Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tetouan and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Tetouan: $662 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Tetouan
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Tetouan Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Tetouan

🇲🇦 Morocco

$662

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $662 per month in Tetouan vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Tetouan $662
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $999 per month in Tetouan vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Tetouan $999
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $1,336 per month in Tetouan vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Tetouan $1,336
Istanbul $3,281

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

Tetouan 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 29.61

$12.30 ₺609

-75.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.99 MAD 175

$54.7 ₺2,708

-67.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.23 MAD 80.2

$9.22 ₺456

-10.74%

Cappuccino

$1.86 MAD 18.09

$4.40 ₺218

-57.73%

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

$0.75 MAD 7.27

$1.68 ₺83.1

-55.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 MAD 3.21

$0.59 ₺29.40

-44.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 MAD 25.54

$4.70 ₺233

-44.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MAD 29.82

$5.91 ₺292

-48.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 MAD 8.70

$1.21 ₺60.0

-26.45%

White Bread (500g)

$0.19 MAD 1.85

$0.89 ₺44.10

-78.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 MAD 19.14

$2.19 ₺108

-10.50%

Eggs

$1.60 MAD 15.58

$2.35 ₺116

-31.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.90 MAD 57.5

$10.42 ₺516

-43.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.93 MAD 67.5

$5.65 ₺280

22.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 MAD 119

$20.94 ₺1,037

-41.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 MAD 15.88

$1.90 ₺94.1

-14.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MAD 13.48

$2.31 ₺114

-40.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.88 MAD 8.63

$1.28 ₺63.1

-31.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.86 MAD 8.42

$1.80 ₺89.0

-52.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 MAD 8.80

$0.65 ₺32.16

38.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 MAD 7.16

$0.64 ₺31.91

14.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 MAD 5.16

$1.25 ₺62.1

-57.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 MAD 6.13

$0.56 ₺27.58

12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 MAD 37.32

$2.37 ₺118

61.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 MAD 81.3

$13.42 ₺664

-37.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 MAD 20.99

$2.40 ₺119

-10.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 MAD 24.72

$3.48 ₺172

-27.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MAD 5.23

$0.89 ₺43.84

-39.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.56 MAD 122

$67.4 ₺3,338

-81.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 MAD 7.34

$1.29 ₺64.1

-41.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 MAD 8.29

$0.92 ₺45.70

-7.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 MAD 32.20

$10.96 ₺542

-69.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MAD 14.95

$1.47 ₺72.9

4.08%

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

$33.9K MAD 330.4K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-33.27%

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

$30.8K MAD 300.3K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-30.83%

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

$43.42 MAD 423

$88.6 ₺4,387

-51.00%

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

$10.72 MAD 105

$11.59 ₺574

-7.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.31 MAD 403

$15.81 ₺783

161.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.00 MAD 146

$77.2 ₺3,820

-80.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.02 MAD 117

$22.74 ₺1,126

-47.14%

Cinema Ticket

$3.83 MAD 37.34

$8.14 ₺403

-52.95%

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

$48.53 MAD 473

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-95.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,823 MAD 56.8K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-77.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.06 MAD 176

$54.0 ₺2,671

-66.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.28 MAD 461

$40.83 ₺2,021

15.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.8 MAD 544

$98.9 ₺4,895

-43.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.1 MAD 635

$96.6 ₺4,783

-32.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$202 MAD 1,969

$985 ₺48.7K

-79.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$160 MAD 1,565

$650 ₺32.2K

-75.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$405 MAD 3,952

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-79.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 MAD 2,481

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-78.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,092 MAD 10.6K

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-65.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$744 MAD 7,251

$1,780 ₺88.1K

-58.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$405 MAD 3,945

$1,205 ₺59.7K

-66.43%

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 Tetouan: October 10, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tetouan

$185 27.9%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 40.6% $75

Accommodation & Living

Tetouan

$160 24.3%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 305% $489

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tetouan

$95 14.4%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 21.6% $21

Eating Out

Tetouan

$95 14.3%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 136% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Tetouan

$84 12.7%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 55.9% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Tetouan

$23 3.4%

Istanbul

$93 6% 312% $71

Getting Around

Tetouan

$20 3%

Istanbul

$77 5% 290% $57

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $202 in Tetouan 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 198% 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 $18.00 in Tetouan versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $185 vs $260 – making Tetouan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Tetouan

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

21:09 9:09 PM

23:09 11:09 PM

2 h ahead of Tetouan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

380,787

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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to MAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tetouan Istanbul 3,040 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tetouan
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

Tetouan vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 134%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $992 per month in Tetouan 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 Tetouan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $48.53 per month in Tetouan 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 41% 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 Tetouan, where all-in costs run around $662, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Tetouan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tetouan – 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 Tetouan. 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.