Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Ouarzazate

For one person, living is cheaper in Ouarzazate: $707 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Ouarzazate
Learn more

Ouarzazate Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Ouarzazate

🇲🇦 Morocco

$707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Ouarzazate

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $707 in Ouarzazate, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Ouarzazate $707

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,102 in Ouarzazate, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Ouarzazate $1,102

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,498 in Ouarzazate, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Ouarzazate $1,498

Istanbul costs about 119% more than Ouarzazate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Ouarzazate is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$3.72 MAD 36.29

230.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$31.53 MAD 307

73.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$6.18 MAD 60.3

49.19%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.21 MAD 21.56

99.10%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.64 MAD 6.21

162.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.61 MAD 5.91

-3.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$6.69 MAD 65.2

-29.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$5.40 MAD 52.7

9.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.85 MAD 8.30

42.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.86 MAD 8.38

3.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.54 MAD 15.03

42.21%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.56 MAD 15.24

50.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$7.76 MAD 75.7

34.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$4.56 MAD 44.46

23.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$11.72 MAD 114

78.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$0.69 MAD 6.73

175.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.21 MAD 11.83

90.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.60 MAD 5.88

113.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.79 MAD 7.75

127.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.71 MAD 6.97

-8.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.75 MAD 7.33

-14.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.23 MAD 2.24

443.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.60 MAD 5.86

-6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$4.04 MAD 39.42

-41.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.55 MAD 73.6

77.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.22 MAD 21.63

8.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.27 MAD 31.85

6.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.54 MAD 5.30

64.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$19.55 MAD 191

244.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.50 MAD 4.85

158.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.65 MAD 6.34

41.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$7.09 MAD 69.2

54.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.42 MAD 13.88

3.52%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$33.6K MAD 327.5K

51.18%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$29.7K MAD 289.5K

49.98%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$35.55 MAD 347

149.25%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$4.94 MAD 48.17

134.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$26.25 MAD 256

-39.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$26.66 MAD 260

189.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$22.51 MAD 220

1.02%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$6.39 MAD 62.3

27.39%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$99.3 MAD 968

915.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$8,432 MAD 82.2K

203.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$31.76 MAD 310

69.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$45.27 MAD 441

-9.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$83.9 MAD 817

17.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$83.8 MAD 817

15.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$272 MAD 2,656

261.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$168 MAD 1,641

286.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$422 MAD 4,113

370.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$247 MAD 2,404

378.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$1,189 MAD 11.6K

163.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$821 MAD 8,001

116.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.5

809.33%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ouarzazate: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Ouarzazate

$168 23.8% 74.1% $481

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Ouarzazate

$172 24.4% 33.6% $87

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Ouarzazate

$124 17.6% 44.4% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Ouarzazate

$110 15.6% 15.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Ouarzazate

$67 9.5% 42.5% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Ouarzazate

$39 5.6% 57.8% $54

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Ouarzazate

$25 3.6% 66.9% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $272 in Ouarzazate. 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 $32.00 in Ouarzazate. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $172 – making Ouarzazate the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇦 Ouarzazate

🕒 Local time

11:00 11:00 AM

09:00 9:00 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

71,067

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Ouarzazate 3,390 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Ouarzazate

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 Ouarzazate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 119%, 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 $1,060 in Ouarzazate. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ouarzazate, 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 $99.3 in Ouarzazate. 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ouarzazate, where all-in costs run around $707, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Ouarzazate it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ouarzazate – 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 Ouarzazate. 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.