Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sidi Kacem and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Sidi Kacem: $667 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Sidi Kacem
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Sidi Kacem Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Sidi Kacem

🇲🇦 Morocco

$667

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $667 per month in Sidi Kacem vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sidi Kacem $667
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $1,005 per month in Sidi Kacem vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sidi Kacem $1,005
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $1,344 per month in Sidi Kacem vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sidi Kacem $1,344
Istanbul $3,281

Sidi Kacem is about 57% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sidi Kacem sits 51% 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 29.60

$12.30 ₺609

-75.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.24 MAD 178

$54.7 ₺2,708

-66.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.24 MAD 80.4

$9.22 ₺456

-10.63%

Cappuccino

$1.76 MAD 17.18

$4.40 ₺218

-60.00%

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

$0.70 MAD 6.85

$1.68 ₺83.1

-58.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 MAD 3.21

$0.59 ₺29.40

-44.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 MAD 24.68

$4.70 ₺233

-46.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 MAD 31.04

$5.91 ₺292

-46.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 MAD 7.37

$1.21 ₺60.0

-37.19%

White Bread (500g)

$0.18 MAD 1.80

$0.89 ₺44.10

-79.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 MAD 17.74

$2.19 ₺108

-16.89%

Eggs

$1.57 MAD 15.26

$2.35 ₺116

-33.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.91 MAD 57.6

$10.42 ₺516

-43.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.05 MAD 39.51

$5.65 ₺280

-28.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.50 MAD 102

$20.94 ₺1,037

-49.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 MAD 15.76

$1.90 ₺94.1

-14.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 MAD 14.20

$2.31 ₺114

-36.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.85 MAD 8.33

$1.28 ₺63.1

-33.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 MAD 6.35

$1.80 ₺89.0

-63.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.68 MAD 6.68

$0.65 ₺32.16

4.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 MAD 5.82

$0.64 ₺31.91

-6.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 MAD 4.13

$1.25 ₺62.1

-66.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 MAD 6.06

$0.56 ₺27.58

10.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 MAD 37.10

$2.37 ₺118

60.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.09 MAD 78.9

$13.42 ₺664

-39.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MAD 19.31

$2.40 ₺119

-17.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 MAD 16.48

$3.48 ₺172

-51.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 MAD 5.71

$0.89 ₺43.84

-33.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.30 MAD 188

$67.4 ₺3,338

-71.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.69 MAD 6.75

$1.29 ₺64.1

-46.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 MAD 7.75

$0.92 ₺45.70

-14.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 MAD 33.52

$10.96 ₺542

-68.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 MAD 11.80

$1.47 ₺72.9

-17.69%

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

$34.3K MAD 334.6K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-32.42%

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

$30.6K MAD 298.8K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-31.17%

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

$43.86 MAD 428

$88.6 ₺4,387

-50.50%

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

$10.74 MAD 105

$11.59 ₺574

-7.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.13 MAD 411

$15.81 ₺783

166.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.27 MAD 285

$77.2 ₺3,820

-62.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.70 MAD 212

$22.74 ₺1,126

-4.57%

Cinema Ticket

$3.65 MAD 35.58

$8.14 ₺403

-55.16%

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

$48.31 MAD 471

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-95.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,808 MAD 56.6K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-77.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.61 MAD 172

$54.0 ₺2,671

-67.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.98 MAD 448

$40.83 ₺2,021

12.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.9 MAD 535

$98.9 ₺4,895

-44.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.9 MAD 632

$96.6 ₺4,783

-32.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$298 MAD 2,905

$985 ₺48.7K

-69.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 MAD 1,691

$650 ₺32.2K

-73.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$446 MAD 4,351

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-77.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$278 MAD 2,712

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-76.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,267 MAD 12.4K

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-59.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$704 MAD 6,863

$1,780 ₺88.1K

-60.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

40.92

-86.56%

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

Last update for Sidi Kacem: 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

Sidi Kacem

$173 26%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 275% $476

Groceries & Markets

Sidi Kacem

$158 23.7%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 64.6% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sidi Kacem

$97 14.5%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 19.9% $19

Eating Out

Sidi Kacem

$93 14%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 139% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Sidi Kacem

$83 12.4%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 58.3% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Sidi Kacem

$37 5.5%

Istanbul

$93 6% 156% $57

Getting Around

Sidi Kacem

$26 4%

Istanbul

$77 5% 192% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $298 in Sidi Kacem 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 $18.00 in Sidi Kacem versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $158 vs $260 – making Sidi Kacem the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Sidi Kacem

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

13:34 1:34 PM

15:34 3:34 PM

2 h ahead of Sidi Kacem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,672

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

Sidi Kacem Istanbul 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sidi Kacem
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

Sidi Kacem vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 132%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,000 per month in Sidi Kacem 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 Sidi Kacem, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $48.31 per month in Sidi Kacem 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 65% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sidi Kacem, where all-in costs run around $667, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Sidi Kacem it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sidi Kacem – 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 Sidi Kacem. 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.