Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Saham

For one person, living is cheaper in Saham: $959 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Saham
Learn more

Saham Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Saham

🇴🇲 Oman

$959

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Saham

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $959 in Saham, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Saham $959

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,439 in Saham, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Saham $1,439

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,920 in Saham, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Saham $1,920

Istanbul costs about 62% more than Saham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Saham is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$5.12 OMR 1.97

140.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$39.33 OMR 15.14

39.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$7.81 OMR 3.01

18.05%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$5.21 OMR 2.00

-15.55%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.91 OMR 0.35

84.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.29 OMR 0.11

103.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$13.19 OMR 5.08

-64.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$12.89 OMR 4.96

-54.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$2.33 OMR 0.90

-48.07%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.20 OMR 0.46

-25.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.87 OMR 0.72

17.11%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.92 OMR 1.13

-19.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$7.49 OMR 2.88

39.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$7.00 OMR 2.69

-19.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$10.70 OMR 4.12

95.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.54 OMR 1.36

-46.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.99 OMR 0.77

16.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.32 OMR 0.89

-44.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.27 OMR 0.49

41.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.21 OMR 0.47

-46.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.23 OMR 0.47

-47.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.88 OMR 0.72

-33.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.66 OMR 0.25

-15.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.46 OMR 2.49

-63.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$15.88 OMR 6.11

-15.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$6.05 OMR 2.33

-60.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$10.14 OMR 3.91

-65.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$3.29 OMR 1.27

-60.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.61 OMR 1.01

-64.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$7.82 OMR 3.01

40.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$0.60 OMR 0.23

145.00%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$25.1K OMR 9,647

102.68%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$22.6K OMR 8,688

97.33%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$180 OMR 69.3

-50.74%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$30.60 OMR 11.78

-62.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$70.6 OMR 27.18

-77.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$10.45 OMR 4.02

-22.11%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$282 OMR 109

257.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$10.4K OMR 4,008

145.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$56.6 OMR 21.78

-4.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$42.91 OMR 16.52

-4.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$89.8 OMR 34.57

10.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$87.0 OMR 33.51

11.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

5.25

679.43%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Saham: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Saham

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Saham

$293 30.5% 12.8% $33

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Saham

$223 23.3% 0% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Saham

$124 13% 4.8% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Saham

$281 29.3% 142% $165

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Saham

$21 * 2.2% 77.6% $73

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Saham

$16 * 1.7% 78.7% $61

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $39.00 in Saham. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Istanbul vs $293 in Saham – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇴🇲 Saham

🕒 Local time

11:36 11:36 AM

12:36 12:36 PM

1 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

140,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, 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).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Saham 3,190 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Saham

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 Saham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $1,439 in Saham. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $39.00 in Saham. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 13% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Saham, where all-in costs run around $959, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Saham it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Saham – 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 Saham. 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.