Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Ouargla

For one person, living is cheaper in Ouargla: $522 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Ouargla
Learn more

Ouargla Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Ouargla

🇩🇿 Algeria

$522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Ouargla

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $522 in Ouargla, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Ouargla $522

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $846 in Ouargla, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Ouargla $846

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $1,170 in Ouargla, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Ouargla $1,170

Istanbul costs about 192% more than Ouargla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 13% above the global median, while Ouargla is 61% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$3.07 DZD 412

289.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$17.46 DZD 2,338

227.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$3.95 DZD 528

140.76%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$0.64 DZD 85.0

587.50%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$0.58 DZD 77.7

201.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$0.24 DZD 31.92

133.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$1.49 DZD 200

216.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$2.18 DZD 292

181.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$0.82 DZD 110

51.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$0.15 DZD 20.61

533.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$1.10 DZD 147

107.27%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$1.23 DZD 165

99.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$7.81 DZD 1,046

35.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$3.99 DZD 534

37.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$14.19 DZD 1,900

52.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$2.03 DZD 272

-9.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.84 DZD 380

-19.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$1.07 DZD 143

19.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$0.90 DZD 120

102.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$0.61 DZD 81.9

8.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$0.49 DZD 65.1

28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$0.70 DZD 94.2

81.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.27 DZD 36.44

107.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$2.67 DZD 358

-11.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$6.55 DZD 876

98.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$1.24 DZD 166

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$1.88 DZD 251

86.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$0.24 DZD 32.15

241.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$6.53 DZD 875

898.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$0.57 DZD 76.6

133.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$0.43 DZD 57.8

109.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$5.07 DZD 679

115.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$0.35 DZD 46.99

308.57%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$31.6K DZD 4.2M

57.05%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$34.2K DZD 4.6M

26.27%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$36.26 DZD 4,854

144.82%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$8.99 DZD 1,204

30.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$12.30 DZD 1,647

30.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$22.21 DZD 2,973

243.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$4.39 DZD 588

88.15%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$327 DZD 43.8K

210.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$4,685 DZD 627.2K

451.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$32.42 DZD 4,341

64.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$35.14 DZD 4,704

15.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$68.0 DZD 9,104

47.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$80.7 DZD 10.8K

15.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$143 DZD 19.1K

583.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$93.8 DZD 12.6K

568.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$273 DZD 36.6K

624.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$192 DZD 25.7K

496.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$955 DZD 127.8K

224.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$1,033 DZD 138.3K

72.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

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 Ouargla: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Ouargla

$94 18% 85% $533

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Ouargla

$173 33.1% 34.2% $90

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Ouargla

$59 11.3% 73.4% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Ouargla

$97 18.7% 24.7% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Ouargla

$58 11% 50.6% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Ouargla

$31 5.9% 66.6% $62

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Ouargla

$10 2% 86.2% $64

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $143 in Ouargla. 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 $57.0 in Istanbul versus $17.00 in Ouargla. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $173 – making Ouargla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇩🇿 Ouargla

🕒 Local time

19:35 7:35 PM

17:35 5:35 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

133,024

💱 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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Between locations

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

From you

Istanbul
Ouargla

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 Ouargla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 192%, 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 $783 in Ouargla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ouargla, 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 $327 in Ouargla. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% 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 Ouargla, where all-in costs run around $522, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Ouargla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ouargla – 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 Ouargla. 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.