Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Suez

For one person, living is cheaper in Suez: $349 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Suez
Learn more

Suez Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Suez

🇪🇬 Egypt

$349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Suez

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $349 in Suez, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Suez $349

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $571 in Suez, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Suez $571

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $794 in Suez, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Suez $794

Istanbul costs about 336% more than Suez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Suez is 74% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$2.37 E£128

398.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$14.53 E£782

277.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$3.65 E£196

153.70%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.29 E£69.5

233.33%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.26 E£13.82

580.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.12 E£6.38

366.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.34 E£72.0

250.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$1.47 E£79.0

384.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.84 E£45.09

48.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.35 E£19.11

151.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$0.56 E£30.09

292.86%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.28 E£69.1

89.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$2.16 E£116

385.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$3.85 E£207

37.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$7.23 E£389

191.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.22 E£65.7

52.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.53 E£28.52

333.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.49 E£26.13

148.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.38 E£20.28

373.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.35 E£19.00

97.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.38 E£20.26

68.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.17 E£8.93

700.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.20 E£10.79

190.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.66 E£89.2

40.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.29 E£339

107.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.40 E£75.4

68.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.57 E£84.7

111.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.09 E£5.03

877.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$6.46 E£348

923.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.22 E£11.77

481.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.19 E£10.16

347.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$0.86 E£46.27

1189.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.38 E£20.30

289.47%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$31.0K E£1.7M

56.82%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$22.0K E£1.2M

90.55%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$20.96 E£1,129

342.32%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$4.28 E£230

161.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$8.88 E£478

78.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$13.87 E£747

438.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$5.96 E£321

285.07%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$2.48 E£133

224.60%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$69.0 E£3,714

1275.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$1,703 E£91.7K

2067.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$16.21 E£873

232.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$30.70 E£1,653

35.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$108 E£5,807

-6.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$31.36 E£1,689

191.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$77.4 E£4,170

1208.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$40.02 E£2,155

1460.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$127 E£6,834

1480.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$81.2 E£4,375

1285.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$509 E£27.4K

486.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$246 E£13.3K

602.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$122 E£6,593

828.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

17.03

137.35%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Suez: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Suez

$40 11.5% 93.6% $585

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Suez

$107 30.8% 58.4% $151

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Suez

$57 16.2% 74.4% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Suez

$84 24% 35.3% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Suez

$34 9.8% 71.5% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Suez

$19 5.4% 79.3% $72

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Suez

$8 2.3% 89.4% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $77 in Suez. 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 9.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $15 in Suez. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $107 – making Suez the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇬 Suez

🕒 Local time

05:21 5:21 AM

04:21 4:21 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

488,125

💱 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 = 1.65 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 = 56.3 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 53.85 EGP (100 EGP = 1.86 USD). 1 EUR = 60.45 EGP (100 EGP = 1.65 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Suez 1,270 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Suez

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 Suez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 336%, 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 $523 in Suez. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Suez, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $77 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $69 in Suez. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 140% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Suez, where all-in costs run around $349, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Suez it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Suez – 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 Suez. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.