Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Fujairah

For one person, living is cheaper in Fujairah: $1,446 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Fujairah
Learn more

Fujairah Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Fujairah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,446

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Fujairah

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,446 in Fujairah, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Fujairah $1,446

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $4,001 in Fujairah, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Fujairah $4,001

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $6,556 in Fujairah, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Fujairah $6,556

Istanbul costs about 7% more than Fujairah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Istanbul and Fujairah sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Fujairah by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$7.70 AED 28.27

59.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$41.48 AED 152

31.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$7.74 AED 28.44

19.12%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$5.62 AED 20.63

-21.71%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.11 AED 4.08

51.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.43 AED 1.57

37.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$8.94 AED 32.83

-47.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$9.40 AED 34.53

-37.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.65 AED 6.06

-26.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.33 AED 4.88

-33.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.95 AED 7.17

12.31%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.39 AED 8.78

-1.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$12.58 AED 46.22

-17.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$9.66 AED 35.47

-41.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$7.94 AED 29.15

163.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.81 AED 6.65

4.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.61 AED 5.93

43.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.50 AED 5.49

-14.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.99 AED 3.63

81.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.85 AED 3.11

-23.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.93 AED 3.41

-31.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.83 AED 3.06

50.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.43 AED 1.59

30.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$5.38 AED 19.75

-55.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$13.51 AED 49.62

-0.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.23 AED 8.18

7.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.46 AED 9.04

41.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.34 AED 12.26

-73.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$41.43 AED 152

62.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$2.88 AED 10.57

-55.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.52 AED 1.90

76.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$8.34 AED 30.64

31.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$0.84 AED 3.08

75.00%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$25.6K AED 94.0K

98.32%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$20.1K AED 73.8K

121.64%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$126 AED 461

-29.48%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$46.21 AED 170

-74.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$77.5 AED 284

-79.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$48.35 AED 178

59.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$13.48 AED 49.52

68.69%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$10.81 AED 39.70

-24.70%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$262 AED 963

284.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$4,560 AED 16.7K

460.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$21.80 AED 80.1

147.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$13.77 AED 50.6

196.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$76.3 AED 280

29.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$60.7 AED 223

59.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$598 AED 2,195

64.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$524 AED 1,924

24.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$5,366 AED 19.7K

-63.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$4,622 AED 17.0K

-74.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$3,677 AED 13.5K

-67.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

2.5

1536.80%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Fujairah: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Fujairah

$524 36.2% 19.4% $126

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Fujairah

$243 16.8% 6.5% $17

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Fujairah

$222 15.4% 0.6% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Fujairah

$78 5.4% 40.6% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Fujairah

$249 17.3% 115% $133

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Fujairah

$70 4.8% 25.1% $23

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Fujairah

$60 4.2% 21.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $598 in Fujairah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 205% higher in Fujairah, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $41.00 in Fujairah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $243 – making Fujairah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇦🇪 Fujairah

🕒 Local time

23:32 11:32 PM

00:32 12:32 AM

1 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

93,673

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, 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).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Fujairah 3,080 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Fujairah

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 Fujairah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul, $1,446 in Fujairah – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $2,169 in Fujairah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Fujairah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $262 in Fujairah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Fujairah, where all-in costs run around $1,446, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Fujairah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Fujairah has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,446 in Fujairah to $1,550 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Fujairah. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.