Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manouba and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Manouba: $651 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Manouba
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Manouba Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Manouba

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$651

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manouba 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 Manouba and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $651 per month in Manouba vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Manouba $651
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $1,024 per month in Manouba vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Manouba $1,024
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $1,396 per month in Manouba vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Manouba $1,396
Istanbul $3,281

Manouba is about 58% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Manouba sits 52% below the global median, while Istanbul is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 TND 9.97

$12.30 ₺609

-72.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.92 TND 59.7

$54.7 ₺2,708

-63.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.14 TND 18.38

$9.22 ₺456

-33.41%

Cappuccino

$1.11 TND 3.34

$4.40 ₺218

-74.77%

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

$0.63 TND 1.88

$1.68 ₺83.1

-62.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 TND 0.81

$0.59 ₺29.40

-54.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.55 TND 4.64

$4.70 ₺233

-67.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 TND 7.05

$5.91 ₺292

-60.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.46 TND 1.38

$1.21 ₺60.0

-61.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.22 TND 0.66

$0.89 ₺44.10

-75.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 TND 3.92

$2.19 ₺108

-40.18%

Eggs

$1.55 TND 4.63

$2.35 ₺116

-34.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.27 TND 30.75

$10.42 ₺516

-1.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.45 TND 16.31

$5.65 ₺280

-3.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.79 TND 41.32

$20.94 ₺1,037

-34.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 TND 5.52

$1.90 ₺94.1

-3.16%

Banana (1kg)

$3.16 TND 9.45

$2.31 ₺114

36.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.08 TND 3.24

$1.28 ₺63.1

-15.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.74 TND 2.21

$1.80 ₺89.0

-58.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 TND 2.29

$0.65 ₺32.16

18.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 TND 1.84

$0.64 ₺31.91

-4.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 TND 1.60

$1.25 ₺62.1

-57.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 TND 1.03

$0.56 ₺27.58

-39.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 TND 11.15

$2.37 ₺118

56.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.74 TND 20.18

$13.42 ₺664

-49.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 TND 3.55

$2.40 ₺119

-50.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 TND 3.22

$3.48 ₺172

-68.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 TND 0.95

$0.89 ₺43.84

-64.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.95 TND 29.81

$67.4 ₺3,338

-85.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.30 TND 0.89

$1.29 ₺64.1

-76.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 TND 1.00

$0.92 ₺45.70

-64.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 TND 5.54

$10.96 ₺542

-83.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 TND 2.67

$1.47 ₺72.9

-39.46%

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

$37.0K TND 110.7K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-27.23%

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

$35.0K TND 104.7K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-21.47%

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

$44.48 TND 133

$88.6 ₺4,387

-49.80%

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

$9.22 TND 27.61

$11.59 ₺574

-20.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.44 TND 61.2

$15.81 ₺783

29.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.56 TND 79.6

$77.2 ₺3,820

-65.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.42 TND 37.19

$22.74 ₺1,126

-45.38%

Cinema Ticket

$5.31 TND 15.90

$8.14 ₺403

-34.77%

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

$97.3 TND 291

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-90.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,444 TND 7,319

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-90.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.75 TND 128

$54.0 ₺2,671

-20.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.55 TND 109

$40.83 ₺2,021

-10.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 TND 303

$98.9 ₺4,895

2.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.8 TND 203

$96.6 ₺4,783

-29.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$208 TND 624

$985 ₺48.7K

-78.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$155 TND 465

$650 ₺32.2K

-76.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$372 TND 1,115

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-81.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$268 TND 804

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-77.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$957 TND 2,866

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-69.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$619 TND 1,854

$1,780 ₺88.1K

-65.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.28

40.92

-74.88%

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

Last update for Manouba: October 10, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Manouba

$185 28.4%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 40.3% $75

Accommodation & Living

Manouba

$155 23.9%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 318% $494

Clothing & Footwear

Manouba

$112 17.2%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 16.9% $19

Eating Out

Manouba

$74 11.4%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 200% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manouba

$74 11.4%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 56.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Manouba

$37 5.7%

Istanbul

$93 6% 151% $56

Getting Around

Manouba

$13 2%

Istanbul

$77 5% 483% $64

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $208 in Manouba versus $985 in Istanbul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Manouba versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $185 vs $260 – making Manouba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇳 Manouba

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

22:44 10:44 PM

00:44 12:44 AM

2 h ahead of Manouba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,792

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇳 Tunisian Dinar (د.ت)

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to TND in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Manouba Istanbul 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Manouba
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

Manouba vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 138%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $977 per month in Manouba and $2,325 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $97.3 per month in Manouba and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% 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 Manouba, where all-in costs run around $651, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Manouba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Manouba – 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 Manouba. 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.