Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Sohag

For one person, living is cheaper in Sohag: $388 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Sohag
Learn more

Sohag Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Sohag

🇪🇬 Egypt

$388

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Sohag

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $388 in Sohag, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Sohag $388

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $620 in Sohag, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Sohag $620

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $851 in Sohag, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Sohag $851

Istanbul costs about 291% more than Sohag, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Sohag is 71% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$3.11 E£167

279.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$13.51 E£726

306.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$4.33 E£233

113.86%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.24 E£66.5

246.77%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.31 E£16.77

470.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.12 E£6.27

366.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.30 E£69.7

260.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.66 E£143

167.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.73 E£39.41

71.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.64 E£34.15

37.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$0.60 E£32.13

266.67%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.05 E£56.7

131.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$3.33 E£179

214.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$3.75 E£202

41.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$8.39 E£451

151.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.22 E£65.8

52.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.68 E£36.64

238.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.48 E£25.58

154.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.27 E£14.73

566.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.31 E£16.61

122.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.38 E£20.19

68.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.26 E£13.89

423.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.19 E£10.07

205.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.55 E£83.5

50.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.58 E£354

98.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.08 E£58.2

118.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.79 E£96.3

85.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.11 E£6.18

700.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.33 E£17.94

287.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.28 E£15.04

203.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$0.93 E£50.1

1092.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.40 E£21.48

270.00%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$34.0K E£1.8M

42.94%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.0K E£1.3M

74.83%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$15.92 E£856

482.35%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$7.06 E£380

58.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$14.31 E£769

11.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$14.67 E£789

409.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$2.36 E£127

241.10%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$82.7 E£4,446

1047.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$1,617 E£86.9K

2183.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$15.01 E£807

258.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$27.29 E£1,468

52.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$99.5 E£5,348

1.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$44.85 E£2,411

103.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$118 E£6,348

758.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$64.6 E£3,472

867.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$206 E£11.1K

871.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$115 E£6,190

878.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$725 E£39.0K

312.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$338 E£18.2K

411.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$163 E£8,738

599.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

16.48

145.27%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sohag: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Sohag

$65 16.6% 89.7% $560

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Sohag

$115 29.6% 55.6% $143

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Sohag

$66 17.1% 70% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Sohag

$84 21.6% 35.1% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Sohag

$37 9.6% 68.9% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Sohag

$19 5% 78.6% $71

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Sohag

$2.2 * 0.6% 97.1% $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 $118 in Sohag. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Istanbul are about 7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $14 in Sohag. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $115 – making Sohag the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇬 Sohag

🕒 Local time

22:28 10:28 PM

21:28 9:28 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

189,695

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Sohag 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Sohag

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 Sohag: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 291%, 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 $583 in Sohag. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sohag, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $118 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

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

Groceries cost about 125% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Sohag, where all-in costs run around $388, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Sohag it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Sohag. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.