Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Rabat

For one person, living is cheaper in Rabat: $834 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Rabat
Learn more

Rabat Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Rabat

🇲🇦 Morocco

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Rabat

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $834 in Rabat, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Rabat $834

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $1,433 in Rabat, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Rabat $1,433

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $2,031 in Rabat, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Rabat $2,031

Istanbul costs about 83% more than Rabat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Rabat is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$4.27 MAD 41.59

178.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$40.69 MAD 396

35.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$6.91 MAD 67.3

32.27%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$1.92 MAD 18.64

120.83%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$0.56 MAD 5.48

212.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.35 MAD 3.42

54.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$5.07 MAD 49.31

-7.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$3.09 MAD 30.08

93.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$0.86 MAD 8.37

46.51%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$0.65 MAD 6.29

46.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.91 MAD 18.58

20.94%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$1.84 MAD 17.94

34.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$11.01 MAD 107

-4.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$6.63 MAD 64.6

-15.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$11.99 MAD 117

76.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.59 MAD 15.49

21.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.36 MAD 13.19

68.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.83 MAD 8.08

54.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$0.88 MAD 8.57

109.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$0.71 MAD 6.93

-5.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.79 MAD 7.65

-25.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.39 MAD 3.83

241.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.58 MAD 5.65

1.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$4.10 MAD 39.89

-42.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$7.14 MAD 69.6

88.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$2.62 MAD 25.54

-7.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.61 MAD 25.42

35.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$0.49 MAD 4.77

69.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$24.98 MAD 243

166.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$0.72 MAD 6.99

87.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.58 MAD 5.66

46.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.48 MAD 14.37

-0.68%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$30.2K MAD 293.8K

71.07%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$29.6K MAD 288.2K

50.14%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$35.22 MAD 343

153.32%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$9.44 MAD 91.9

22.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$33.23 MAD 324

-51.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$27.99 MAD 272

175.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$23.54 MAD 229

-3.74%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$5.97 MAD 58.1

39.70%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$180 MAD 1,753

440.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$9,210 MAD 89.7K

179.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$46.06 MAD 448

14.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$39.15 MAD 381

0.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$91.4 MAD 889

12.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$64.9 MAD 632

48.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$521 MAD 5,075

90.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$268 MAD 2,611

134.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$956 MAD 9,310

111.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$686 MAD 6,683

68.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$1,967 MAD 19.1K

60.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$1,136 MAD 11.1K

61.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$695 MAD 6,765

73.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

4.52

809.07%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Rabat: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Rabat

$268 32% 57.4% $361

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Rabat

$201 23.9% 23.9% $63

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Rabat

$113 13.5% 48.1% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Rabat

$109 13% 17.2% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Rabat

$78 9.3% 33.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Rabat

$40 4.8% 57.5% $54

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Rabat

$31 3.6% 59.4% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $521 in Rabat. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 73% higher in Istanbul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $41.00 in Rabat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $201 – making Rabat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇦 Rabat

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

11:27 11:27 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

573,895 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

100 MAD = 10.27 USD

100 MAD = 9.17 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.74 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.91 MAD (100 MAD = 9.17 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Rabat 3,230 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Rabat

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 Rabat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 83%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $1,251 in Rabat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rabat, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Istanbul and $180 in Rabat. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% 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 Rabat, where all-in costs run around $834, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Rabat it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rabat – 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 Rabat. 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.