Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Ifrane

For one person, living is cheaper in Ifrane: $746 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Ifrane
Learn more

Ifrane Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Ifrane

🇲🇦 Morocco

$746

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Ifrane

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $746 in Ifrane.

Istanbul $1,550
Ifrane $746

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $1,118 in Ifrane.

Istanbul $2,415
Ifrane $1,118

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $1,490 in Ifrane.

Istanbul $3,281
Ifrane $1,490

Living in Istanbul is roughly 108% more expensive than in Ifrane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, Ifrane is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$3.32 MAD 32.32

270.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$10.93 MAD 107

400.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$7.50 MAD 73.1

22.93%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.21 MAD 11.78

263.64%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.74 MAD 7.21

127.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.34 MAD 3.33

73.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.60 MAD 25.33

80.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$4.21 MAD 41.06

40.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.80 MAD 7.80

51.25%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.86 MAD 8.43

3.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.49 MAD 14.49

46.98%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.84 MAD 17.90

27.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$10.64 MAD 104

-2.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$7.48 MAD 72.9

-24.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$12.11 MAD 118

72.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$0.90 MAD 8.75

111.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.12 MAD 10.96

106.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.85 MAD 8.32

50.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.50 MAD 4.86

260.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.64 MAD 6.23

1.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.40 MAD 3.88

60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.45 MAD 4.37

177.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.54 MAD 5.28

3.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$4.11 MAD 40.10

-42.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$8.16 MAD 79.6

64.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.28 MAD 22.24

5.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.09 MAD 30.16

12.62%

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

$18.40 MAD 179

266.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.84 MAD 8.21

53.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.30 MAD 2.91

206.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$4.54 MAD 44.28

141.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.57 MAD 15.32

-6.37%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$31.2K MAD 304.1K

62.83%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$30.6K MAD 298.5K

45.45%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$51.0 MAD 497

73.71%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$10.05 MAD 98.0

15.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$41.83 MAD 408

-62.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$28.40 MAD 277

171.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$19.46 MAD 190

16.86%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$7.64 MAD 74.5

6.54%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$99.3 MAD 969

914.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$5,778 MAD 56.3K

342.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$59.6 MAD 581

-9.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$45.11 MAD 440

-9.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$93.1 MAD 907

6.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$59.8 MAD 583

61.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$292 MAD 2,842

237.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$174 MAD 1,695

273.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$477 MAD 4,646

316.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$292 MAD 2,846

304.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$1,374 MAD 13.4K

128.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$878 MAD 8,563

102.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$285 MAD 2,778

323.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.83

747.20%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ifrane: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Ifrane

$174 23.3% 73.3% $476

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Ifrane

$198 26.5% 23.9% $62

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Ifrane

$89 12% 60% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Ifrane

$116 15.5% 11.2% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Ifrane

$103 13.8% 11.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Ifrane

$44 5.9% 53.3% $50

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Ifrane

$23 3% 70.5% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $292 in Ifrane. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 323% 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 $11.00 in Ifrane for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $198 per month, with Ifrane cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇦 Ifrane

🕒 Local time

10:14 10:14 AM

08:14 8:14 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

14,659

💱 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 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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Between locations

Istanbul Ifrane 3,110 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Ifrane

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 Ifrane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Ifrane differ by about 108% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $746 including rent). Ifrane is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 323% 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 $292 in Ifrane. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ifrane runs roughly 266% less than in Istanbul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $99.3 in Ifrane. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $746 in Ifrane versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ifrane but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Ifrane 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 Ifrane 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 Ifrane gentler on the wallet – expenses run 108% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.