Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sohar and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Sohar: $1,403 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

69

Cost of Living Index in Sohar
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Sohar Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Sohar

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,403

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,403 per month in Sohar vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sohar $1,403
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $2,068 per month in Sohar vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sohar $2,068
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $2,734 per month in Sohar vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sohar $2,734
Istanbul $3,272

Sohar is about 8% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Sohar and Istanbul sit above the global median – Sohar by 5%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.48 OMR 2.50

$11.88 ₺585

-45.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.49 OMR 7.89

$55.1 ₺2,714

-62.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.19 OMR 3.54

$9.14 ₺450

0.55%

Cappuccino

$4.77 OMR 1.84

$4.24 ₺209

12.50%

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

$0.64 OMR 0.25

$1.75 ₺86.0

-63.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 OMR 0.11

$0.54 ₺26.83

-48.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.24 OMR 5.10

$4.69 ₺231

182.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$14.46 OMR 5.57

$5.97 ₺294

142.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 OMR 0.81

$1.26 ₺62.1

67.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 OMR 0.43

$0.95 ₺46.81

16.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.23 OMR 1.24

$2.31 ₺114

39.83%

Eggs

$2.74 OMR 1.05

$2.47 ₺122

10.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.31 OMR 5.12

$10.55 ₺520

26.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.30 OMR 3.58

$5.60 ₺276

66.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.55 OMR 5.60

$21.21 ₺1,045

-31.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 OMR 1.24

$1.93 ₺95.1

66.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 OMR 0.84

$2.29 ₺113

-4.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 OMR 0.96

$1.28 ₺63.1

94.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 OMR 0.47

$1.84 ₺90.8

-33.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 OMR 0.67

$0.67 ₺32.86

159.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 OMR 0.69

$0.59 ₺29.31

203.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 OMR 0.66

$1.33 ₺65.4

27.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 OMR 0.35

$0.59 ₺29.10

52.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.83 OMR 2.25

$2.36 ₺116

147.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$25.80 OMR 9.93

$13.47 ₺664

91.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.79 OMR 1.46

$2.42 ₺119

56.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.71 OMR 3.35

$3.54 ₺174

146.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.63 OMR 1.01

$0.83 ₺40.64

216.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.1 OMR 19.65

$66.5 ₺3,273

-23.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 OMR 1.23

$1.35 ₺66.6

136.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 OMR 0.61

$0.85 ₺42.05

85.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.21 OMR 3.93

$10.86 ₺535

-5.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 OMR 0.23

$1.47 ₺72.3

-59.18%

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

$18.4K OMR 7,101

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-64.27%

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

$20.3K OMR 7,830

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-54.24%

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

$102 OMR 39.41

$89.2 ₺4,395

14.72%

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

$29.06 OMR 11.19

$11.60 ₺572

150.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.2 OMR 34.72

$16.10 ₺793

460.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 OMR 19.02

$77.3 ₺3,805

-36.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

Cinema Ticket

$11.56 OMR 4.45

$8.34 ₺411

38.61%

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

$303 OMR 117

$974 ₺48.0K

-68.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,070 OMR 2,722

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-72.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 OMR 19.30

$52.7 ₺2,597

-4.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.95 OMR 16.92

$39.16 ₺1,929

12.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.4 OMR 30.18

$103 ₺5,083

-24.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.23 OMR 17.80

$96.6 ₺4,759

-52.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 OMR 194

$994 ₺49.0K

-49.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 OMR 146

$629 ₺31.0K

-39.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$827 OMR 319

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-59.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 OMR 256

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-42.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,178 OMR 454

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-62.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$765 OMR 295

$1,838 ₺90.5K

-58.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,514 OMR 968

$1,203 ₺59.3K

108.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.33

41.09

-84.59%

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

Last update for Sohar: October 4, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sohar

$378 26.5%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 66.5% $251

Groceries & Markets

Sohar

$346 24.3%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 23.7% $82

Eating Out

Sohar

$235 16.5%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 7.5% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sohar

$222 15.6%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 47.2% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Sohar

$98 6.9%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 33.4% $33

Getting Around

Sohar

$73 5.1%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 3.8% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Sohar

$73 5.1%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 29.5% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $503 in Sohar 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 109% higher in Sohar, 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 $20.00 in Sohar versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $346 in Sohar vs $264 in Istanbul – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Sohar

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

07:49 7:49 AM

06:49 6:49 AM

1 h behind Sohar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

221,605

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 = 0.432 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 = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to OMR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sohar Istanbul 3,170 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sohar
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

Sohar vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,104 per month in Sohar 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 Sohar, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $303 per month in Sohar and $974 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 31% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sohar, where all-in costs run around $1,403, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Sohar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sohar – 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 Sohar. 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.