Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Tangier

For one person, living is cheaper in Tangier: $988 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Tangier
Learn more

Tangier Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Tangier

🇲🇦 Morocco

$988

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Tangier

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $988 in Tangier, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Tangier $988

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $1,506 in Tangier, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Tangier $1,506

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $2,023 in Tangier, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Tangier $2,023

Istanbul costs about 54% more than Tangier, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Tangier is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$5.13 MAD 49.91

131.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$35.39 MAD 345

55.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$6.83 MAD 66.5

33.82%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$2.15 MAD 20.93

97.21%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$0.76 MAD 7.45

130.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.38 MAD 3.73

42.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$5.90 MAD 57.4

-20.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$5.07 MAD 49.36

17.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.02 MAD 9.94

23.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.15 MAD 11.21

-17.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.62 MAD 15.82

42.59%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$1.78 MAD 17.35

38.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$9.61 MAD 93.6

9.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$6.95 MAD 67.7

-19.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$12.79 MAD 124

65.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.54 MAD 15.03

25.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.39 MAD 13.57

64.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.77 MAD 7.48

66.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$0.75 MAD 7.30

145.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$0.61 MAD 5.91

9.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.63 MAD 6.17

-6.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.46 MAD 4.46

189.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.55 MAD 5.32

7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$3.96 MAD 38.58

-40.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$9.23 MAD 89.8

45.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$3.78 MAD 36.77

-35.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$3.83 MAD 37.31

-7.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$0.39 MAD 3.78

112.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$15.32 MAD 149

333.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$0.69 MAD 6.68

95.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.92 MAD 8.93

-7.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$9.12 MAD 88.8

19.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.41 MAD 13.78

4.26%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$33.5K MAD 325.9K

54.20%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$28.5K MAD 277.5K

55.92%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$73.6 MAD 716

21.29%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$12.83 MAD 125

-9.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$37.86 MAD 369

-57.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$29.22 MAD 284

164.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$34.97 MAD 340

-35.20%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$7.02 MAD 68.4

18.80%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$91.7 MAD 893

962.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$5,898 MAD 57.4K

337.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$34.94 MAD 340

50.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$47.25 MAD 460

-17.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$95.7 MAD 931

7.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$101 MAD 983

-4.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$464 MAD 4,514

114.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$305 MAD 2,972

106.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$839 MAD 8,164

141.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$493 MAD 4,804

134.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$1,707 MAD 16.6K

85.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$1,171 MAD 11.4K

56.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$490 MAD 4,773

145.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

3.67

1019.62%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Tangier: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Tangier

$305 31.5% 51.5% $324

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Tangier

$217 22.4% 17.9% $47

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Tangier

$132 13.6% 39.6% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Tangier

$125 13% 4.4% $5.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Tangier

$124 12.8% 6.3% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Tangier

$43 4.5% 53.9% $51

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Tangier

$22 2.3% 70.6% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $464 in Tangier. 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 145% 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 $35.00 in Tangier. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $217 – making Tangier the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇦 Tangier

🕒 Local time

13:13 1:13 PM

11:13 11:13 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

947,952

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

100 MAD = 10.27 USD

100 MAD = 9.17 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, 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 = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.74 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.91 MAD (100 MAD = 9.17 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Tangier 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Tangier

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 Tangier: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $1,482 in Tangier. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tangier, 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 $91.7 in Tangier. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tangier, where all-in costs run around $988, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Tangier it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tangier – 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 Tangier. 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.