Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tangier and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Tangier: $988 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Tangier
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Tangier Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Tangier

🇲🇦 Morocco

$988

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $988 per month in Tangier vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Tangier $988
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $1,506 per month in Tangier vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Tangier $1,506
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $2,023 per month in Tangier vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Tangier $2,023
Istanbul $3,272

Tangier is about 35% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tangier sits 26% below the global median, while Istanbul is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.13 MAD 49.91

$11.88 ₺585

-56.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.39 MAD 345

$55.1 ₺2,714

-35.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.83 MAD 66.5

$9.14 ₺450

-25.27%

Cappuccino

$2.15 MAD 20.93

$4.24 ₺209

-49.29%

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

$0.76 MAD 7.45

$1.75 ₺86.0

-56.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MAD 3.73

$0.54 ₺26.83

-29.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.90 MAD 57.4

$4.69 ₺231

25.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MAD 49.36

$5.97 ₺294

-15.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 MAD 9.94

$1.26 ₺62.1

-19.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 MAD 11.21

$0.95 ₺46.81

21.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 MAD 15.82

$2.31 ₺114

-29.87%

Eggs

$1.78 MAD 17.35

$2.47 ₺122

-27.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 MAD 93.6

$10.55 ₺520

-8.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.95 MAD 67.7

$5.60 ₺276

24.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MAD 124

$21.21 ₺1,045

-39.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.54 MAD 15.03

$1.93 ₺95.1

-20.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 MAD 13.57

$2.29 ₺113

-39.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.77 MAD 7.48

$1.28 ₺63.1

-39.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.75 MAD 7.30

$1.84 ₺90.8

-59.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 MAD 5.91

$0.67 ₺32.86

-8.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 MAD 6.17

$0.59 ₺29.31

6.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 MAD 4.46

$1.33 ₺65.4

-65.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MAD 5.32

$0.59 ₺29.10

-6.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 MAD 38.58

$2.36 ₺116

67.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.23 MAD 89.8

$13.47 ₺664

-31.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.78 MAD 36.77

$2.42 ₺119

56.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 MAD 37.31

$3.54 ₺174

8.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 MAD 3.78

$0.83 ₺40.64

-53.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.32 MAD 149

$66.5 ₺3,273

-76.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.69 MAD 6.68

$1.35 ₺66.6

-48.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 MAD 8.93

$0.85 ₺42.05

8.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.12 MAD 88.8

$10.86 ₺535

-16.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 MAD 13.78

$1.47 ₺72.3

-4.08%

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

$33.5K MAD 325.9K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-35.15%

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

$28.5K MAD 277.5K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-35.86%

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

$73.6 MAD 716

$89.2 ₺4,395

-17.55%

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

$12.83 MAD 125

$11.60 ₺572

10.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.86 MAD 369

$16.10 ₺793

135.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.22 MAD 284

$77.3 ₺3,805

-62.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.97 MAD 340

$22.66 ₺1,116

54.32%

Cinema Ticket

$7.02 MAD 68.4

$8.34 ₺411

-15.83%

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

$91.7 MAD 893

$974 ₺48.0K

-90.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,898 MAD 57.4K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-77.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.94 MAD 340

$52.7 ₺2,597

-33.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.25 MAD 460

$39.16 ₺1,929

20.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 MAD 931

$103 ₺5,083

-7.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 MAD 983

$96.6 ₺4,759

4.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 MAD 4,514

$994 ₺49.0K

-53.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 MAD 2,972

$629 ₺31.0K

-51.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$839 MAD 8,164

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-58.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$493 MAD 4,804

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-57.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,707 MAD 16.6K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-46.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,171 MAD 11.4K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

-36.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 MAD 4,773

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-59.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

41.09

-91.07%

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

Last update for Tangier: 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

Tangier

$305 31.5%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 106% $324

Groceries & Markets

Tangier

$217 22.4%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 21.8% $47

Eating Out

Tangier

$132 13.6%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 65.6% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Tangier

$125 13%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 4.6% $5.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tangier

$124 12.8%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 5.9% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Tangier

$43 4.5%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 117% $51

Getting Around

Tangier

$22 2.3%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 240% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Tangier 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 145% 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 $35.00 in Tangier versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $217 vs $264 – making Tangier the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Tangier

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

12:23 12:23 PM

14:23 2:23 PM

2 h ahead of Tangier

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

947,952

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.27 USD

100 MAD = 9.17 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.74 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.91 MAD (100 MAD = 9.17 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to MAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tangier Istanbul 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tangier
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

Tangier vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,482 per month in Tangier 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 Tangier, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $91.7 per month in Tangier 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 22% 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 Tangier, where all-in costs run around $988, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Tangier it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tangier – 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 Tangier. 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.