Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Laghouat

For one person, living is cheaper in Laghouat: $500 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Laghouat
Learn more

Laghouat Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Laghouat

🇩🇿 Algeria

$500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Laghouat

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $500 in Laghouat, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Laghouat $500

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $820 in Laghouat, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Laghouat $820

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,140 in Laghouat, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Laghouat $1,140

Istanbul costs about 210% more than Laghouat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Laghouat is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺606

$3.65 DZD 490

236.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,698

$20.91 DZD 2,803

161.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺455

$4.41 DZD 591

109.07%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺217

$1.00 DZD 134

340.00%

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

$1.68 ₺82.8

$0.62 DZD 82.9

170.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.29

$0.15 DZD 19.57

293.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺232

$1.56 DZD 209

201.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺291

$2.23 DZD 300

165.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺59.8

$1.00 DZD 134

21.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺43.93

$0.14 DZD 18.58

535.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.55 DZD 341

-14.12%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.86 DZD 249

26.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺514

$4.32 DZD 579

141.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺279

$5.49 DZD 736

2.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,033

$15.18 DZD 2,034

37.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺93.8

$3.82 DZD 512

-50.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$3.60 DZD 482

-35.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺62.9

$2.01 DZD 270

-36.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺88.6

$1.02 DZD 136

76.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.04

$0.57 DZD 76.7

14.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.80

$0.56 DZD 74.8

14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺61.9

$0.54 DZD 72.0

131.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.48

$0.31 DZD 41.87

80.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺117

$2.31 DZD 310

2.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺662

$6.58 DZD 882

103.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.23 DZD 164

95.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.85 DZD 248

88.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.67

$0.12 DZD 15.89

641.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,326

$6.67 DZD 894

910.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺63.9

$0.74 DZD 99.5

74.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.53

$0.33 DZD 44.31

178.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺540

$6.11 DZD 819

79.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.7

$0.34 DZD 45.36

332.35%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$29.2K DZD 3.9M

74.13%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$44.4K DZD 6.0M

0.29%

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

$88.6 ₺4,371

$36.42 DZD 4,881

143.30%

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

$11.59 ₺572

$6.12 DZD 820

89.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺780

$15.67 DZD 2,100

0.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,806

$14.08 DZD 1,887

448.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,121

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺402

$4.50 DZD 604

80.89%

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

$1,008 ₺49.7K

$57.9 DZD 7,760

1640.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$4,840 DZD 648.7K

428.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,661

$27.22 DZD 3,648

98.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,014

$33.73 DZD 4,521

21.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,877

$55.5 DZD 7,434

78.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,765

$67.9 DZD 9,102

42.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.6K

$95.9 DZD 12.9K

926.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.0K

$55.6 DZD 7,451

1068.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺97.8K

$161 DZD 21.6K

1130.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.2K

$105 DZD 14.1K

1022.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺154.8K

$426 DZD 57.1K

635.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺87.8K

$298 DZD 39.9K

497.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.5K

$346 DZD 46.4K

248.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

5.3

672.08%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Laghouat: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Laghouat

$56 11.1% 91.4% $594

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Laghouat

$201 40.1% 22.8% $59

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Laghouat

$70 14% 68.7% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Laghouat

$83 16.6% 36.5% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Laghouat

$58 11.7% 49.8% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Laghouat

$23 4.6% 75.3% $70

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Laghouat

$9.5 1.9% 87.6% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $95.9 in Laghouat. 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 248% 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 $21.00 in Laghouat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $201 – making Laghouat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇩🇿 Laghouat

🕒 Local time

16:33 4:33 PM

14:33 2:33 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

144,747

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.82 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.46 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.68 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 49.32 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.06 TRY (100 TRY = 1.82 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 134 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 150 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.68 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Laghouat 2,430 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Laghouat

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 Laghouat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 210%, 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 $750 in Laghouat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Laghouat, 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 $57.9 in Laghouat. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% 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 Laghouat, where all-in costs run around $500, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Laghouat it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Laghouat – 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 Laghouat. 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.