Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Jijel

For one person, living is cheaper in Jijel: $528 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Jijel
Learn more

Jijel Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Jijel

🇩🇿 Algeria

$528

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Jijel

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $528 in Jijel, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Jijel $528

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $845 in Jijel, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Jijel $845

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $1,162 in Jijel, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Jijel $1,162

Istanbul costs about 189% more than Jijel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 13% above the global median, while Jijel is 61% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$2.43 DZD 326

392.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$27.55 DZD 3,689

107.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$4.24 DZD 568

124.29%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$0.88 DZD 118

400.00%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$0.63 DZD 84.7

177.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$0.27 DZD 35.69

107.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$2.18 DZD 291

116.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$2.17 DZD 290

182.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$0.88 DZD 118

40.91%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$0.13 DZD 17.89

630.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$1.10 DZD 147

107.27%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$1.23 DZD 165

99.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$8.15 DZD 1,091

29.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$4.01 DZD 537

37.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$11.91 DZD 1,595

81.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$2.09 DZD 279

-12.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.72 DZD 364

-15.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$1.08 DZD 144

18.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$0.69 DZD 92.0

163.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$0.60 DZD 81.0

10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$0.34 DZD 46.09

85.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$0.42 DZD 55.8

202.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.27 DZD 36.23

107.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$2.34 DZD 313

0.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$6.54 DZD 875

98.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$1.23 DZD 165

101.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$1.88 DZD 252

86.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$0.22 DZD 29.43

272.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$6.71 DZD 898

871.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$0.54 DZD 72.8

146.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$0.23 DZD 30.90

291.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$5.43 DZD 726

100.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$0.35 DZD 47.17

308.57%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$34.7K DZD 4.6M

42.90%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$34.7K DZD 4.6M

24.35%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$39.01 DZD 5,222

127.56%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$6.52 DZD 873

79.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$12.26 DZD 1,642

31.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$17.03 DZD 2,280

347.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$4.57 DZD 611

80.74%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$82.8 DZD 11.1K

1126.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$1,317 DZD 176.4K

1861.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$31.65 DZD 4,238

68.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$31.91 DZD 4,272

27.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$62.6 DZD 8,381

59.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$65.4 DZD 8,759

42.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$194 DZD 25.9K

404.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$123 DZD 16.4K

410.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$272 DZD 36.4K

628.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$192 DZD 25.7K

496.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$773 DZD 103.5K

300.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$406 DZD 54.4K

340.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$253 DZD 33.9K

379.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

5.3

667.74%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Jijel: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Jijel

$123 23.3% 80.4% $504

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Jijel

$165 31.1% 37.3% $98

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Jijel

$62 11.7% 72.3% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Jijel

$86 16.3% 33.3% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Jijel

$58 10.9% 50.4% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Jijel

$26 5% 71.8% $67

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Jijel

$9.3 1.8% 87.5% $65

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $194 in Jijel. 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 379% 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 $57.0 in Istanbul versus $28.00 in Jijel. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $165 – making Jijel the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇩🇿 Jijel

🕒 Local time

00:13 12:13 AM

22:13 10:13 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

134,839

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 134 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Jijel 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Jijel

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 Jijel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 189%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $793 in Jijel. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,015 per month in Istanbul and $82.8 in Jijel. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 59% 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 Jijel, where all-in costs run around $528, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Jijel it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jijel – 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 Jijel. 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.