Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and New Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in New Cairo: $691 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in New Cairo
Learn more

New Cairo Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

New Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$691

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in New Cairo

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $691 in New Cairo, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
New Cairo $691

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,028 in New Cairo, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
New Cairo $1,028

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,366 in New Cairo, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
New Cairo $1,366

Istanbul costs about 120% more than New Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while New Cairo is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$5.29 E£285

123.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$24.13 E£1,299

127.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$5.56 E£299

66.55%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.93 E£104

122.80%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.35 E£18.85

405.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.12 E£6.57

366.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$2.76 E£148

69.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.63 E£142

170.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.90 E£48.70

38.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.97 E£52.3

-9.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$0.74 E£39.82

197.30%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.41 E£76.2

72.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$4.20 E£226

149.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.17 E£278

2.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$7.74 E£417

172.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.70 E£91.7

9.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.70 E£37.67

228.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.50 E£27.07

144.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.36 E£19.57

400.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.33 E£18.02

109.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.44 E£23.65

45.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.20 E£10.86

580.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.26 E£14.06

123.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.80 E£96.8

30.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$9.21 E£496

41.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.27 E£68.5

85.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.89 E£102

75.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.20 E£10.57

340.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.52 E£27.95

146.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.45 E£24.37

88.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$1.83 E£98.6

506.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.42 E£22.60

252.38%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$30.5K E£1.6M

59.57%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.7K E£1.4M

63.48%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$42.07 E£2,265

120.37%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$9.41 E£507

19.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$14.15 E£762

12.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$31.93 E£1,720

133.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$8.30 E£447

176.51%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$3.40 E£183

136.76%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$167 E£8,970

469.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$4,186 E£225.4K

781.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$43.52 E£2,344

23.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$50.8 E£2,737

-18.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$105 E£5,659

-4.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$54.5 E£2,932

67.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$286 E£15.4K

254.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$226 E£12.2K

176.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$509 E£27.4K

294.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$301 E£16.2K

274.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,109 E£59.7K

169.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$627 E£33.8K

175.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$175 E£9,449

547.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

11.4

254.56%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for New Cairo: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

New Cairo

$226 32.7% 63.8% $399

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

New Cairo

$140 20.3% 45.8% $118

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

New Cairo

$103 14.9% 53.3% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

New Cairo

$114 16.5% 11.7% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

New Cairo

$66 9.5% 45.2% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

New Cairo

$39 5.6% 57.3% $52

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

New Cairo

$3.6 * 0.5% 95.3% $72

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $286 in New Cairo. 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 6.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $24 in New Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $140 – making New Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇬 New Cairo

🕒 Local time

12:44 12:44 PM

11:44 11:44 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

298,343

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

100 EGP = 1.86 USD

100 EGP = 1.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 53.85 EGP (100 EGP = 1.86 USD). 1 EUR = 60.48 EGP (100 EGP = 1.65 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul New Cairo 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
New Cairo

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 New Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 120%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,037 in New Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in New Cairo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $286 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $24 in New Cairo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 85% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in New Cairo, where all-in costs run around $691, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In New Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward New Cairo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with New Cairo. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.