Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Medea

For one person, living is cheaper in Medea: $452 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Medea
Learn more

Medea Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Medea

🇩🇿 Algeria

$452

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Medea

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $452 in Medea, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Medea $452

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $773 in Medea, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Medea $773

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,095 in Medea, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Medea $1,095

Istanbul costs about 243% more than Medea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Medea is 67% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$1.91 DZD 256

543.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$28.16 DZD 3,771

94.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$3.97 DZD 532

132.24%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$0.37 DZD 49.16

1089.19%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.40 DZD 53.9

320.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.19 DZD 26.00

210.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.26 DZD 303

107.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.28 DZD 305

159.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.89 DZD 119

35.96%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.09 DZD 11.91

888.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.14 DZD 153

92.11%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.17 DZD 157

100.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$8.02 DZD 1,074

29.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$3.85 DZD 515

46.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$14.49 DZD 1,941

44.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.00 DZD 268

-5.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.77 DZD 370

-16.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.08 DZD 144

18.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.55 DZD 73.0

227.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.57 DZD 76.3

14.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.49 DZD 65.0

30.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.80 DZD 108

56.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.27 DZD 36.50

107.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$2.07 DZD 277

14.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$6.59 DZD 882

103.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.27 DZD 170

88.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.91 DZD 256

82.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.21 DZD 28.23

323.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$6.77 DZD 906

896.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.54 DZD 72.6

138.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.46 DZD 62.2

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$5.54 DZD 741

97.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$0.36 DZD 47.76

308.33%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$18.9K DZD 2.5M

168.21%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$34.9K DZD 4.7M

27.57%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$18.45 DZD 2,470

380.27%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$7.91 DZD 1,059

46.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$12.23 DZD 1,638

29.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$22.02 DZD 2,948

250.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$1.89 DZD 254

1103.17%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$3.29 DZD 440

147.42%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$38.35 DZD 5,134

2528.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$6,214 DZD 831.9K

311.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$19.56 DZD 2,619

175.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$31.40 DZD 4,204

30.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$30.44 DZD 4,075

224.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$53.5 DZD 7,159

80.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$146 DZD 19.6K

573.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$91.4 DZD 12.2K

610.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$273 DZD 36.6K

625.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$192 DZD 25.7K

514.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$969 DZD 129.8K

223.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,029 DZD 137.8K

72.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$310 DZD 41.6K

288.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

718.40%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Medea: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Medea

$91 20.3% 85.9% $558

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Medea

$172 38.1% 33.8% $88

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Medea

$50 11.1% 77.7% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Medea

$61 13.4% 53.5% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Medea

$39 8.5% 66.7% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Medea

$29 6.3% 69.4% $65

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Medea

$10 2.3% 86.4% $66

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $146 in Medea. 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 288% 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 $28.00 in Medea. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $172 – making Medea the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇩🇿 Medea

🕒 Local time

12:06 12:06 PM

10:06 10:06 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

138,355

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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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Between locations

Istanbul Medea 2,330 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Medea

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 Medea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 243%, 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 $677 in Medea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medea, 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 $38.35 in Medea. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 51% 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 Medea, where all-in costs run around $452, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Medea it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medea – 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 Medea. 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.