Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sousse and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Sousse: $778 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Sousse
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Sousse Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Sousse

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$778

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $778 per month in Sousse vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sousse $778
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $1,256 per month in Sousse vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sousse $1,256
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $1,733 per month in Sousse vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sousse $1,733
Istanbul $3,272

Sousse is about 49% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sousse sits 42% below the global median, while Istanbul is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.94 TND 14.77

$11.88 ₺585

-58.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.57 TND 70.4

$55.1 ₺2,714

-57.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.76 TND 20.20

$9.14 ₺450

-26.04%

Cappuccino

$1.05 TND 3.12

$4.24 ₺209

-75.24%

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

$0.75 TND 2.24

$1.75 ₺86.0

-57.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 TND 1.12

$0.54 ₺26.83

-31.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.71 TND 5.10

$4.69 ₺231

-63.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 TND 4.93

$5.97 ₺294

-72.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.45 TND 1.34

$1.26 ₺62.1

-64.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.15 TND 0.46

$0.95 ₺46.81

-84.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 TND 3.83

$2.31 ₺114

-44.59%

Eggs

$1.66 TND 4.96

$2.47 ₺122

-32.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.80 TND 41.23

$10.55 ₺520

30.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.64 TND 16.85

$5.60 ₺276

0.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.21 TND 42.45

$21.21 ₺1,045

-33.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 TND 6.14

$1.93 ₺95.1

6.22%

Banana (1kg)

$3.57 TND 10.66

$2.29 ₺113

55.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 TND 2.93

$1.28 ₺63.1

-23.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 TND 2.09

$1.84 ₺90.8

-61.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 TND 2.58

$0.67 ₺32.86

28.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 TND 2.03

$0.59 ₺29.31

15.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 TND 1.29

$1.33 ₺65.4

-67.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 TND 0.90

$0.59 ₺29.10

-49.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 TND 11.21

$2.36 ₺116

58.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.98 TND 17.88

$13.47 ₺664

-55.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 TND 3.23

$2.42 ₺119

-55.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 TND 3.50

$3.54 ₺174

-66.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 TND 1.03

$0.83 ₺40.64

-59.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.92 TND 29.65

$66.5 ₺3,273

-85.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 TND 0.94

$1.35 ₺66.6

-77.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 TND 1.92

$0.85 ₺42.05

-24.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 TND 11.90

$10.86 ₺535

-63.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 TND 2.59

$1.47 ₺72.3

-40.82%

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

$40.0K TND 119.6K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-22.48%

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

$36.8K TND 110.0K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-17.18%

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

$75.6 TND 226

$89.2 ₺4,395

-15.24%

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

$13.63 TND 40.72

$11.60 ₺572

17.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.75 TND 59.0

$16.10 ₺793

22.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.30 TND 84.6

$77.3 ₺3,805

-63.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.72 TND 79.8

$22.66 ₺1,116

17.92%

Cinema Ticket

$6.45 TND 19.27

$8.34 ₺411

-22.66%

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

$93.4 TND 279

$974 ₺48.0K

-90.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,224 TND 9,635

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-87.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 TND 154

$52.7 ₺2,597

-2.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.4 TND 213

$39.16 ₺1,929

82.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$150 TND 450

$103 ₺5,083

45.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 TND 301

$96.6 ₺4,759

4.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$243 TND 727

$994 ₺49.0K

-75.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$159 TND 476

$629 ₺31.0K

-74.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 TND 1,565

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-74.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$341 TND 1,019

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-70.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$992 TND 2,963

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-68.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$635 TND 1,896

$1,838 ₺90.5K

-65.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$381 TND 1,138

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-68.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.4

41.09

-72.26%

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

Last update for Sousse: 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

Sousse

$198 25.4%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 33.3% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Sousse

$168 21.6%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 22% $37

Accommodation & Living

Sousse

$159 20.5%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 295% $470

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sousse

$109 14%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 7.3% $7.9

Eating Out

Sousse

$89 11.4%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 146% $129

Sport & Entertainment

Sousse

$41 5.3%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 128% $53

Getting Around

Sousse

$15 1.9%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 409% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $243 in Sousse 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 216% 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 $24.00 in Sousse versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $264 – making Sousse the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇳 Sousse

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

10:06 10:06 AM

2 h ahead of Sousse

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

221,530

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 TND = 0.335 USD

1 TND = 0.298 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇳 Tunisian Dinar (د.ت)

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.335 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 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 TND in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sousse Istanbul 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sousse
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

Sousse vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 96%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,168 per month in Sousse 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 Sousse, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $93.4 per month in Sousse 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 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sousse, where all-in costs run around $778, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Sousse it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sousse – 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 Sousse. 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.