Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos: $953 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
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Madinat As Sultan Qaboos Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

🇴🇲 Oman

$953

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and in Istanbul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $953 per month in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $953
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $1,433 per month in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $1,433
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $1,914
Istanbul $3,281

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos is about 38% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos sits 29% below the global median, while Istanbul is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.29 OMR 2.04

$12.30 ₺609

-56.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.70 OMR 15.29

$54.7 ₺2,708

-27.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 OMR 2.99

$9.22 ₺456

-15.84%

Cappuccino

$4.94 OMR 1.90

$4.40 ₺218

12.27%

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

$0.84 OMR 0.32

$1.68 ₺83.1

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 OMR 0.11

$0.59 ₺29.40

-50.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.92 OMR 4.97

$4.70 ₺233

174.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.93 OMR 4.98

$5.91 ₺292

118.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 OMR 0.89

$1.21 ₺60.0

90.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 OMR 0.46

$0.89 ₺44.10

34.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 OMR 0.70

$2.19 ₺108

-16.89%

Eggs

$3.03 OMR 1.17

$2.35 ₺116

28.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.11 OMR 2.74

$10.42 ₺516

-31.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 OMR 2.70

$5.65 ₺280

23.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 OMR 4.07

$20.94 ₺1,037

-49.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 OMR 1.38

$1.90 ₺94.1

88.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 OMR 0.78

$2.31 ₺114

-12.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 OMR 0.90

$1.28 ₺63.1

82.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 OMR 0.50

$1.80 ₺89.0

-27.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 OMR 0.45

$0.65 ₺32.16

78.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 OMR 0.49

$0.64 ₺31.91

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.85 OMR 0.71

$1.25 ₺62.1

48.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 OMR 0.27

$0.56 ₺27.58

26.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 OMR 2.56

$2.37 ₺118

180.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.76 OMR 6.07

$13.42 ₺664

17.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.08 OMR 2.34

$2.40 ₺119

153.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.22 OMR 3.93

$3.48 ₺172

193.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.32 OMR 1.28

$1.29 ₺64.1

157.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.56 OMR 0.98

$0.92 ₺45.70

178.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.74 OMR 2.98

$10.96 ₺542

-29.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 OMR 0.25

$1.47 ₺72.9

-56.46%

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

$25.3K OMR 9,736

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-50.21%

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

$22.3K OMR 8,570

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-50.01%

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

$176 OMR 67.9

$88.6 ₺4,387

98.96%

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

$31.16 OMR 12.00

$11.59 ₺574

168.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.5 OMR 27.51

$15.81 ₺783

352.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 OMR 4.01

$8.14 ₺403

28.13%

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

$292 OMR 112

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-71.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K OMR 4,033

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-59.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 OMR 21.33

$54.0 ₺2,671

2.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.86 OMR 16.89

$40.83 ₺2,021

7.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.6 OMR 34.12

$98.9 ₺4,895

-10.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 OMR 34.02

$96.6 ₺4,783

-8.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

40.92

-87.17%

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

Last update for Madinat As Sultan Qaboos: October 13, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$293 30.7%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 11.4% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$279 29.3%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 58.4% $163

Eating Out

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$220 23.1%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 1.5% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$124 13%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 5.1% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$21 * 2.2%

Istanbul

$93 6% 348% $73

Getting Around

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$16 * 1.7%

Istanbul

$77 5% 377% $61

Accommodation & Living

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

- * 0%

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $293 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos vs $260 in Istanbul – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

09:25 9:25 AM

08:25 8:25 AM

1 h behind Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to OMR – Omani Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇴🇲 Omani Rial (ر.ع.)

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to OMR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos Istanbul 3,350 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
Istanbul

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

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 63%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,430 per month in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and $2,325 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 13% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos, where all-in costs run around $953, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Madinat As Sultan Qaboos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Madinat As Sultan Qaboos – 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 Madinat As Sultan Qaboos. 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.