Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Gabes

For one person, living is cheaper in Gabes: $518 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Gabes
Learn more

Gabes Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Gabes

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Gabes

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $518 in Gabes, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Gabes $518

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $827 in Gabes, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Gabes $827

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,136 in Gabes, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Gabes $1,136

Istanbul costs about 199% more than Gabes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Gabes is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$2.70 TND 8.08

355.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$16.86 TND 50.5

224.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$3.44 TND 10.29

168.02%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$0.78 TND 2.34

464.10%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.64 TND 1.93

162.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.25 TND 0.75

136.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.16 TND 3.46

305.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$1.53 TND 4.59

286.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.43 TND 1.30

181.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.25 TND 0.75

256.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.76 TND 5.26

24.43%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.48 TND 4.44

58.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$12.23 TND 36.63

-14.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$5.60 TND 16.76

0.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$14.82 TND 44.39

41.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.61 TND 4.83

18.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.92 TND 8.75

-20.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.92 TND 2.75

39.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.87 TND 2.60

106.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.95 TND 2.84

-31.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.57 TND 1.70

12.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.34 TND 1.02

267.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.29 TND 0.86

93.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.31 TND 9.92

-28.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$3.42 TND 10.23

292.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$0.67 TND 2.01

258.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$0.82 TND 2.45

324.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.19 TND 0.56

368.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$6.85 TND 20.53

884.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.31 TND 0.94

316.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.18 TND 0.53

411.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$3.92 TND 11.73

179.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$0.87 TND 2.61

68.97%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$38.9K TND 116.4K

30.65%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$28.0K TND 83.8K

59.11%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$42.91 TND 129

106.50%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$7.75 TND 23.20

49.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$16.73 TND 50.1

-5.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$31.56 TND 94.5

144.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$4.61 TND 13.81

393.28%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$3.31 TND 9.93

145.92%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$56.0 TND 168

1701.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$1,951 TND 5,843

1210.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$32.42 TND 97.1

66.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$39.92 TND 120

2.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$75.9 TND 227

30.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$66.2 TND 198

45.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$115 TND 344

756.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$70.2 TND 210

825.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$204 TND 611

872.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$116 TND 348

915.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$945 TND 2,832

231.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$620 TND 1,856

187.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$418 TND 1,251

188.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

241.00%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Gabes: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Gabes

$70 13.6% 89.2% $580

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Gabes

$183 35.4% 29.5% $76

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Gabes

$54 10.4% 76% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Gabes

$97 18.6% 26.1% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Gabes

$67 13% 41.9% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Gabes

$38 7.4% 59.1% $55

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Gabes

$8.8 1.7% 88.6% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $115 in Gabes. 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 189% higher in Istanbul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $17.00 in Gabes. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $183 – making Gabes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇹🇳 Gabes

🕒 Local time

00:38 12:38 AM

22:38 10:38 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

130,984

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, 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 = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Gabes 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Gabes

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 Gabes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 199%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $777 in Gabes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gabes, 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 $56.0 in Gabes. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gabes, where all-in costs run around $518, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Gabes it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Gabes. 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.