Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Qena

For one person, living is cheaper in Qena: $435 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 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
21

Cost of Living Index in Qena
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Qena Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Qena

🇪🇬 Egypt

$435

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Qena

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $435 in Qena, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Qena $435

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $698 in Qena, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Qena $698

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $961 in Qena, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Qena $961

Istanbul costs about 249% more than Qena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Qena is 68% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$3.62 E£195

226.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$14.42 E£776

280.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$5.41 E£291

71.16%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.94 E£104

121.65%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.45 E£24.23

293.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.17 E£8.98

229.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.76 E£94.9

166.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.94 E£158

142.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.88 E£47.14

42.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.74 E£39.64

18.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$0.59 E£31.75

272.88%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.82 E£98.2

33.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$3.00 E£162

249.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.39 E£290

-1.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$9.34 E£503

125.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.39 E£74.9

33.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.46 E£24.63

400.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.39 E£20.81

212.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.40 E£21.45

350.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.32 E£17.35

115.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.35 E£18.65

82.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.25 E£13.39

444.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.19 E£10.10

205.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.03 E£109

15.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$7.00 E£377

86.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.15 E£61.9

105.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.63 E£88.0

103.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.19 E£10.02

363.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.37 E£20.09

245.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.17 E£9.07

400.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$1.13 E£60.7

881.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.39 E£21.03

279.49%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$29.8K E£1.6M

63.35%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$22.3K E£1.2M

88.15%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$24.29 E£1,308

281.68%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$7.30 E£393

53.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$9.00 E£485

76.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$14.93 E£804

400.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$3.34 E£180

141.02%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$96.9 E£5,216

879.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$584 E£31.4K

6221.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$19.39 E£1,044

177.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$31.34 E£1,688

32.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$109 E£5,844

-7.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$26.25 E£1,414

247.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$127 E£6,858

695.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$70.9 E£3,817

781.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$245 E£13.2K

719.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$136 E£7,334

726.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$720 E£38.8K

314.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$323 E£17.4K

434.96%

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 Qena: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Qena

$71 16.3% 88.7% $554

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Qena

$131 30.1% 49.3% $127

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Qena

$86 19.7% 61.2% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Qena

$83 19.2% 35.5% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Qena

$41 9.3% 66.1% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Qena

$22 5% 76.2% $69

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Qena

$2 * 0.5% 97.4% $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 $127 in Qena. 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 $14 in Qena. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $131 – making Qena the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇬 Qena

🕒 Local time

14:24 2:24 PM

13:24 1:24 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

235,362

💱 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 Qena 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Qena

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 Qena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 249%, 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 $653 in Qena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Qena, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $127 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $14 in Qena. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 97% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Qena, where all-in costs run around $435, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Qena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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