Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Qalyub

For one person, living is cheaper in Qalyub: $420 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 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
20

Cost of Living Index in Qalyub
Learn more

Qalyub Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Qalyub

🇪🇬 Egypt

$420

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Qalyub

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $420 in Qalyub, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Qalyub $420

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $692 in Qalyub, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Qalyub $692

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $963 in Qalyub, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Qalyub $963

Istanbul costs about 262% more than Qalyub, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Qalyub is 69% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$4.02 E£216

193.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$17.85 E£961

207.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$4.35 E£234

112.87%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.22 E£65.8

252.46%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.28 E£14.93

532.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.12 E£6.39

366.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.20 E£64.8

290.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.08 E£112

242.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.81 E£43.35

54.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.68 E£36.44

29.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$0.55 E£29.73

300.00%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.10 E£59.4

120.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$3.51 E£189

198.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$4.07 E£219

30.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$8.73 E£470

141.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.40 E£75.3

32.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.73 E£39.07

215.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.48 E£26.02

154.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.32 E£17.39

462.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.25 E£13.52

176.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.28 E£15.06

128.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.23 E£12.29

491.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.18 E£9.47

222.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.74 E£93.6

34.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$5.40 E£291

141.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.16 E£62.7

103.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.98 E£107

67.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.17 E£9.26

417.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.38 E£20.24

236.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.16 E£8.68

431.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$1.12 E£60.5

890.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.42 E£22.86

252.38%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$32.3K E£1.7M

50.72%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.2K E£1.3M

73.52%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$13.15 E£708

605.02%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$6.52 E£351

71.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$12.62 E£679

25.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$15.13 E£815

393.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$0.85 E£45.96

2600.00%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$2.64 E£142

204.92%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$80.4 E£4,328

1079.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$1,971 E£106.1K

1772.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$31.90 E£1,718

68.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$42.05 E£2,265

-1.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$107 E£5,765

-5.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$53.6 E£2,887

70.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$124 E£6,671

718.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$69.8 E£3,757

795.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$250 E£13.4K

703.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$137 E£7,370

722.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$719 E£38.7K

315.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$327 E£17.6K

429.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

16.21

149.35%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Qalyub: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Qalyub

$70 16.6% 88.8% $555

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Qalyub

$118 28.2% 54.2% $140

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Qalyub

$72 17.1% 67.6% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Qalyub

$106 25.2% 18.4% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Qalyub

$32 7.7% 73% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Qalyub

$20 4.9% 77.5% $70

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Qalyub

$1.9 * 0.5% 97.5% $73

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 $124 in Qalyub. 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 in Istanbul versus $18 in Qalyub. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $118 – making Qalyub the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇬 Qalyub

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

13:56 1:56 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

109,000

💱 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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Between locations

Istanbul Qalyub 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Qalyub

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 Qalyub: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 262%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $630 in Qalyub. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Qalyub, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $124 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $18 in Qalyub. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 118% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Qalyub, where all-in costs run around $420, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Qalyub it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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