Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Manouba

For one person, living is cheaper in Manouba: $651 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Manouba
Learn more

Manouba Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Manouba

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$651

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Manouba

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $651 in Manouba, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Manouba $651

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,024 in Manouba, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Manouba $1,024

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,396 in Manouba, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Manouba $1,396

Istanbul costs about 138% more than Manouba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$3.33 TND 9.97

269.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$19.92 TND 59.7

174.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$6.14 TND 18.38

50.16%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.11 TND 3.34

296.40%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.63 TND 1.88

166.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.27 TND 0.81

118.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.55 TND 4.64

203.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.36 TND 7.05

150.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.46 TND 1.38

163.04%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.22 TND 0.66

304.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.31 TND 3.92

67.18%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.55 TND 4.63

51.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$10.27 TND 30.75

1.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$5.45 TND 16.31

3.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$13.79 TND 41.32

51.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.84 TND 5.52

3.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$3.16 TND 9.45

-26.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.08 TND 3.24

18.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.74 TND 2.21

143.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.77 TND 2.29

-15.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.61 TND 1.84

4.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.53 TND 1.60

135.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.34 TND 1.03

64.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.72 TND 11.15

-36.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$6.74 TND 20.18

99.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.19 TND 3.55

101.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.08 TND 3.22

222.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.32 TND 0.95

178.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$9.95 TND 29.81

577.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.30 TND 0.89

330.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.33 TND 1.00

178.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$1.85 TND 5.54

492.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$0.89 TND 2.67

65.17%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$37.0K TND 110.7K

37.41%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$35.0K TND 104.7K

27.34%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$44.48 TND 133

99.21%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$9.22 TND 27.61

25.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$20.44 TND 61.2

-22.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$26.56 TND 79.6

190.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$12.42 TND 37.19

83.09%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$5.31 TND 15.90

53.30%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$97.3 TND 291

936.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$2,444 TND 7,319

945.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$42.75 TND 128

26.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$36.55 TND 109

11.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$101 TND 303

-2.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$67.8 TND 203

42.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$208 TND 624

372.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$155 TND 465

318.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$372 TND 1,115

432.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$268 TND 804

339.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$957 TND 2,866

227.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$619 TND 1,854

187.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

10.28

298.05%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Manouba: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Manouba

$155 23.9% 76.1% $494

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Manouba

$185 28.4% 28.7% $75

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Manouba

$74 11.4% 66.7% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Manouba

$112 17.2% 14.5% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Manouba

$74 11.4% 36.1% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Manouba

$37 5.7% 60.2% $56

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Manouba

$13 2% 82.8% $64

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $208 in Manouba. 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 $20.00 in Manouba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $185 – making Manouba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇹🇳 Manouba

🕒 Local time

01:30 1:30 AM

23:30 11:30 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

58,792

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Manouba 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Manouba

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 Manouba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 138%, 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 $977 in Manouba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Manouba, 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 $97.3 in Manouba. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Manouba, where all-in costs run around $651, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Manouba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Manouba – 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 Manouba. 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.