Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Ksar El Kebir

For one person, living is cheaper in Ksar El Kebir: $766 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Ksar El Kebir
Learn more

Ksar El Kebir Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Ksar El Kebir

🇲🇦 Morocco

$766

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Ksar El Kebir

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 Ksar El Kebir actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $766 in Ksar El Kebir, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Ksar El Kebir $766

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,195 in Ksar El Kebir, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Ksar El Kebir $1,195

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,625 in Ksar El Kebir, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Ksar El Kebir $1,625

Istanbul costs about 102% more than Ksar El Kebir, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Ksar El Kebir is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$2.52 MAD 24.56

388.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$33.09 MAD 323

65.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$8.34 MAD 81.3

10.55%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.58 MAD 15.45

178.48%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.39 MAD 3.80

330.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.36 MAD 3.55

63.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$4.25 MAD 41.40

10.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$5.75 MAD 56.1

2.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.86 MAD 8.36

40.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.81 MAD 7.94

9.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.89 MAD 18.44

15.87%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.85 MAD 18.03

27.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$11.21 MAD 109

-7.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$7.19 MAD 70.1

-21.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$11.90 MAD 116

75.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.69 MAD 16.49

12.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.56 MAD 15.21

48.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.84 MAD 8.19

52.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.75 MAD 7.34

140.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.65 MAD 6.30

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.67 MAD 6.51

-4.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.49 MAD 4.80

155.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.52 MAD 5.06

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$4.21 MAD 41.08

-43.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$8.48 MAD 82.7

58.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.38 MAD 23.23

0.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.06 MAD 29.87

13.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.47 MAD 4.59

89.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$21.86 MAD 213

208.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.80 MAD 7.76

61.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.32 MAD 3.13

187.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$4.62 MAD 45.09

137.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.56 MAD 15.16

-5.77%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$30.6K MAD 298.8K

65.70%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$30.0K MAD 292.9K

48.21%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$51.9 MAD 506

70.73%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$9.93 MAD 96.8

16.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$42.64 MAD 416

-62.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$24.04 MAD 234

220.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$18.03 MAD 176

26.12%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$7.65 MAD 74.6

6.41%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$101 MAD 985

897.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$5,601 MAD 54.6K

356.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$60.2 MAD 587

-10.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$45.58 MAD 444

-10.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$94.2 MAD 919

4.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$60.9 MAD 593

58.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$231 MAD 2,255

325.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$170 MAD 1,661

281.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$472 MAD 4,599

320.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$272 MAD 2,656

333.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$1,174 MAD 11.4K

167.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$709 MAD 6,915

150.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

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 Ksar El Kebir: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Ksar El Kebir

$170 22.2% 73.8% $479

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Ksar El Kebir

$208 27.2% 19.7% $51

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Ksar El Kebir

$100 13% 55.2% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Ksar El Kebir

$117 15.3% 10.1% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Ksar El Kebir

$104 13.6% 10% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Ksar El Kebir

$39 5.1% 57.9% $54

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Ksar El Kebir

$26 3.4% 66% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $231 in Ksar El Kebir. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $33.00 in Ksar El Kebir. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $208 – making Ksar El Kebir the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇦 Ksar El Kebir

🕒 Local time

10:21 10:21 AM

08:21 8:21 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

126,617

💱 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 Ksar El Kebir 3,110 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Ksar El Kebir

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 Ksar El Kebir: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 102%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $1,149 in Ksar El Kebir. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $101 in Ksar El Kebir. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% 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 Ksar El Kebir, where all-in costs run around $766, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Ksar El Kebir it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ksar El Kebir – 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 Ksar El Kebir. 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.