Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Ismailia

For one person, living is cheaper in Ismailia: $313 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Ismailia
Learn more

Ismailia Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Ismailia

🇪🇬 Egypt

$313

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Ismailia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $313 in Ismailia.

Istanbul $1,519
Ismailia $313

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $522 in Ismailia.

Istanbul $2,365
Ismailia $522

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $731 in Ismailia.

Istanbul $3,212
Ismailia $731

Living in Istanbul is roughly 385% more expensive than in Ismailia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 12% above, Ismailia is 77% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$3.12 E£168

278.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$14.17 E£763

287.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$3.58 E£193

158.66%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.01 E£54.4

325.74%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.31 E£16.71

470.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.12 E£6.65

366.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.29 E£69.6

263.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$1.79 E£96.3

297.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.75 E£40.48

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.37 E£20.17

137.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$0.56 E£30.05

292.86%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.12 E£60.3

116.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$3.58 E£193

192.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$3.83 E£207

38.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$6.74 E£363

213.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.44 E£77.4

29.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.57 E£30.46

303.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.39 E£21.17

212.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.27 E£14.65

566.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.26 E£14.02

165.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.30 E£16.18

113.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.23 E£12.33

491.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.16 E£8.61

262.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.58 E£85.3

48.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$4.49 E£242

190.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.11 E£59.9

112.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.17 E£117

53.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.11 E£5.82

700.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.28 E£14.98

357.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.52 E£27.74

63.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$1.14 E£61.5

872.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.40 E£21.56

270.00%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$26.8K E£1.4M

81.59%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$14.6K E£786.5K

187.39%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$14.68 E£791

531.54%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$7.00 E£377

60.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$10.72 E£577

48.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$7.91 E£426

844.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$2.64 E£142

204.92%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$62.7 E£3,378

1411.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$450 E£24.2K

8098.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$15.98 E£861

237.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$8.86 E£477

368.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$112 E£6,006

-9.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$27.34 E£1,472

233.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$76.0 E£4,094

1233.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$26.58 E£1,431

2249.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$113 E£6,101

1670.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$63.3 E£3,407

1679.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$448 E£24.1K

567.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$180 E£9,673

863.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$124 E£6,697

813.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

83.73%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ismailia: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Ismailia

$27 8.5% 95.7% $598

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Ismailia

$105 33.4% 59.5% $154

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Ismailia

$60 19% 73% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Ismailia

$74 23.5% 43.1% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Ismailia

$32 10.3% 73% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Ismailia

$13 4.2% 85.5% $78

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Ismailia

$3.3 * 1.1% 95.6% $72

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $76 in Ismailia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays about 9.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $14 in Ismailia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $105 per month, with Ismailia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇬 Ismailia

🕒 Local time

19:47 7:47 PM

18:47 6:47 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

352,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Ismailia 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Ismailia

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 Ismailia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ismailia wins on cost – living expenses run 79% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ismailia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Istanbul is about 9.1 times higher, 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: $1,014 in Istanbul versus $76 in Ismailia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 147% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,519 per month in Istanbul versus $313 in Ismailia – Ismailia is about 79% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $313 in Ismailia versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $800 budget is realistic in Ismailia but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Ismailia 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 Ismailia are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ismailia wins on affordability, Istanbul on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.