Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Sohar

For one person, living is cheaper in Sohar: $1,403 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Sohar
Learn more

Sohar Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Sohar

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,403

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Sohar

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $1,403 in Sohar, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Sohar $1,403

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $2,068 in Sohar, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Sohar $2,068

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $2,734 in Sohar, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Sohar $2,734

Istanbul costs about 9% more than Sohar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Istanbul and Sohar sit above the global median – Istanbul by 14%, Sohar by 5%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$6.48 OMR 2.50

83.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$20.49 OMR 7.89

168.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$9.19 OMR 3.54

-0.54%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$4.77 OMR 1.84

-11.11%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$0.64 OMR 0.25

173.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.28 OMR 0.11

92.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$13.24 OMR 5.10

-64.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$14.46 OMR 5.57

-58.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$2.11 OMR 0.81

-40.28%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.11 OMR 0.43

-14.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$3.23 OMR 1.24

-28.48%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$2.74 OMR 1.05

-9.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$13.31 OMR 5.12

-20.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$9.30 OMR 3.58

-39.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$14.55 OMR 5.60

45.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$3.22 OMR 1.24

-40.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.19 OMR 0.84

4.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.49 OMR 0.96

-48.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$1.22 OMR 0.47

50.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.74 OMR 0.67

-61.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.79 OMR 0.69

-67.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.70 OMR 0.66

-21.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.90 OMR 0.35

-34.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$5.83 OMR 2.25

-59.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$25.80 OMR 9.93

-47.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$3.79 OMR 1.46

-36.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$8.71 OMR 3.35

-59.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$2.63 OMR 1.01

-68.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$51.1 OMR 19.65

30.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$3.19 OMR 1.23

-57.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$1.58 OMR 0.61

-46.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$10.21 OMR 3.93

6.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$0.60 OMR 0.23

145.00%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$18.4K OMR 7,101

179.91%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$20.3K OMR 7,830

118.55%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$102 OMR 39.41

-12.83%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$29.06 OMR 11.19

-60.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$90.2 OMR 34.72

-82.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$49.40 OMR 19.02

56.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$11.56 OMR 4.45

-27.85%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$303 OMR 117

221.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$7,070 OMR 2,722

264.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$50.1 OMR 19.30

5.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$43.95 OMR 16.92

-10.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$78.4 OMR 30.18

31.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$46.23 OMR 17.80

108.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$503 OMR 194

97.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$378 OMR 146

66.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$827 OMR 319

144.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$665 OMR 256

73.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$1,178 OMR 454

168.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$765 OMR 295

140.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$2,514 OMR 968

-52.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

6.33

549.13%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sohar: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Sohar

$378 26.5% 39.9% $251

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Sohar

$346 24.3% 31% $82

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Sohar

$235 16.5% 8.1% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Sohar

$98 6.9% 25% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Sohar

$222 15.6% 89.5% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Sohar

$73 5.1% 22.8% $21

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Sohar

$73 5.1% 3.6% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $503 in Sohar. 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 109% higher in Sohar, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $20.00 in Sohar. Groceries tell a different story – $264 in Istanbul vs $346 in Sohar – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇴🇲 Sohar

🕒 Local time

09:22 9:22 AM

10:22 10:22 AM

1 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

221,605

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.32 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.432 OMR (1 OMR = 2.32 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Sohar 3,170 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Sohar

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 Sohar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $2,104 in Sohar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sohar, 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 $303 in Sohar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 31% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sohar, where all-in costs run around $1,403, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Sohar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sohar – 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 Sohar. 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.