Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rabat and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,928 in Rabat, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rabat outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

88

Cost of Living Index in Rabat
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Rabat Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Rabat

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,928

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,928 per month in Rabat vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Rabat $1,928
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,701 per month in Rabat vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Rabat $2,701
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,474 per month in Rabat vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Rabat $3,474
Istanbul $3,281

Rabat costs about 24% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Rabat and Istanbul sit above the global median – Rabat by 43%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.55 €14.72

$12.30 ₺609

34.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.4 €44.82

$54.7 ₺2,708

-7.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.19 €9.96

$9.22 ₺456

21.37%

Cappuccino

$2.25 €2.00

$4.40 ₺218

-48.86%

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

$2.48 €2.20

$1.68 ₺83.1

47.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$0.59 ₺29.40

186.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 €2.97

$4.70 ₺233

-29.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.05

$5.91 ₺292

-41.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.21 ₺60.0

-8.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 €1.19

$0.89 ₺44.10

50.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.19 ₺108

3.20%

Eggs

$3.50 €3.11

$2.35 ₺116

48.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.97 €7.09

$10.42 ₺516

-23.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.87 €7.00

$5.65 ₺280

39.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.51 €11.13

$20.94 ₺1,037

-40.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 €3.67

$1.90 ₺94.1

116.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.31 ₺114

-5.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 €3.16

$1.28 ₺63.1

177.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.80 ₺89.0

22.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.65 ₺32.16

76.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.01

$0.64 ₺31.91

78.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.25 ₺62.1

-12.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.56 ₺27.58

94.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.80 €6.05

$2.37 ₺118

186.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.23 €7.32

$13.42 ₺664

-38.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.40 ₺119

-26.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 €2.17

$3.48 ₺172

-29.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 €2.41

$0.89 ₺43.84

204.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.73 €5.09

$1.29 ₺64.1

344.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 €1.96

$0.92 ₺45.70

140.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.77 €23.81

$10.96 ₺542

144.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.47 ₺72.9

2.72%

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

$37.7K €33.6K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-25.67%

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-13.28%

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

$101 €90.2

$88.6 ₺4,387

14.43%

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

$12.17 €10.82

$11.59 ₺574

5.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 €38.12

$15.81 ₺783

171.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.1 €55.3

$77.2 ₺3,820

-19.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.18 €19.73

$22.74 ₺1,126

-2.46%

Cinema Ticket

$10.09 €8.98

$8.14 ₺403

23.96%

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

$369 €328

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-63.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K €10.0K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-55.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €76.7

$54.0 ₺2,671

59.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.60 €24.55

$40.83 ₺2,021

-32.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 €65.6

$98.9 ₺4,895

-25.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.8 €68.3

$96.6 ₺4,783

-20.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 €934

$985 ₺48.7K

6.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 €933

$650 ₺32.2K

61.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,735 €1,543

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-12.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 €1,299

$1,180 ₺58.4K

23.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,396 €3,910

$3,138 ₺155.4K

40.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,149 €2,801

$1,780 ₺88.1K

76.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,318 €1,173

$1,205 ₺59.7K

9.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

40.92

-92.91%

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

Last update for Rabat: October 10, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rabat

$1K 54.4%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 38.1% $399

Groceries & Markets

Rabat

$261 13.5%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 0.4% $1

Eating Out

Rabat

$233 12.1%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 4.2% $9.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rabat

$156 8.1%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 25.8% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Rabat

$119 6.2%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 9.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Rabat

$82 4.3%

Istanbul

$93 6% 13.5% $11

Getting Around

Rabat

$28 * 1.4%

Istanbul

$77 5% 179% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,051 in Rabat 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 9% higher in Rabat, 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 $50.0 in Rabat versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $261 in Rabat vs $260 in Istanbul – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Rabat

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

17:26 5:26 PM

1 h ahead of Rabat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,497

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Rabat Istanbul 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rabat
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

Rabat vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rabat is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,892 per month in Rabat 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 Istanbul, 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 $50.0 in Rabat 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 0% more in Rabat, 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 Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Rabat at $1,928. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rabat it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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