahalla El Kubra: $386 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in El Mahalla El Kubra
Learn more

El Mahalla El Kubra Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

El Mahalla El Kubra

🇪🇬 Egypt

$386

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in El Mahalla El Kubra

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $386 in El Mahalla El Kubra, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
El Mahalla El Kubra $386

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $625 in El Mahalla El Kubra, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
El Mahalla El Kubra $625

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $864 in El Mahalla El Kubra, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
El Mahalla El Kubra $864

Istanbul costs about 293% more than El Mahalla El Kubra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while El Mahalla El Kubra is 71% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$3.99 E£215

195.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$13.19 E£710

316.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$2.91 E£157

218.21%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.22 E£65.9

252.46%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.30 E£16.27

490.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.10 E£5.14

460.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.26 E£67.6

272.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.63 E£142

170.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.83 E£44.65

50.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.27 E£14.37

225.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$0.50 E£26.88

340.00%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.05 E£56.8

131.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$2.72 E£146

285.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$3.80 E£205

39.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$7.18 E£387

193.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.46 E£78.5

27.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.63 E£33.96

265.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.46 E£24.82

165.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.32 E£17.44

462.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.23 E£12.29

200.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.30 E£16.20

113.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.25 E£13.47

444.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.22 E£11.61

163.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.82 E£98.0

28.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$5.25 E£283

148.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.11 E£59.7

112.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.15 E£116

54.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.16 E£8.54

450.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.32 E£17.34

300.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.43 E£23.04

97.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$0.92 E£49.65

1105.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.37 E£19.96

300.00%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$30.5K E£1.6M

59.43%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$22.0K E£1.2M

90.95%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$13.25 E£714

599.70%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$3.73 E£201

200.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$8.07 E£434

96.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$15.18 E£817

391.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$2.75 E£148

192.73%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$29.42 E£1,584

3123.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$1,981 E£106.7K

1763.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$15.96 E£859

237.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$40.93 E£2,204

1.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$97.2 E£5,236

3.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$52.2 E£2,810

74.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$128 E£6,866

695.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$70.7 E£3,805

783.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$249 E£13.4K

706.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$133 E£7,144

748.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$718 E£38.7K

315.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$328 E£17.7K

427.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

21.33

89.50%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for El Mahalla El Kubra: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

El Mahalla El Kubra

$71 18.3% 88.7% $554

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

El Mahalla El Kubra

$106 27.4% 59.1% $153

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

El Mahalla El Kubra

$69 17.7% 69% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

El Mahalla El Kubra

$93 24% 28.3% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

El Mahalla El Kubra

$25 6.5% 79.1% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

El Mahalla El Kubra

$21 5.4% 77.2% $70

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

El Mahalla El Kubra

$3.1 * 0.8% 95.9% $72

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $128 in El Mahalla El Kubra. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $13 in El Mahalla El Kubra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $106 – making El Mahalla El Kubra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇬 El Mahalla El Kubra

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

06:27 6:27 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

431,052

💱 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 = 56.3 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 = 60.45 EGP (100 EGP = 1.65 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul El Mahalla El Kubra 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
El Mahalla El Kubra

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 Mahalla El Kubra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul, $386 in El Mahalla El Kubra – El Mahalla El Kubra comes out roughly 75% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $580 in El Mahalla El Kubra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in El Mahalla El Kubra, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $128 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,519 in Istanbul and $386 in El Mahalla El Kubra. That makes El Mahalla El Kubra about 75% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $29 in El Mahalla El Kubra. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in El Mahalla El Kubra, where all-in costs run around $386, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In El Mahalla El Kubra it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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