Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Tunis

For one person, living is cheaper in Tunis: $859 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Tunis
Learn more

Tunis Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Tunis

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Tunis

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $859 in Tunis, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Tunis $859

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $1,293 in Tunis, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Tunis $1,293

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $1,728 in Tunis, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Tunis $1,728

Istanbul costs about 78% more than Tunis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Tunis is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$3.95 TND 11.77

200.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,715

$22.82 TND 68.1

141.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$5.86 TND 17.49

55.97%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$1.17 TND 3.49

262.39%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$0.79 TND 2.36

121.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.84

$0.38 TND 1.13

42.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$1.72 TND 5.13

172.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$2.73 TND 8.15

118.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$0.49 TND 1.46

157.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.82

$0.39 TND 1.18

143.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.70 TND 5.06

35.88%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$1.84 TND 5.49

34.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$10.04 TND 29.97

5.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$5.98 TND 17.85

-6.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$17.51 TND 52.3

21.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.14 TND 6.38

-9.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$5.88 TND 17.56

-61.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.11 TND 3.32

15.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$0.80 TND 2.40

130.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.87

$0.82 TND 2.44

-18.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.65 TND 1.95

-9.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.50 TND 1.49

166.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.11

$0.34 TND 1.02

73.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$3.79 TND 11.30

-37.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$6.52 TND 19.46

106.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.28 TND 3.83

89.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.58 TND 4.70

124.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.65

$0.34 TND 1.02

144.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,274

$16.93 TND 50.5

292.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$0.32 TND 0.97

321.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.06

$0.31 TND 0.91

174.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$1.85 TND 5.52

487.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$0.88 TND 2.62

67.05%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$39.6K TND 118.0K

30.51%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$36.0K TND 107.5K

23.41%

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

$89.2 ₺4,396

$61.2 TND 183

45.71%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$8.82 TND 26.31

31.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$20.50 TND 61.2

-21.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,806

$34.96 TND 104

120.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$12.54 TND 37.42

80.70%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$5.99 TND 17.88

39.23%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$102 TND 305

854.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$3,211 TND 9,582

702.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$43.37 TND 129

21.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,930

$59.8 TND 178

-34.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,084

$102 TND 304

1.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,760

$86.6 TND 258

11.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$388 TND 1,158

156.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$253 TND 756

148.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$645 TND 1,925

213.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$391 TND 1,166

195.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$1,467 TND 4,377

115.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$776 TND 2,317

136.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$349 TND 1,040

245.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

10.28

299.71%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Tunis: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Tunis

$253 29.9% 59.8% $376

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Tunis

$222 26.3% 15.7% $42

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Tunis

$82 9.7% 62.4% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Tunis

$131 15.5% 0.1% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Tunis

$91 10.7% 22.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Tunis

$47 5.6% 50% $47

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Tunis

$20 2.4% 73.3% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $388 in Tunis. 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 245% 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 $23.00 in Tunis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $222 – making Tunis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇹🇳 Tunis

🕒 Local time

05:50 5:50 AM

03:50 3:50 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

728,453 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1 TND = 0.335 USD

1 TND = 0.299 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.27 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.26 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.98 TND (1 TND = 0.335 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.299 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Tunis 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Tunis

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 Tunis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 78%, 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 $1,288 in Tunis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tunis, 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 $102 in Tunis. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% 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 Tunis, where all-in costs run around $859, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Tunis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tunis – 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 Tunis. 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.