Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and M'Sila

For one person, living is cheaper in M'Sila: $459 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in M'Sila
Learn more

M'Sila Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

M'Sila

🇩🇿 Algeria

$459

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in M'Sila

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $459 in M'Sila, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
M'Sila $459

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $753 in M'Sila, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
M'Sila $753

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $1,046 in M'Sila, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
M'Sila $1,046

Istanbul costs about 232% more than M'Sila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 13% above the global median, while M'Sila is 66% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$1.88 DZD 252

536.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$18.82 DZD 2,520

204.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$3.70 DZD 496

157.03%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$0.35 DZD 47.31

1157.14%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$0.51 DZD 67.8

243.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$0.20 DZD 26.58

180.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$2.17 DZD 290

117.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$2.17 DZD 291

182.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$0.78 DZD 104

58.97%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$0.13 DZD 16.96

630.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$1.15 DZD 155

98.26%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$1.19 DZD 160

105.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$2.92 DZD 391

261.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$3.94 DZD 528

39.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$9.30 DZD 1,245

132.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$2.09 DZD 280

-12.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.68 DZD 359

-14.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$1.07 DZD 143

19.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$0.55 DZD 74.0

230.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$0.50 DZD 67.0

32.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$0.27 DZD 35.63

133.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$0.12 DZD 16.21

958.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.25 DZD 33.34

124.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$2.71 DZD 363

-12.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$6.75 DZD 904

92.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$1.27 DZD 171

95.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$1.86 DZD 249

88.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$0.24 DZD 32.27

241.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$6.53 DZD 874

898.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$0.55 DZD 73.4

141.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$0.43 DZD 57.5

109.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$5.69 DZD 762

91.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$0.33 DZD 44.76

333.33%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$34.9K DZD 4.7M

41.96%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$34.6K DZD 4.6M

24.97%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$23.25 DZD 3,112

281.81%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$7.50 DZD 1,004

55.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$12.44 DZD 1,665

29.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$22.17 DZD 2,968

243.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$4.36 DZD 584

89.45%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$115 DZD 15.4K

783.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$6,439 DZD 862.1K

301.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$32.63 DZD 4,368

63.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$33.92 DZD 4,541

19.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$67.7 DZD 9,064

47.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$79.9 DZD 10.7K

17.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$144 DZD 19.2K

580.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$92.2 DZD 12.3K

579.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$270 DZD 36.1K

633.51%

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

$961 DZD 128.7K

222.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$623 DZD 83.4K

186.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$243 DZD 32.5K

400.22%

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 M'Sila: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

M'Sila

$92 20.1% 85.3% $535

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

M'Sila

$138 30% 47.6% $125

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

M'Sila

$48 10.6% 78.2% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

M'Sila

$96 21% 25.5% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

M'Sila

$43 9.4% 63% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

M'Sila

$31 6.7% 66.7% $62

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

M'Sila

$10 2.2% 86.3% $64

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $144 in M'Sila. 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 400% 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 $19.00 in M'Sila. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $138 – making M'Sila the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇩🇿 M'Sila

🕒 Local time

00:50 12:50 AM

22:50 10:50 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

156,647

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul M'Sila 2,200 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
M'Sila

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 M'Sila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 232%, 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 $688 in M'Sila. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in M'Sila, 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 $115 in M'Sila. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 91% 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 M'Sila, where all-in costs run around $459, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In M'Sila it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward M'Sila – 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 M'Sila. 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.