Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Souk Ahras

For one person, living is cheaper in Souk Ahras: $492 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Souk Ahras
Learn more

Souk Ahras Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Souk Ahras

🇩🇿 Algeria

$492

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Souk Ahras

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $492 in Souk Ahras, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Souk Ahras $492

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $771 in Souk Ahras, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Souk Ahras $771

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,051 in Souk Ahras, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Souk Ahras $1,051

Istanbul costs about 215% more than Souk Ahras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Souk Ahras is 64% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺606

$2.26 DZD 302

444.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,698

$10.45 DZD 1,400

423.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺455

$4.02 DZD 538

129.35%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺217

$0.63 DZD 84.0

598.41%

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

$1.68 ₺82.8

$0.48 DZD 64.5

250.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.29

$0.26 DZD 34.98

126.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺232

$1.36 DZD 183

245.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺291

$2.06 DZD 275

186.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺59.8

$0.83 DZD 111

45.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺43.93

$0.22 DZD 29.17

304.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.24 DZD 167

76.61%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.23 DZD 165

91.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺514

$3.35 DZD 449

211.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺279

$2.83 DZD 380

99.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,033

$16.28 DZD 2,181

28.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺93.8

$1.50 DZD 201

26.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.95 DZD 395

-21.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺62.9

$1.12 DZD 150

14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺88.6

$0.91 DZD 122

97.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.04

$0.38 DZD 50.9

71.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.80

$0.40 DZD 53.2

60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺61.9

$0.22 DZD 29.40

468.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.48

$0.28 DZD 37.79

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺117

$2.15 DZD 288

10.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺662

$6.65 DZD 891

101.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.14 DZD 153

110.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.74 DZD 233

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.67

$0.17 DZD 23.44

423.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,326

$5.98 DZD 801

1027.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺63.9

$0.55 DZD 73.1

134.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.53

$0.49 DZD 65.1

87.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺540

$4.91 DZD 658

123.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.7

$0.32 DZD 42.91

359.37%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$31.3K DZD 4.2M

62.09%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$34.7K DZD 4.7M

28.17%

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

$88.6 ₺4,371

$35.87 DZD 4,807

147.03%

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

$11.59 ₺572

$9.06 DZD 1,214

27.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺780

$19.29 DZD 2,585

-18.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,806

$11.48 DZD 1,538

572.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,121

$3.93 DZD 526

478.63%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺402

$4.56 DZD 611

78.51%

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

$1,008 ₺49.7K

$88.6 DZD 11.9K

1038.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$4,059 DZD 544.0K

529.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,661

$29.49 DZD 3,952

82.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,014

$32.54 DZD 4,361

25.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,877

$75.8 DZD 10.2K

30.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,765

$76.3 DZD 10.2K

26.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.6K

$142 DZD 19.0K

594.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.0K

$93.3 DZD 12.5K

596.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺97.8K

$290 DZD 38.9K

583.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.2K

$174 DZD 23.4K

576.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺154.8K

$956 DZD 128.2K

228.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺87.8K

$1,018 DZD 136.4K

74.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.5K

$285 DZD 38.3K

322.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

5.3

672.08%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Souk Ahras: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Souk Ahras

$93 19% 85.6% $557

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Souk Ahras

$156 31.8% 39.8% $103

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Souk Ahras

$52 10.5% 76.9% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Souk Ahras

$96 19.6% 26.2% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Souk Ahras

$64 13.1% 44.7% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Souk Ahras

$21 4.2% 78% $73

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Souk Ahras

$9.7 2% 87.4% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $142 in Souk Ahras. 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 322% 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 $10.00 in Souk Ahras. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $156 – making Souk Ahras the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇩🇿 Souk Ahras

🕒 Local time

20:05 8:05 PM

18:05 6:05 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

155,259

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.82 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.46 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 49.32 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.06 TRY (100 TRY = 1.82 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 134 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 150 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.68 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Souk Ahras 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Souk Ahras

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 Souk Ahras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 215%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $738 in Souk Ahras. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $88.6 in Souk Ahras. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 66% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Souk Ahras, where all-in costs run around $492, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Souk Ahras it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Souk Ahras – 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 Souk Ahras. 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.