Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Imbabah

For one person, living is cheaper in Imbabah: $383 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 Imbabah
Learn more

Imbabah Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Imbabah

🇪🇬 Egypt

$383

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Imbabah

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $383 in Imbabah, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Imbabah $383

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $627 in Imbabah, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Imbabah $627

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $872 in Imbabah, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Imbabah $872

Istanbul costs about 297% more than Imbabah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Imbabah is 72% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$3.98 E£214

196.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$17.54 E£945

213.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$4.55 E£245

103.52%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.19 E£64.0

261.34%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.30 E£16.29

490.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.10 E£5.27

460.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.22 E£65.9

284.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.71 E£146

162.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.55 E£29.71

127.27%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.15 E£8.26

486.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$0.55 E£29.83

300.00%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.10 E£59.0

120.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$1.37 E£73.7

664.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$2.91 E£157

82.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$6.13 E£330

244.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.44 E£77.7

29.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.42 E£22.82

447.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.37 E£20.14

229.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.21 E£11.07

757.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.23 E£12.31

200.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.30 E£16.30

113.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.09 E£5.05

1411.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.19 E£10.44

205.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.56 E£83.8

50.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$1.74 E£93.7

648.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.17 E£63.2

101.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.76 E£94.8

88.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.19 E£10.10

363.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$13.10 E£705

404.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.20 E£10.76

540.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.15 E£8.26

466.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$1.11 E£59.7

899.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.20 E£10.75

640.00%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$32.2K E£1.7M

51.29%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.5K E£1.3M

71.20%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$12.32 E£663

652.52%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$6.54 E£352

71.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$12.22 E£658

30.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$15.37 E£828

385.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$2.59 E£140

210.81%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$21.66 E£1,166

4278.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$904 E£48.7K

3981.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$14.43 E£777

273.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$17.75 E£956

133.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$119 E£6,415

-15.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$53.2 E£2,865

71.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$127 E£6,839

698.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$71.4 E£3,842

775.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$247 E£13.3K

712.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$138 E£7,405

718.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$723 E£38.9K

313.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$328 E£17.7K

427.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$87.5 E£4,713

1198.29%

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 Imbabah: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Imbabah

$71 18.7% 88.6% $553

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Imbabah

$80 20.9% 69.1% $178

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Imbabah

$73 19.1% 67% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Imbabah

$92 24.1% 28.9% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Imbabah

$31 8.1% 74.1% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Imbabah

$21 5.4% 77.4% $70

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Imbabah

$15 3.9% 80.3% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $127 in Imbabah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Istanbul are about 13 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $18 in Imbabah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $80 – making Imbabah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇬 Imbabah

🕒 Local time

12:07 12:07 PM

11:07 11:07 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

💱 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 = 56.33 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 = 60.48 EGP (100 EGP = 1.65 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Imbabah 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Imbabah

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 Imbabah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul, $383 in Imbabah – Imbabah 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 $574 in Imbabah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Imbabah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $127 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Groceries cost about 224% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $18 in Imbabah. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Imbabah, where all-in costs run around $383, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Imbabah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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