Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salalah and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Salalah: $1,059 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

52

Cost of Living Index in Salalah
Learn more

Salalah Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Salalah

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,059

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,059 per month in Salalah vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Salalah $1,059
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $1,599 per month in Salalah vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Salalah $1,599
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $2,138 per month in Salalah vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Salalah $2,138
Istanbul $3,272

Salalah is about 31% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Salalah sits 21% below the global median, while Istanbul is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.31 OMR 2.05

$11.88 ₺585

-55.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.43 OMR 10.17

$55.1 ₺2,714

-52.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.97 OMR 4.99

$9.14 ₺450

41.90%

Cappuccino

$6.09 OMR 2.34

$4.24 ₺209

43.63%

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

$0.90 OMR 0.35

$1.75 ₺86.0

-48.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 OMR 0.10

$0.54 ₺26.83

-53.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.33 OMR 3.59

$4.69 ₺231

98.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.30 OMR 3.96

$5.97 ₺294

72.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 OMR 0.74

$1.26 ₺62.1

53.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 OMR 0.47

$0.95 ₺46.81

29.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 OMR 1.03

$2.31 ₺114

15.15%

Eggs

$1.82 OMR 0.70

$2.47 ₺122

-26.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.58 OMR 1.76

$10.55 ₺520

-56.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.62 OMR 1.78

$5.60 ₺276

-17.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.61 OMR 2.55

$21.21 ₺1,045

-68.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 OMR 0.74

$1.93 ₺95.1

-1.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 OMR 0.72

$2.29 ₺113

-18.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 OMR 0.82

$1.28 ₺63.1

65.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 OMR 0.72

$1.84 ₺90.8

1.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 OMR 0.59

$0.67 ₺32.86

126.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 OMR 0.40

$0.59 ₺29.31

74.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 OMR 0.40

$1.33 ₺65.4

-21.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 OMR 0.18

$0.59 ₺29.10

-18.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 OMR 2.25

$2.36 ₺116

147.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 OMR 7.60

$13.47 ₺664

46.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.81 OMR 1.47

$2.42 ₺119

57.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 OMR 1.83

$3.54 ₺174

34.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 OMR 0.51

$0.83 ₺40.64

59.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.3 OMR 21.27

$66.5 ₺3,273

-16.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 OMR 0.89

$1.35 ₺66.6

71.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 OMR 0.51

$0.85 ₺42.05

55.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.49 OMR 4.42

$10.86 ₺535

5.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 OMR 0.23

$1.47 ₺72.3

-58.50%

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

$20.8K OMR 8,004

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-59.73%

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

$18.3K OMR 7,048

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-58.82%

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

$78.1 OMR 30.07

$89.2 ₺4,395

-12.45%

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

$49.55 OMR 19.08

$11.60 ₺572

327.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.3 OMR 28.59

$16.10 ₺793

361.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.58 OMR 15.24

$77.3 ₺3,805

-48.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.22 OMR 10.10

$22.66 ₺1,116

15.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 OMR 3.01

$8.34 ₺411

-6.35%

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

$106 OMR 40.78

$974 ₺48.0K

-89.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,942 OMR 747

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-92.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.74 OMR 11.06

$52.7 ₺2,597

-45.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.76 OMR 11.84

$39.16 ₺1,929

-21.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.8 OMR 22.23

$103 ₺5,083

-44.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.20 OMR 17.79

$96.6 ₺4,759

-52.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 OMR 96.5

$994 ₺49.0K

-74.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$205 OMR 79.0

$629 ₺31.0K

-67.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$642 OMR 247

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-68.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 OMR 147

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-66.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,981 OMR 763

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-37.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,240 OMR 477

$1,838 ₺90.5K

-32.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,771 OMR 682

$1,203 ₺59.3K

47.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.58

41.09

-88.85%

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

Last update for Salalah: October 6, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Salalah

$229 21.6%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 15.1% $35

Eating Out

Salalah

$226 21.3%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 3.7% $8.5

Accommodation & Living

Salalah

$205 19.3%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 207% $424

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salalah

$202 19%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 42.1% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Salalah

$74 6.9%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 78.5% $58

Getting Around

Salalah

$69 6.6%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 8.5% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Salalah

$55 5.2%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 70.2% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $251 in Salalah versus $994 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 47% higher in Salalah, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26.00 in Salalah versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $229 vs $264 – making Salalah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Salalah

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

15:33 3:33 PM

14:33 2:33 PM

1 h behind Salalah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

178,469

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.32 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to OMR – Omani Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇴🇲 Omani Rial (ر.ع.)

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.431 OMR (1 OMR = 2.32 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to OMR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Salalah Istanbul 3,590 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Salalah
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

Salalah vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,589 per month in Salalah and $2,289 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Salalah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $106 per month in Salalah and $974 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% 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 Salalah, where all-in costs run around $1,059, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Salalah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Salalah – 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 Salalah. 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.