Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Larache

For one person, living is cheaper in Larache: $752 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,550
/mo nomad
Larache
🇲🇦 Morocco
$752
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Larache

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $752 in Larache, rent included.

  • Istanbul $1,550
  • Larache $752

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,153 in Larache, rent included.

  • Istanbul $2,415
  • Larache $1,153

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,554 in Larache, rent included.

  • Istanbul $3,281
  • Larache $1,554

Istanbul costs about 106% more than Larache, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Larache is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Larache
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.30 ₺609
$3.52 MAD 34.28
249.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.7 ₺2,708
$20.65 MAD 201
164.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.22 ₺456
$6.88 MAD 67.1
34.01%
Cappuccino
$4.40 ₺218
$1.96 MAD 19.11
124.49%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 ₺83.1
$0.60 MAD 5.85
180.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 ₺29.40
$0.33 MAD 3.25
78.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.70 ₺233
$2.60 MAD 25.31
80.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.91 ₺292
$3.16 MAD 30.80
87.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Larache
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.21 ₺60.0
$0.99 MAD 9.66
22.22%
White Bread (500g)
$0.89 ₺44.10
$0.82 MAD 8.04
8.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.19 ₺108
$1.90 MAD 18.52
15.26%
Eggs
$2.35 ₺116
$1.85 MAD 18.02
27.03%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.42 ₺516
$10.90 MAD 106
-4.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.65 ₺280
$7.49 MAD 73.0
-24.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.94 ₺1,037
$12.15 MAD 118
72.35%
Apples (1kg)
$1.90 ₺94.1
$1.62 MAD 15.76
17.28%
Banana (1kg)
$2.31 ₺114
$1.57 MAD 15.34
47.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 ₺63.1
$0.85 MAD 8.32
50.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 ₺89.0
$0.70 MAD 6.81
157.14%
Potato (1kg)
$0.65 ₺32.16
$0.65 MAD 6.29
-
Onion (1kg)
$0.64 ₺31.91
$0.71 MAD 6.89
-9.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 ₺62.1
$0.49 MAD 4.74
155.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺27.58
$0.54 MAD 5.30
3.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.37 ₺118
$4.11 MAD 40.03
-42.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.42 ₺664
$8.37 MAD 81.6
60.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.40 ₺119
$2.31 MAD 22.56
3.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.48 ₺172
$3.09 MAD 30.15
12.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Larache
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.89 ₺43.84
$0.50 MAD 4.88
78.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$67.4 ₺3,338
$20.88 MAD 204
222.94%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.29 ₺64.1
$0.51 MAD 4.95
152.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.92 ₺45.70
$0.30 MAD 2.88
206.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.96 ₺542
$4.53 MAD 44.20
141.94%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ₺72.9
$1.49 MAD 14.55
-1.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$50.8K ₺2.5M
$24.6K MAD 240.1K
106.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.5K ₺2.2M
$30.2K MAD 294.4K
47.46%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Larache
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.6 ₺4,387
$52.2 MAD 509
69.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.59 ₺574
$10.11 MAD 98.5
14.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.81 ₺783
$42.24 MAD 412
-62.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Larache
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$77.2 ₺3,820
$20.33 MAD 198
279.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.74 ₺1,126
$21.32 MAD 208
6.66%
Cinema Ticket
$8.14 ₺403
$5.12 MAD 49.89
58.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Larache
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,008 ₺49.9K
$101 MAD 987
895.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.6K ₺1.3M
$5,686 MAD 55.4K
349.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Larache
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.0 ₺2,671
$60.9 MAD 594
-11.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.83 ₺2,021
$45.28 MAD 441
-9.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.9 ₺4,895
$94.2 MAD 918
5.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.6 ₺4,783
$60.7 MAD 591
59.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Larache
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$985 ₺48.7K
$268 MAD 2,617
266.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$650 ₺32.2K
$169 MAD 1,648
284.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,983 ₺98.2K
$462 MAD 4,503
329.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,180 ₺58.4K
$277 MAD 2,700
326.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,138 ₺155.4K
$1,181 MAD 11.5K
165.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,780 ₺88.1K
$720 MAD 7,020
147.19%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Larache
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,205 ₺59.7K
$274 MAD 2,668
340.50%
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 Larache: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$650
Larache
$169 74% $481
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$260
Larache
$210 18.9% $49
Eating Out
Istanbul
$223
Larache
$95 57.3% $128
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$131
Larache
$117 10.1% $13
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$116
Larache
$105 9.9% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$93
Larache
$31 67.3% $63
Getting Around
Istanbul
$77
Larache
$25 67.7% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $268 in Larache. 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 340% 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 Larache. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $210 – making Larache the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇲🇦 Larache
🕒 Local time
20:19 8:19 PM
18:19 6:19 PM
2 h behind Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
125,008
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 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 Larache 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Larache

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 Larache: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Larache cheaper than Istanbul?
Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 106%, 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 $1,128 in Larache. 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 Larache, 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 $101 in Larache. 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 Larache?
Groceries cost about 23% 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 Larache?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Larache, where all-in costs run around $752, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Larache it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Istanbul or Larache more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Larache – 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 Larache?
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 Larache. 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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