Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sale and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Sale: $635 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Sale
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Sale Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Sale

🇲🇦 Morocco

$635

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $635 per month in Sale vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sale $635
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $1,044 per month in Sale vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sale $1,044
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $1,453 per month in Sale vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sale $1,453
Istanbul $3,281

Sale is about 59% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sale sits 53% below the global median, while Istanbul is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.63 MAD 35.42

$12.30 ₺609

-70.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.82 MAD 174

$54.7 ₺2,708

-67.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.19 MAD 70.1

$9.22 ₺456

-22.02%

Cappuccino

$1.76 MAD 17.20

$4.40 ₺218

-60.00%

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

$0.60 MAD 5.81

$1.68 ₺83.1

-64.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 MAD 3.16

$0.59 ₺29.40

-45.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.63 MAD 25.63

$4.70 ₺233

-44.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 MAD 29.76

$5.91 ₺292

-48.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 MAD 8.77

$1.21 ₺60.0

-25.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 MAD 6.36

$0.89 ₺44.10

-26.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 MAD 18.57

$2.19 ₺108

-13.24%

Eggs

$1.86 MAD 18.10

$2.35 ₺116

-20.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.31 MAD 110

$10.42 ₺516

8.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 MAD 67.2

$5.65 ₺280

21.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.38 MAD 121

$20.94 ₺1,037

-40.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.34 MAD 13.05

$1.90 ₺94.1

-29.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 MAD 11.48

$2.31 ₺114

-48.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.84 MAD 8.23

$1.28 ₺63.1

-34.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.90 MAD 8.76

$1.80 ₺89.0

-50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.68 MAD 6.62

$0.65 ₺32.16

4.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 MAD 7.15

$0.64 ₺31.91

14.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 MAD 4.58

$1.25 ₺62.1

-62.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 MAD 6.03

$0.56 ₺27.58

10.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 MAD 36.51

$2.37 ₺118

58.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.74 MAD 46.23

$13.42 ₺664

-64.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 MAD 21.75

$2.40 ₺119

-7.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 MAD 20.81

$3.48 ₺172

-38.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MAD 5.32

$0.89 ₺43.84

-38.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.03 MAD 225

$67.4 ₺3,338

-65.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.69 MAD 6.78

$1.29 ₺64.1

-46.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MAD 4.85

$0.92 ₺45.70

-45.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.03 MAD 39.30

$10.96 ₺542

-63.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MAD 14.46

$1.47 ₺72.9

0.68%

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

$31.0K MAD 301.9K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-39.02%

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

$30.8K MAD 300.4K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-30.80%

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

$37.71 MAD 368

$88.6 ₺4,387

-57.44%

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

$10.53 MAD 103

$11.59 ₺574

-9.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.93 MAD 399

$15.81 ₺783

158.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.62 MAD 162

$77.2 ₺3,820

-78.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.69 MAD 397

$22.74 ₺1,126

78.94%

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MAD 51.6

$8.14 ₺403

-35.01%

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

$104 MAD 1,010

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-89.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,903 MAD 57.6K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-76.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.27 MAD 315

$54.0 ₺2,671

-40.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.59 MAD 454

$40.83 ₺2,021

14.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.9 MAD 701

$98.9 ₺4,895

-27.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.4 MAD 648

$96.6 ₺4,783

-31.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$208 MAD 2,025

$985 ₺48.7K

-78.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$102 MAD 994

$650 ₺32.2K

-84.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$356 MAD 3,473

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-82.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$260 MAD 2,532

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-77.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,126 MAD 11.0K

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-64.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$838 MAD 8,167

$1,780 ₺88.1K

-52.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$516 MAD 5,033

$1,205 ₺59.7K

-57.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

-87.78%

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

Last update for Sale: October 12, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sale

$195 30.8%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 32.9% $64

Accommodation & Living

Sale

$102 16.1%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 537% $548

Clothing & Footwear

Sale

$98 15.4%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 33.6% $33

Eating Out

Sale

$95 14.9%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 136% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sale

$89 14.1%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 30.1% $27

Getting Around

Sale

$28 4.5%

Istanbul

$77 5% 171% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Sale

$27 4.3%

Istanbul

$93 6% 243% $66

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $208 in Sale 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 134% 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 $18.00 in Sale versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $195 vs $260 – making Sale the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Sale

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

15:22 3:22 PM

17:22 5:22 PM

2 h ahead of Sale

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

890,403

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 18, 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 18, 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

Sale Istanbul 3,230 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sale
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

Sale vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 144%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $952 per month in Sale 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 Sale, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $104 per month in Sale 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 33% 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 Sale, where all-in costs run around $635, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Sale it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sale – 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 Sale. 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.