Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mersa Matruh and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Mersa Matruh: $428 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Mersa Matruh
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Mersa Matruh Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Mersa Matruh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$428

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $428 per month in Mersa Matruh vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Mersa Matruh $428
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $699 per month in Mersa Matruh vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Mersa Matruh $699
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $970 per month in Mersa Matruh vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Mersa Matruh $970
Istanbul $3,212

Mersa Matruh is about 72% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mersa Matruh sits 68% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.91 E£210

$11.81 ₺592

-66.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.51 E£942

$54.9 ₺2,754

-68.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.48 E£241

$9.26 ₺465

-51.62%

Cappuccino

$1.17 E£62.9

$4.30 ₺216

-72.79%

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

$0.30 E£16.26

$1.77 ₺89.0

-83.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 E£6.11

$0.56 ₺28.32

-80.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 E£65.6

$4.69 ₺235

-73.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 E£148

$7.12 ₺357

-61.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 E£44.50

$1.25 ₺62.7

-33.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 E£36.45

$0.88 ₺44.17

-22.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.57 E£30.41

$2.20 ₺111

-74.09%

Eggs

$1.05 E£56.6

$2.43 ₺122

-56.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.68 E£198

$10.48 ₺526

-64.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.99 E£215

$5.31 ₺267

-24.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.71 E£468

$21.10 ₺1,058

-58.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.41 E£75.7

$1.86 ₺93.1

-24.19%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£39.44

$2.30 ₺115

-68.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.52 E£27.75

$1.22 ₺61.0

-57.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.30 E£16.02

$1.80 ₺90.2

-83.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.23 E£12.30

$0.69 ₺34.83

-66.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.30 E£16.36

$0.64 ₺32.16

-53.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.23 E£12.29

$1.36 ₺68.0

-83.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.20 E£10.71

$0.58 ₺28.94

-65.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.80 E£96.7

$2.34 ₺117

-23.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.36 E£288

$13.03 ₺653

-58.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 E£61.9

$2.36 ₺118

-51.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 E£110

$3.32 ₺166

-38.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 E£10.66

$0.88 ₺44.07

-77.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.54 E£29.05

$1.28 ₺64.4

-57.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.50

$0.85 ₺42.80

-76.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 E£59.5

$11.09 ₺556

-89.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.41 E£21.97

$1.48 ₺74.0

-72.30%

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

$31.5K E£1.7M

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-35.20%

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

$24.4K E£1.3M

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-41.86%

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

$13.09 E£704

$92.7 ₺4,650

-85.88%

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

$6.35 E£341

$11.20 ₺562

-43.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.61 E£678

$15.89 ₺797

-20.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.16 E£815

$74.7 ₺3,745

-79.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$2.60 E£140

$8.05 ₺404

-67.70%

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

$82.3 E£4,424

$948 ₺47.6K

-91.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,992 E£107.1K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-94.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.15 E£1,675

$53.9 ₺2,702

-42.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.14 E£2,266

$41.49 ₺2,081

1.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 E£6,406

$101 ₺5,060

18.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.4 E£2,869

$91.3 ₺4,580

-41.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$129 E£6,920

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-87.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$71.9 E£3,867

$625 ₺31.3K

-88.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$247 E£13.3K

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-87.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$133 E£7,157

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-88.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$698 E£37.5K

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-76.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$322 E£17.3K

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-81.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$89.4 E£4,806

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-92.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.33

40.42

-47.23%

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

Last update for Mersa Matruh: October 31, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mersa Matruh

$119 27.7%

Istanbul

$258 17% 117% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Mersa Matruh

$111 25.8%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 17% $19

Eating Out

Mersa Matruh

$72 16.8%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 207% $149

Accommodation & Living

Mersa Matruh

$72 16.8%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 768% $553

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mersa Matruh

$32 7.5%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 274% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Mersa Matruh

$20 4.8%

Istanbul

$91 6% 346% $70

Getting Around

Mersa Matruh

$2.3 * 0.5%

Istanbul

$75 5% 3155% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $129 in Mersa Matruh versus $1,014 in Istanbul. 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 13 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Mersa Matruh versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $119 vs $258 – making Mersa Matruh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Mersa Matruh

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

21:56 9:56 PM

22:56 10:56 PM

1 h ahead of Mersa Matruh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,000

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.86 USD

100 EGP = 1.66 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 53.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.86 USD). 1 EUR = 60.09 EGP (100 EGP = 1.66 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.05 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mersa Matruh Istanbul 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mersa Matruh
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

Mersa Matruh vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 255%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $642 per month in Mersa Matruh and $2,278 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mersa Matruh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $129 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Mersa Matruh and $55 in Istanbul. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 117% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Mersa Matruh, where all-in costs run around $428, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Mersa Matruh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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