Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mohammedia and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Mohammedia: $786 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mohammedia
🇲🇦 Morocco
$786
/mo nomad
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,550
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $786 per month in Mohammedia vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Mohammedia $786
  • Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $1,228 per month in Mohammedia vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Mohammedia $1,228
  • Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $1,669 per month in Mohammedia vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Mohammedia $1,669
  • Istanbul $3,281

Mohammedia is about 49% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mohammedia sits 42% below the global median, while Istanbul is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mohammedia
Istanbul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.67 MAD 45.52
$12.30 ₺609
-62.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$31.14 MAD 304
$54.7 ₺2,708
-43.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.90 MAD 67.3
$9.22 ₺456
-25.16%
Cappuccino
$1.91 MAD 18.60
$4.40 ₺218
-56.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 MAD 7.36
$1.68 ₺83.1
-54.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.41 MAD 4.04
$0.59 ₺29.40
-30.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.09 MAD 49.66
$4.70 ₺233
8.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.12 MAD 49.96
$5.91 ₺292
-13.37%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mohammedia
Istanbul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.98 MAD 9.56
$1.21 ₺60.0
-19.01%
White Bread (500g)
$1.11 MAD 10.79
$0.89 ₺44.10
24.72%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.80 MAD 17.52
$2.19 ₺108
-17.81%
Eggs
$1.86 MAD 18.18
$2.35 ₺116
-20.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.82 MAD 105
$10.42 ₺516
3.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.01 MAD 68.3
$5.65 ₺280
24.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.92 MAD 116
$20.94 ₺1,037
-43.08%
Apples (1kg)
$1.47 MAD 14.30
$1.90 ₺94.1
-22.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MAD 13.37
$2.31 ₺114
-40.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.71 MAD 6.90
$1.28 ₺63.1
-44.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.71 MAD 6.91
$1.80 ₺89.0
-60.56%
Potato (1kg)
$0.64 MAD 6.24
$0.65 ₺32.16
-1.54%
Onion (1kg)
$0.64 MAD 6.20
$0.64 ₺31.91
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.49 MAD 4.79
$1.25 ₺62.1
-60.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.57 MAD 5.60
$0.56 ₺27.58
1.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 MAD 38.13
$2.37 ₺118
64.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.24 MAD 80.4
$13.42 ₺664
-38.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.31 MAD 22.48
$2.40 ₺119
-3.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.43 MAD 23.71
$3.48 ₺172
-30.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Mohammedia
Istanbul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.72 MAD 6.99
$0.89 ₺43.84
-19.10%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.10 MAD 215
$67.4 ₺3,338
-67.23%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.72 MAD 7.05
$1.29 ₺64.1
-44.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.69 MAD 6.69
$0.92 ₺45.70
-25.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.49 MAD 43.80
$10.96 ₺542
-59.03%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 MAD 14.34
$1.47 ₺72.9
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.8K MAD 319.6K
$50.8K ₺2.5M
-35.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.6K MAD 278.5K
$44.5K ₺2.2M
-35.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mohammedia
Istanbul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$49.99 MAD 487
$88.6 ₺4,387
-43.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.97 MAD 97.2
$11.59 ₺574
-13.98%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.42 MAD 375
$15.81 ₺783
143.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mohammedia
Istanbul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$27.81 MAD 271
$77.2 ₺3,820
-63.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.56 MAD 200
$22.74 ₺1,126
-9.59%
Cinema Ticket
$7.37 MAD 71.9
$8.14 ₺403
-9.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mohammedia
Istanbul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$140 MAD 1,361
$1,008 ₺49.9K
-86.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,644 MAD 55.0K
$25.6K ₺1.3M
-77.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mohammedia
Istanbul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.8 MAD 534
$54.0 ₺2,671
1.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.69 MAD 455
$40.83 ₺2,021
14.35%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.2 MAD 918
$98.9 ₺4,895
-4.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$80.3 MAD 783
$96.6 ₺4,783
-16.88%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mohammedia
Istanbul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$255 MAD 2,483
$985 ₺48.7K
-74.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$165 MAD 1,607
$650 ₺32.2K
-74.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$458 MAD 4,464
$1,983 ₺98.2K
-76.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$263 MAD 2,560
$1,180 ₺58.4K
-77.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,514 MAD 14.8K
$3,138 ₺155.4K
-51.75%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$961 MAD 9,372
$1,780 ₺88.1K
-45.99%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mohammedia
Istanbul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$542 MAD 5,285
$1,205 ₺59.7K
-55.03%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.67
40.92
-91.03%

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

Last update for Mohammedia: October 12, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Mohammedia
$206
Istanbul
$260 26.3% $54
Accommodation & Living
Mohammedia
$165
Istanbul
$650 294% $485
Clothing & Footwear
Mohammedia
$124
Istanbul
$131 5.2% $6.4
Eating Out
Mohammedia
$121
Istanbul
$223 84% $102
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mohammedia
$98
Istanbul
$116 17.9% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Mohammedia
$43
Istanbul
$93 120% $51
Getting Around
Mohammedia
$29
Istanbul
$77 164% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $255 in Mohammedia 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.

Salaries run about 122% 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 $31.00 in Mohammedia versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $260 – making Mohammedia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇦 Mohammedia
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🕒 Local time
18:43 6:43 PM
20:43 8:43 PM
2 h ahead of Mohammedia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
194,358
15,701,602
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mohammedia Istanbul 3,290 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Mohammedia
  • 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
Mohammedia vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Istanbul cheaper than Mohammedia?
Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 97%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,179 per month in Mohammedia and $2,325 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mohammedia, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $140 per month in Mohammedia and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Mohammedia and in Istanbul?
Groceries cost about 26% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Mohammedia or in Istanbul?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mohammedia, where all-in costs run around $786, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Mohammedia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Mohammedia or Istanbul more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Mohammedia – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Mohammedia or Istanbul?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Mohammedia. 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.

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