Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kenitra

For one person, living is cheaper in Kenitra: $644 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,550
/mo nomad
Kenitra
🇲🇦 Morocco
$644
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kenitra

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $644 in Kenitra, rent included.

  • Istanbul $1,550
  • Kenitra $644

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $992 in Kenitra, rent included.

  • Istanbul $2,415
  • Kenitra $992

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,340 in Kenitra, rent included.

  • Istanbul $3,281
  • Kenitra $1,340

Istanbul costs about 141% more than Kenitra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Kenitra is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Kenitra
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.30 ₺609
$3.08 MAD 30.01
299.35%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.7 ₺2,708
$17.90 MAD 175
205.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.22 ₺456
$6.15 MAD 59.9
49.92%
Cappuccino
$4.40 ₺218
$1.83 MAD 17.83
140.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 ₺83.1
$0.67 MAD 6.52
150.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 ₺29.40
$0.35 MAD 3.44
68.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.70 ₺233
$2.38 MAD 23.22
97.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.91 ₺292
$5.03 MAD 49.03
17.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Kenitra
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.21 ₺60.0
$0.86 MAD 8.40
40.70%
White Bread (500g)
$0.89 ₺44.10
$0.54 MAD 5.27
64.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.19 ₺108
$1.88 MAD 18.29
16.49%
Eggs
$2.35 ₺116
$1.92 MAD 18.72
22.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.42 ₺516
$5.63 MAD 54.9
85.08%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.65 ₺280
$6.19 MAD 60.3
-8.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.94 ₺1,037
$10.53 MAD 103
98.86%
Apples (1kg)
$1.90 ₺94.1
$1.56 MAD 15.25
21.79%
Banana (1kg)
$2.31 ₺114
$1.31 MAD 12.78
76.34%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 ₺63.1
$0.80 MAD 7.78
60.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 ₺89.0
$0.63 MAD 6.15
185.71%
Potato (1kg)
$0.65 ₺32.16
$0.89 MAD 8.72
-26.97%
Onion (1kg)
$0.64 ₺31.91
$0.77 MAD 7.51
-16.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 ₺62.1
$0.20 MAD 1.95
525.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺27.58
$0.68 MAD 6.64
-17.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.37 ₺118
$3.99 MAD 38.89
-40.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.42 ₺664
$9.13 MAD 89.0
46.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.40 ₺119
$2.85 MAD 27.78
-15.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.48 ₺172
$3.37 MAD 32.86
3.26%
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Kenitra
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.89 ₺43.84
$0.47 MAD 4.56
89.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$67.4 ₺3,338
$20.80 MAD 203
224.18%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.29 ₺64.1
$0.71 MAD 6.91
81.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.92 ₺45.70
$0.74 MAD 7.23
24.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.96 ₺542
$5.04 MAD 49.17
117.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ₺72.9
$1.37 MAD 13.40
7.30%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$50.8K ₺2.5M
$34.0K MAD 331.1K
49.55%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.5K ₺2.2M
$31.0K MAD 302.6K
43.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Kenitra
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.6 ₺4,387
$38.58 MAD 376
129.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.59 ₺574
$10.66 MAD 104
8.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.81 ₺783
$31.40 MAD 306
-49.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Kenitra
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$77.2 ₺3,820
$26.74 MAD 261
188.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.74 ₺1,126
$35.49 MAD 346
-35.93%
Cinema Ticket
$8.14 ₺403
$3.80 MAD 37.02
114.21%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Kenitra
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,008 ₺49.9K
$47.33 MAD 462
2029.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.6K ₺1.3M
$1,837 MAD 17.9K
1291.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Kenitra
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.0 ₺2,671
$17.90 MAD 175
201.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.83 ₺2,021
$32.99 MAD 322
23.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.9 ₺4,895
$56.4 MAD 550
75.32%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.6 ₺4,783
$35.97 MAD 351
168.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Kenitra
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$985 ₺48.7K
$245 MAD 2,385
302.42%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$650 ₺32.2K
$163 MAD 1,592
297.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,983 ₺98.2K
$471 MAD 4,596
320.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,180 ₺58.4K
$271 MAD 2,641
335.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,138 ₺155.4K
$1,178 MAD 11.5K
166.44%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,780 ₺88.1K
$885 MAD 8,628
101.13%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Kenitra
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,205 ₺59.7K
$347 MAD 3,386
247.08%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
40.92
3.75
991.20%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kenitra: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$650
Kenitra
$163 74.9% $486
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$260
Kenitra
$183 29.5% $77
Eating Out
Istanbul
$223
Kenitra
$91 59.2% $132
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$131
Kenitra
$64 50.6% $66
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$116
Kenitra
$81 30.5% $35
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$93
Kenitra
$34 63.2% $59
Getting Around
Istanbul
$77
Kenitra
$27 64.8% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $245 in Kenitra. 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 247% 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 $18.00 in Kenitra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $183 – making Kenitra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇲🇦 Kenitra
🕒 Local time
18:12 6:12 PM
16:12 4:12 PM
2 h behind Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
507,736
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Kenitra 3,200 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Kenitra

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 Kenitra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kenitra cheaper than Istanbul?
Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 141%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $966 in Kenitra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kenitra, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $47.33 in Kenitra. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Istanbul and in Kenitra?
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.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Istanbul or in Kenitra?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kenitra, where all-in costs run around $644, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Kenitra it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Istanbul or Kenitra more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Kenitra – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Istanbul or Kenitra?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Kenitra. 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.

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