Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Safi and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Safi: $585 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Safi
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Safi Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Safi

🇲🇦 Morocco

$585

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $585 per month in Safi vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Safi $585
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $917 per month in Safi vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Safi $917
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $1,250 per month in Safi vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Safi $1,250
Istanbul $3,281

Safi is about 62% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Safi sits 57% below the global median, while Istanbul is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.04 MAD 29.65

$12.30 ₺609

-75.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.72 MAD 202

$54.7 ₺2,708

-62.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.55 MAD 44.41

$9.22 ₺456

-50.65%

Cappuccino

$1.54 MAD 15.00

$4.40 ₺218

-65.00%

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

$0.54 MAD 5.23

$1.68 ₺83.1

-67.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 MAD 3.28

$0.59 ₺29.40

-42.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 MAD 14.82

$4.70 ₺233

-67.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 MAD 14.80

$5.91 ₺292

-74.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 MAD 7.95

$1.21 ₺60.0

-32.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.47 MAD 4.55

$0.89 ₺44.10

-47.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 MAD 14.96

$2.19 ₺108

-30.14%

Eggs

$1.73 MAD 16.84

$2.35 ₺116

-26.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.87 MAD 67.0

$10.42 ₺516

-34.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.85 MAD 66.8

$5.65 ₺280

21.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.98 MAD 87.6

$20.94 ₺1,037

-57.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.15 MAD 11.20

$1.90 ₺94.1

-39.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 MAD 11.34

$2.31 ₺114

-49.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.82 MAD 7.96

$1.28 ₺63.1

-35.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.67 MAD 6.52

$1.80 ₺89.0

-62.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 MAD 5.91

$0.65 ₺32.16

-6.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 MAD 7.84

$0.64 ₺31.91

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 MAD 3.92

$1.25 ₺62.1

-68.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MAD 5.51

$0.56 ₺27.58

1.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 MAD 36.26

$2.37 ₺118

56.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.35 MAD 71.6

$13.42 ₺664

-45.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 MAD 18.09

$2.40 ₺119

-22.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 MAD 17.33

$3.48 ₺172

-48.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 MAD 4.30

$0.89 ₺43.84

-50.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.48 MAD 102

$67.4 ₺3,338

-84.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.71 MAD 6.93

$1.29 ₺64.1

-44.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 MAD 5.32

$0.92 ₺45.70

-40.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.02 MAD 58.7

$10.96 ₺542

-45.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MAD 14.17

$1.47 ₺72.9

-1.36%

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

$31.4K MAD 305.7K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-38.27%

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

$30.6K MAD 298.3K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-31.30%

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

$35.89 MAD 350

$88.6 ₺4,387

-59.50%

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

$10.31 MAD 100

$11.59 ₺574

-11.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.94 MAD 331

$15.81 ₺783

114.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.83 MAD 184

$77.2 ₺3,820

-75.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.27 MAD 51.3

$22.74 ₺1,126

-76.82%

Cinema Ticket

$3.54 MAD 34.55

$8.14 ₺403

-56.51%

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

$97.5 MAD 950

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-90.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,667 MAD 35.8K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-85.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.69 MAD 387

$54.0 ₺2,671

-26.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.43 MAD 326

$40.83 ₺2,021

-18.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.5 MAD 911

$98.9 ₺4,895

-5.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.63 MAD 357

$96.6 ₺4,783

-62.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$279 MAD 2,718

$985 ₺48.7K

-71.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$135 MAD 1,319

$650 ₺32.2K

-79.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$466 MAD 4,548

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-76.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$246 MAD 2,395

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-79.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$892 MAD 8,693

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-71.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$560 MAD 5,458

$1,780 ₺88.1K

-68.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$443 MAD 4,318

$1,205 ₺59.7K

-63.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

40.92

-88.88%

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

Last update for Safi: October 13, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Safi

$166 28.4%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 56.1% $93

Accommodation & Living

Safi

$135 23.1%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 380% $515

Clothing & Footwear

Safi

$91 15.6%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 42.8% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Safi

$80 13.7%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 44.8% $36

Eating Out

Safi

$71 12.1%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 216% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Safi

$26 4.4%

Istanbul

$93 6% 261% $68

Getting Around

Safi

$16 2.7%

Istanbul

$77 5% 390% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $279 in Safi 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 172% 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 $21.00 in Safi versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $166 vs $260 – making Safi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Safi

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

09:25 9:25 AM

2 h ahead of Safi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

323,888

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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Between locations

Safi Istanbul 3,510 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Safi
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

Safi vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 165%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $878 per month in Safi 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 Safi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $97.5 per month in Safi 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 56% 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 Safi, where all-in costs run around $585, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Safi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Safi – 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 Safi. 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.