Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monastir and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Monastir: $706 a month against $1,516 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Monastir
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Monastir Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Monastir

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$706

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $706 per month in Monastir vs $1,516 in Istanbul, rent included.

Monastir $706
Istanbul $1,516

A couple spends around $1,131 per month in Monastir vs $2,356 in Istanbul, rent included.

Monastir $1,131
Istanbul $2,356

A family of three spends $1,555 per month in Monastir vs $3,197 in Istanbul, rent included.

Monastir $1,555
Istanbul $3,197

Monastir is about 53% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Monastir sits 48% below the global median, while Istanbul is 11% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.01 TND 15.08

$11.59 ₺577

-56.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.48 TND 67.7

$54.7 ₺2,725

-58.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 TND 18.51

$9.39 ₺468

-34.50%

Cappuccino

$1.19 TND 3.59

$4.23 ₺211

-71.87%

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

$0.74 TND 2.23

$1.72 ₺85.6

-56.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 TND 1.09

$0.57 ₺28.26

-36.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.63 TND 4.92

$4.65 ₺232

-64.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 TND 4.91

$6.84 ₺341

-76.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.44 TND 1.32

$1.20 ₺60.0

-63.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.17 TND 0.51

$0.94 ₺46.97

-81.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 TND 5.05

$2.24 ₺112

-25.00%

Eggs

$1.58 TND 4.75

$2.42 ₺121

-34.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.71 TND 41.29

$10.24 ₺510

33.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.15 TND 18.52

$5.38 ₺268

14.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.60 TND 43.97

$21.19 ₺1,056

-31.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 TND 6.07

$1.89 ₺94.3

6.35%

Banana (1kg)

$4.40 TND 13.25

$2.22 ₺111

98.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 TND 3.60

$1.26 ₺62.7

-4.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.80 TND 2.40

$1.81 ₺90.0

-55.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 TND 2.63

$0.70 ₺34.84

24.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 TND 2.17

$0.64 ₺32.13

12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 TND 1.33

$1.22 ₺60.9

-63.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.33 TND 1.01

$0.55 ₺27.35

-40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.74 TND 11.27

$2.32 ₺116

61.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 TND 17.18

$13.31 ₺663

-57.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 TND 3.65

$2.33 ₺116

-48.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 TND 3.97

$3.46 ₺172

-61.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 TND 0.95

$0.91 ₺45.18

-64.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.01 TND 33.17

$66.3 ₺3,306

-83.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 TND 0.87

$1.29 ₺64.2

-77.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 TND 0.86

$0.86 ₺42.66

-66.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.77 TND 5.34

$11.09 ₺553

-84.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 TND 2.49

$1.42 ₺70.8

-41.55%

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

$39.7K TND 119.6K

$49.2K ₺2.5M

-19.29%

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

$35.9K TND 108.3K

$42.8K ₺2.1M

-16.04%

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

$61.5 TND 185

$87.7 ₺4,373

-29.86%

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

$10.56 TND 31.82

$11.28 ₺562

-6.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.06 TND 60.4

$15.89 ₺792

26.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.67 TND 71.3

$75.9 ₺3,783

-68.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.63 TND 19.97

$23.04 ₺1,148

-71.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.03 TND 18.17

$8.20 ₺409

-26.46%

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

$94.4 TND 284

$1,028 ₺51.2K

-90.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,205 TND 9,656

$26.0K ₺1.3M

-87.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.92 TND 141

$53.3 ₺2,658

-12.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.5 TND 203

$39.69 ₺1,978

69.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 TND 335

$99.8 ₺4,972

11.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.2 TND 293

$93.5 ₺4,661

3.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$203 TND 610

$1,003 ₺50.0K

-79.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$121 TND 363

$628 ₺31.3K

-80.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$354 TND 1,067

$1,963 ₺97.8K

-81.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$233 TND 703

$1,122 ₺55.9K

-79.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,219 TND 3,671

$3,075 ₺153.2K

-60.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$619 TND 1,864

$1,753 ₺87.3K

-64.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$347 TND 1,044

$1,180 ₺58.8K

-70.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

-72.97%

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

Last update for Monastir: October 25, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Monastir

$210 29.7%

Istanbul

$258 17% 23% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Monastir

$145 20.6%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 11.3% $16

Accommodation & Living

Monastir

$121 17.1%

Istanbul

$628 41.5% 421% $508

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monastir

$92 13.1%

Istanbul

$115 7.6% 24.7% $23

Eating Out

Monastir

$89 12.6%

Istanbul

$218 14.4% 146% $129

Sport & Entertainment

Monastir

$36 5.1%

Istanbul

$92 6.1% 158% $57

Getting Around

Monastir

$14 2%

Istanbul

$76 5% 440% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $203 in Monastir versus $1,003 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 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Monastir versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $210 vs $258 – making Monastir the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇳 Monastir

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

16:40 4:40 PM

18:40 6:40 PM

2 h ahead of Monastir

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

104,535

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 TND = 0.332 USD

1 TND = 0.298 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.01 TND (1 TND = 0.332 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.46 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to TND in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Monastir Istanbul 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monastir
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

Monastir vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 115%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,059 per month in Monastir and $2,274 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Monastir, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $203 there versus $1,003 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $94 per month in Monastir and $1,028 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Monastir, where all-in costs run around $706, than in Istanbul at $1,516. In Monastir it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Monastir – 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 Monastir. 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.