Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Msaken and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Msaken: $646 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.

31

Cost of Living Index in Msaken
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Msaken Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Msaken

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$646

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $646 per month in Msaken vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Msaken $646
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $1,020 per month in Msaken vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Msaken $1,020
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $1,394 per month in Msaken vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Msaken $1,394
Istanbul $3,281

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.93 TND 14.76

$12.30 ₺609

-59.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.88 TND 65.5

$54.7 ₺2,708

-60.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.86 TND 17.55

$9.22 ₺456

-36.44%

Cappuccino

$1.03 TND 3.08

$4.40 ₺218

-76.59%

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

$0.80 TND 2.39

$1.68 ₺83.1

-52.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 TND 1.11

$0.59 ₺29.40

-37.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.71 TND 5.11

$4.70 ₺233

-63.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 TND 6.38

$5.91 ₺292

-63.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.48 TND 1.45

$1.21 ₺60.0

-60.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.30 TND 0.90

$0.89 ₺44.10

-66.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 TND 5.12

$2.19 ₺108

-21.92%

Eggs

$1.76 TND 5.26

$2.35 ₺116

-25.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.69 TND 41.00

$10.42 ₺516

31.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 TND 16.93

$5.65 ₺280

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.36 TND 43.00

$20.94 ₺1,037

-31.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 TND 6.10

$1.90 ₺94.1

7.37%

Banana (1kg)

$3.60 TND 10.78

$2.31 ₺114

55.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 TND 3.33

$1.28 ₺63.1

-13.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.81 TND 2.43

$1.80 ₺89.0

-55.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 TND 2.59

$0.65 ₺32.16

32.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 TND 1.88

$0.64 ₺31.91

-1.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 TND 1.20

$1.25 ₺62.1

-68.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 TND 0.95

$0.56 ₺27.58

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.76 TND 11.26

$2.37 ₺118

58.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.94 TND 17.78

$13.42 ₺664

-55.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 TND 3.20

$2.40 ₺119

-55.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 TND 3.92

$3.48 ₺172

-62.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 TND 1.02

$0.89 ₺43.84

-61.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.32 TND 0.96

$1.29 ₺64.1

-75.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 TND 0.96

$0.92 ₺45.70

-65.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 TND 11.71

$10.96 ₺542

-64.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 TND 2.58

$1.47 ₺72.9

-41.50%

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

$38.9K TND 116.4K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-23.46%

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

$35.6K TND 106.8K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-19.95%

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

$59.7 TND 179

$88.6 ₺4,387

-32.64%

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

$9.20 TND 27.56

$11.59 ₺574

-20.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.21 TND 60.5

$15.81 ₺783

27.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.29 TND 63.8

$77.2 ₺3,820

-72.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$5.92 TND 17.73

$8.14 ₺403

-27.27%

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

$91.9 TND 275

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-90.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,156 TND 9,452

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-87.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.28 TND 130

$54.0 ₺2,671

-19.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.7 TND 176

$40.83 ₺2,021

43.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 TND 351

$98.9 ₺4,895

18.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.0 TND 258

$96.6 ₺4,783

-10.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$108 TND 325

$985 ₺48.7K

-88.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$93.1 TND 279

$650 ₺32.2K

-85.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$203 TND 607

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-89.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 TND 450

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-87.27%

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)

$244 TND 731

$1,205 ₺59.7K

-79.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

40.92

-73.92%

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

Last update for Msaken: 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

Msaken

$203 31.5%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 27.6% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Msaken

$137 21.3%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 5% $6.8

Accommodation & Living

Msaken

$93 14.4%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 598% $557

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Msaken

$89 13.8%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 30.2% $27

Eating Out

Msaken

$87 13.4%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 157% $136

Sport & Entertainment

Msaken

$33 5.1%

Istanbul

$93 6% 182% $60

Getting Around

Msaken

$3.3 * 0.5%

Istanbul

$77 5% 2244% $74

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $108 in Msaken 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 394% 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 $22.00 in Msaken versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $203 vs $260 – making Msaken the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇳 Msaken

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

23:03 11:03 PM

01:03 1:03 AM

2 h ahead of Msaken

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,000

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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Highest

Between locations

Msaken Istanbul 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Msaken
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

Msaken vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 140%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $969 per month in Msaken 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 Msaken, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Msaken and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Msaken, where all-in costs run around $646, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Msaken it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Msaken – 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 Msaken. 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.