Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Monastir

For one person, living is cheaper in Monastir: $706 a month against $1,516 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Monastir
Learn more

Monastir Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Monastir

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$706

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Monastir

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

A single person spends $1,516 per month in Istanbul vs $706 in Monastir, rent included.

Istanbul $1,516
Monastir $706

A couple spends around $2,356 per month in Istanbul vs $1,131 in Monastir, rent included.

Istanbul $2,356
Monastir $1,131

A family of three spends $3,197 per month in Istanbul vs $1,555 in Monastir, rent included.

Istanbul $3,197
Monastir $1,555

Istanbul costs about 115% more than Monastir, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 11% above the global median, while Monastir is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 ₺577

$5.01 TND 15.08

131.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,724

$22.48 TND 67.7

143.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 ₺468

$6.15 TND 18.51

52.68%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₺211

$1.19 TND 3.59

255.46%

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

$1.72 ₺85.6

$0.74 TND 2.23

132.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₺28.25

$0.36 TND 1.09

58.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 ₺232

$1.63 TND 4.92

185.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 ₺341

$1.63 TND 4.91

319.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺60.0

$0.44 TND 1.32

172.73%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₺46.96

$0.17 TND 0.51

452.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ₺112

$1.68 TND 5.05

33.33%

Eggs

$2.42 ₺121

$1.58 TND 4.75

53.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 ₺510

$13.71 TND 41.29

-25.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.38 ₺268

$6.15 TND 18.52

-12.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.19 ₺1,056

$14.60 TND 43.97

45.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₺94.2

$2.01 TND 6.07

-5.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 ₺111

$4.40 TND 13.25

-49.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺62.7

$1.20 TND 3.60

5.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ₺90.0

$0.80 TND 2.40

126.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ₺34.83

$0.87 TND 2.63

-19.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.12

$0.72 TND 2.17

-11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$0.44 TND 1.33

177.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₺27.35

$0.33 TND 1.01

66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₺116

$3.74 TND 11.27

-37.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 ₺663

$5.70 TND 17.18

133.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₺116

$1.21 TND 3.65

92.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₺172

$1.32 TND 3.97

162.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ₺45.17

$0.32 TND 0.95

184.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,305

$11.01 TND 33.17

502.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.2

$0.29 TND 0.87

344.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₺42.65

$0.29 TND 0.86

196.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺553

$1.77 TND 5.34

526.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₺70.7

$0.83 TND 2.49

71.08%

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

$49.2K ₺2.5M

$39.7K TND 119.6K

23.90%

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

$42.8K ₺2.1M

$35.9K TND 108.3K

19.10%

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

$87.7 ₺4,371

$61.5 TND 185

42.57%

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

$11.28 ₺562

$10.56 TND 31.82

6.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺792

$20.06 TND 60.4

-20.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 ₺3,782

$23.67 TND 71.3

220.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,148

$6.63 TND 19.97

247.51%

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 ₺409

$6.03 TND 18.17

35.99%

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

$1,028 ₺51.2K

$94.4 TND 284

989.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K ₺1.3M

$3,205 TND 9,656

709.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,657

$46.92 TND 141

13.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ₺1,978

$67.5 TND 203

-41.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 ₺4,971

$111 TND 335

-10.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,659

$97.2 TND 293

-3.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 ₺50.0K

$203 TND 610

395.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₺31.3K

$121 TND 363

421.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 ₺97.8K

$354 TND 1,067

454.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺55.9K

$233 TND 703

380.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,075 ₺153.2K

$1,219 TND 3,671

152.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 ₺87.3K

$619 TND 1,864

183.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,180 ₺58.8K

$347 TND 1,044

240.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

269.91%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Last update for Monastir: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$628 41.5%

Monastir

$121 17.1% 80.8% $508

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Monastir

$210 29.7% 18.7% $48

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.4%

Monastir

$89 12.6% 59.3% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Monastir

$145 20.6% 12.8% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$115 7.6%

Monastir

$92 13.1% 19.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$92 6.1%

Monastir

$36 5.1% 61.3% $57

Getting Around

Istanbul

$76 5%

Monastir

$14 2% 81.5% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,003 in Istanbul versus $203 in Monastir. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Istanbul are about 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $22 in Monastir. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $210 – making Monastir the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇹🇳 Monastir

🕒 Local time

19:42 7:42 PM

17:42 5:42 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

104,535

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 TND = 0.332 USD

1 TND = 0.298 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.82 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.45 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.01 TND (1 TND = 0.332 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Monastir 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Monastir

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 Monastir: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 115%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,274 per month in Istanbul and $1,059 in Monastir. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Monastir, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $203 there versus $1,003 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $1,028 per month in Istanbul and $94 in Monastir. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Monastir, where all-in costs run around $706, than in Istanbul at $1,516. In Monastir it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Monastir – 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 Monastir. 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.