Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and El Oued

For one person, living is cheaper in El Oued: $529 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in El Oued
Learn more

El Oued Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

El Oued

🇩🇿 Algeria

$529

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $529 in El Oued.

Istanbul $1,550
El Oued $529

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $866 in El Oued.

Istanbul $2,415
El Oued $866

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $1,203 in El Oued.

Istanbul $3,281
El Oued $1,203

Living in Istanbul is roughly 193% more expensive than in El Oued, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, El Oued is 61% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$2.88 DZD 386

327.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$19.84 DZD 2,657

175.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$4.42 DZD 592

108.60%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.21 DZD 162

263.64%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.12 DZD 150

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.51 DZD 68.8

15.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.56 DZD 209

201.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.21 DZD 295

167.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.84 DZD 113

44.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.14 DZD 18.22

535.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.09 DZD 146

100.92%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.23 DZD 165

91.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$8.01 DZD 1,073

30.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$3.87 DZD 519

45.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$14.27 DZD 1,910

46.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.08 DZD 278

-8.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.68 DZD 359

-13.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.07 DZD 143

19.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.91 DZD 122

97.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.58 DZD 78.1

12.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.49 DZD 65.3

30.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.75 DZD 100

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.27 DZD 36.25

107.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$2.59 DZD 347

-8.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$6.87 DZD 920

95.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.07 DZD 144

124.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.91 DZD 256

82.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.24 DZD 31.73

270.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$5.74 DZD 769

1074.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.54 DZD 72.6

138.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.41 DZD 55.5

124.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$5.09 DZD 682

115.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$0.35 DZD 47.42

320.00%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$31.3K DZD 4.2M

62.26%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$33.8K DZD 4.5M

31.86%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$36.44 DZD 4,879

143.17%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$9.24 DZD 1,237

25.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$11.75 DZD 1,572

34.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$22.06 DZD 2,953

249.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$4.57 DZD 612

78.12%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$329 DZD 44.1K

206.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$4,581 DZD 613.3K

457.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$31.58 DZD 4,227

70.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$34.49 DZD 4,618

18.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$70.0 DZD 9,366

41.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$81.3 DZD 10.9K

18.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$145 DZD 19.4K

580.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$91.2 DZD 12.2K

612.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$271 DZD 36.3K

630.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$196 DZD 26.2K

503.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$979 DZD 131.1K

220.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$900 DZD 120.5K

97.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$255 DZD 34.2K

372.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

5.3

672.08%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for El Oued: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

El Oued

$91 17.2% 86% $559

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

El Oued

$173 32.6% 33.6% $87

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

El Oued

$70 13.2% 68.8% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

El Oued

$98 18.5% 25.1% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

El Oued

$57 10.9% 50.5% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

El Oued

$31 5.9% 66.6% $62

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

El Oued

$9.3 1.8% 87.9% $68

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $145 in El Oued. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 373% 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 $20.00 in El Oued for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $173 per month, with El Oued cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇩🇿 El Oued

🕒 Local time

09:54 9:54 AM

07:54 7:54 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

134,699

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 134 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul El Oued 2,130 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
El Oued

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 Oued: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and El Oued differ by about 193% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $529 including rent). El Oued is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 373% 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 $145 in El Oued. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $329 in El Oued. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $529 in El Oued versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in El Oued but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes El Oued 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 Oued 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 Oued gentler on the wallet – expenses run 193% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.