Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ouarzazate and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Ouarzazate: $707 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Ouarzazate
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Ouarzazate Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Ouarzazate

🇲🇦 Morocco

$707

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $707 per month in Ouarzazate vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Ouarzazate $707
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $1,102 per month in Ouarzazate vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Ouarzazate $1,102
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $1,498 per month in Ouarzazate vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Ouarzazate $1,498
Istanbul $3,281

Ouarzazate is about 54% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ouarzazate sits 48% below the global median, while Istanbul is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MAD 36.29

$12.30 ₺609

-69.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.53 MAD 307

$54.7 ₺2,708

-42.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.18 MAD 60.3

$9.22 ₺456

-32.97%

Cappuccino

$2.21 MAD 21.56

$4.40 ₺218

-49.77%

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

$0.64 MAD 6.21

$1.68 ₺83.1

-61.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 MAD 5.91

$0.59 ₺29.40

3.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.69 MAD 65.2

$4.70 ₺233

42.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.40 MAD 52.7

$5.91 ₺292

-8.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 MAD 8.30

$1.21 ₺60.0

-29.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 MAD 8.38

$0.89 ₺44.10

-3.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 MAD 15.03

$2.19 ₺108

-29.68%

Eggs

$1.56 MAD 15.24

$2.35 ₺116

-33.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.76 MAD 75.7

$10.42 ₺516

-25.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 MAD 44.46

$5.65 ₺280

-19.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 MAD 114

$20.94 ₺1,037

-44.03%

Apples (1kg)

$0.69 MAD 6.73

$1.90 ₺94.1

-63.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 MAD 11.83

$2.31 ₺114

-47.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.60 MAD 5.88

$1.28 ₺63.1

-53.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.79 MAD 7.75

$1.80 ₺89.0

-56.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 MAD 6.97

$0.65 ₺32.16

9.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 MAD 7.33

$0.64 ₺31.91

17.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.23 MAD 2.24

$1.25 ₺62.1

-81.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 MAD 5.86

$0.56 ₺27.58

7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 MAD 39.42

$2.37 ₺118

70.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.55 MAD 73.6

$13.42 ₺664

-43.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 MAD 21.63

$2.40 ₺119

-7.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 MAD 31.85

$3.48 ₺172

-6.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MAD 5.30

$0.89 ₺43.84

-39.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.55 MAD 191

$67.4 ₺3,338

-71.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 MAD 4.85

$1.29 ₺64.1

-61.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 MAD 6.34

$0.92 ₺45.70

-29.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.09 MAD 69.2

$10.96 ₺542

-35.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 MAD 13.88

$1.47 ₺72.9

-3.40%

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

$33.6K MAD 327.5K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-33.86%

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

$29.7K MAD 289.5K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-33.33%

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

$35.55 MAD 347

$88.6 ₺4,387

-59.88%

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

$4.94 MAD 48.17

$11.59 ₺574

-57.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.25 MAD 256

$15.81 ₺783

66.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.66 MAD 260

$77.2 ₺3,820

-65.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.51 MAD 220

$22.74 ₺1,126

-1.01%

Cinema Ticket

$6.39 MAD 62.3

$8.14 ₺403

-21.50%

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

$99.3 MAD 968

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-90.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,432 MAD 82.2K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-67.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.76 MAD 310

$54.0 ₺2,671

-41.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.27 MAD 441

$40.83 ₺2,021

10.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 MAD 817

$98.9 ₺4,895

-15.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.8 MAD 817

$96.6 ₺4,783

-13.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$272 MAD 2,656

$985 ₺48.7K

-72.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 MAD 1,641

$650 ₺32.2K

-74.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$422 MAD 4,113

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-78.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$247 MAD 2,404

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-79.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,189 MAD 11.6K

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-62.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$821 MAD 8,001

$1,780 ₺88.1K

-53.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

40.92

-89.00%

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

Last update for Ouarzazate: 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

Ouarzazate

$172 24.4%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 50.6% $87

Accommodation & Living

Ouarzazate

$168 23.8%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 286% $481

Eating Out

Ouarzazate

$124 17.6%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 79.9% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Ouarzazate

$110 15.6%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 18.6% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ouarzazate

$67 9.5%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 73.8% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Ouarzazate

$39 5.6%

Istanbul

$93 6% 137% $54

Getting Around

Ouarzazate

$25 3.6%

Istanbul

$77 5% 202% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $272 in Ouarzazate 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 $32.00 in Ouarzazate versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $172 vs $260 – making Ouarzazate the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Ouarzazate

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

08:15 8:15 AM

10:15 10:15 AM

2 h ahead of Ouarzazate

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,067

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇦 Moroccan Dirham (د.م.)

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to MAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ouarzazate Istanbul 3,390 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ouarzazate
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

Ouarzazate vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 119%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,060 per month in Ouarzazate 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 Ouarzazate, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $99.3 per month in Ouarzazate 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 51% 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 Ouarzazate, where all-in costs run around $707, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Ouarzazate it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ouarzazate – 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 Ouarzazate. 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.