Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sur and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Sur: $1,150 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Sur
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Sur Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Sur

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,150

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,151 per month in Sur vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sur $1,151
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $1,657 per month in Sur vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sur $1,657
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $2,163 per month in Sur vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sur $2,163
Istanbul $3,281

Sur is about 26% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.87 OMR 1.49

$11.96 ₺592

-67.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.34 OMR 10.14

$57.2 ₺2,834

-53.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.71 OMR 2.97

$9.51 ₺471

-18.93%

Cappuccino

$4.96 OMR 1.91

$4.40 ₺218

12.73%

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

$0.75 OMR 0.29

$1.75 ₺86.6

-57.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 OMR 0.10

$0.56 ₺27.57

-51.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.80 OMR 4.93

$4.71 ₺233

171.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.17 OMR 5.07

$6.14 ₺304

114.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 OMR 0.59

$1.24 ₺61.6

24.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 OMR 0.48

$0.95 ₺47.25

30.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 OMR 0.66

$2.28 ₺113

-25.00%

Eggs

$2.01 OMR 0.77

$2.45 ₺121

-17.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 OMR 2.81

$10.56 ₺523

-30.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.06 OMR 2.72

$5.50 ₺272

28.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.00 OMR 3.47

$21.65 ₺1,072

-58.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 OMR 0.89

$1.83 ₺90.6

26.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 OMR 0.50

$2.29 ₺113

-42.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.01 OMR 0.39

$1.28 ₺63.4

-21.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.81 OMR 0.31

$1.82 ₺90.1

-55.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 OMR 0.29

$0.66 ₺32.74

13.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 OMR 0.21

$0.63 ₺31.14

-14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 OMR 0.61

$1.27 ₺62.8

25.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 OMR 0.19

$0.56 ₺27.62

-8.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 OMR 2.56

$2.36 ₺117

181.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.62 OMR 6.02

$12.98 ₺642

20.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.04 OMR 2.33

$2.48 ₺123

143.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.03 OMR 3.86

$3.50 ₺174

186.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 OMR 1.22

$1.33 ₺65.7

138.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.65 OMR 1.02

$0.90 ₺44.60

194.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.75 OMR 2.99

$10.91 ₺540

-28.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.53 OMR 0.20

$1.43 ₺70.7

-62.94%

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

$25.5K OMR 9,816

$49.6K ₺2.5M

-48.57%

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

$22.5K OMR 8,655

$43.2K ₺2.1M

-47.95%

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

$79.4 OMR 30.58

$88.8 ₺4,395

-10.53%

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

$23.55 OMR 9.07

$11.69 ₺579

101.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.4 OMR 27.49

$16.09 ₺797

343.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.7 OMR 32.60

$76.3 ₺3,776

11.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$10.27 OMR 3.96

$8.26 ₺409

24.33%

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

$283 OMR 109

$1,015 ₺50.2K

-72.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,584 OMR 2,535

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-74.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 OMR 22.09

$53.3 ₺2,636

7.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.21 OMR 16.64

$40.55 ₺2,008

6.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 OMR 34.90

$100 ₺4,956

-9.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 OMR 33.86

$93.5 ₺4,630

-5.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$257 OMR 98.9

$977 ₺48.4K

-73.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 OMR 103

$627 ₺31.0K

-57.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 OMR 181

$1,980 ₺98.0K

-76.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 OMR 150

$1,147 ₺56.8K

-66.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$573 OMR 221

$3,095 ₺153.2K

-81.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$521 OMR 201

$1,787 ₺88.5K

-70.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,672 OMR 1,029

$1,213 ₺60.1K

120.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

40.69

-87.10%

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

Last update for Sur: October 18, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sur

$269 23.4%

Istanbul

$627 41.1% 134% $358

Groceries & Markets

Sur

$252 21.9%

Istanbul

$263 17.2% 4.3% $11

Eating Out

Sur

$208 18.1%

Istanbul

$222 14.6% 6.7% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sur

$174 15.2%

Istanbul

$117 7.6% 33.2% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Sur

$126 10.9%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 2.9% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Sur

$105 9.2%

Istanbul

$93 6.1% 11.8% $12

Getting Around

Sur

$16 * 1.4%

Istanbul

$74 4.9% 353% $58

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $263 in Sur 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 119% higher in Sur, 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 $27.00 in Sur versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $260 – making Sur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Sur

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

13:40 1:40 PM

12:40 12:40 PM

1 h behind Sur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,000

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to OMR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sur Istanbul 3,510 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sur
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

Sur vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,727 per month in Sur 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 Sur, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Sur and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% 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 Sur, where all-in costs run around $1,151, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Sur it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sur – 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 Sur. 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.