Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Shibin Al Kawm

For one person, living is cheaper in Shibin Al Kawm: $428 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Shibin Al Kawm
Learn more

Shibin Al Kawm Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Shibin Al Kawm

🇪🇬 Egypt

$428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Shibin Al Kawm

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 Shibin Al Kawm actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $428 in Shibin Al Kawm, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Shibin Al Kawm $428

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $684 in Shibin Al Kawm, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Shibin Al Kawm $684

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $940 in Shibin Al Kawm, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Shibin Al Kawm $940

Istanbul costs about 255% more than Shibin Al Kawm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$4.03 E£217

193.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$10.83 E£582

407.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$4.36 E£234

112.39%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.19 E£63.8

261.34%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.28 E£15.24

532.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.12 E£6.52

366.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.23 E£66.1

281.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.70 E£145

163.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.80 E£43.24

56.25%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.64 E£34.19

37.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$0.57 E£30.64

285.96%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.10 E£59.4

120.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$3.66 E£197

186.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$4.08 E£219

30.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$8.42 E£453

150.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.39 E£75.0

33.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.69 E£37.02

233.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.49 E£26.18

148.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.30 E£16.11

500.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.25 E£13.50

176.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.30 E£16.14

113.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.23 E£12.27

491.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.16 E£8.85

262.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.74 E£93.5

34.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$5.25 E£282

148.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.11 E£59.5

112.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.07 E£111

60.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.20 E£10.97

340.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.55 E£29.39

132.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.17 E£9.20

400.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$1.06 E£57.1

946.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.40 E£21.71

270.00%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$32.4K E£1.7M

50.05%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.0K E£1.3M

75.14%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$13.41 E£721

591.35%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$6.54 E£352

71.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$12.56 E£676

26.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$15.35 E£825

386.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$2.72 E£146

195.96%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$80.0 E£4,302

1085.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$1,952 E£105.0K

1791.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$31.43 E£1,690

71.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$43.09 E£2,317

-3.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$123 E£6,615

-17.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$51.8 E£2,787

76.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$125 E£6,729

709.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$71.2 E£3,826

777.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$246 E£13.2K

715.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$135 E£7,259

733.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$725 E£39.0K

312.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$332 E£17.9K

420.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

21.33

89.50%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Shibin Al Kawm: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Shibin Al Kawm

$71 16.6% 88.6% $553

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Shibin Al Kawm

$117 27.2% 54.8% $142

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Shibin Al Kawm

$73 17% 67.1% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Shibin Al Kawm

$112 26.2% 13.3% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Shibin Al Kawm

$33 7.6% 72.9% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Shibin Al Kawm

$21 4.9% 77.1% $70

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Shibin Al Kawm

$2.2 * 0.5% 97% $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 $125 in Shibin Al Kawm. 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 $11 in Shibin Al Kawm. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $117 – making Shibin Al Kawm the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇬 Shibin Al Kawm

🕒 Local time

02:40 2:40 AM

01:40 1:40 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

184,097

💱 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 = 1.66 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 = 56.05 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 53.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.86 USD). 1 EUR = 60.09 EGP (100 EGP = 1.66 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Shibin Al Kawm 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Shibin Al Kawm

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 Shibin Al Kawm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 255%, 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 $642 in Shibin Al Kawm. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shibin Al Kawm, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $125 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $11 in Shibin Al Kawm. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 121% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Shibin Al Kawm, where all-in costs run around $428, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Shibin Al Kawm it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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