Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zagazig and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Zagazig: $350 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

17

Cost of Living Index in Zagazig
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Zagazig Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Zagazig

🇪🇬 Egypt

$350

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $350 per month in Zagazig vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Zagazig $350
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $581 per month in Zagazig vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Zagazig $581
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $813 per month in Zagazig vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Zagazig $813
Istanbul $3,212

Zagazig is about 77% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Zagazig sits 74% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 E£198

$11.81 ₺592

-68.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.29 E£769

$54.9 ₺2,754

-73.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.03 E£271

$9.26 ₺465

-45.68%

Cappuccino

$0.86 E£46.13

$4.30 ₺216

-80.00%

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

$0.26 E£13.86

$1.77 ₺89.0

-85.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£8.24

$0.56 ₺28.32

-73.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.39 E£75.1

$4.69 ₺235

-70.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 E£119

$7.12 ₺357

-68.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.66 E£35.54

$1.25 ₺62.7

-47.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.28 E£15.09

$0.88 ₺44.17

-68.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.53 E£28.50

$2.20 ₺111

-75.91%

Eggs

$1.09 E£58.6

$2.43 ₺122

-55.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.56 E£192

$10.48 ₺526

-66.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.93 E£211

$5.31 ₺267

-25.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.39 E£398

$21.10 ₺1,058

-64.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 E£69.7

$1.86 ₺93.1

-30.65%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 E£36.56

$2.30 ₺115

-70.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.37 E£20.01

$1.22 ₺61.0

-69.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.20 E£11.00

$1.80 ₺90.2

-88.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.37 E£19.83

$0.69 ₺34.83

-46.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 E£18.57

$0.64 ₺32.16

-46.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.10 E£5.48

$1.36 ₺68.0

-92.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.20 E£10.76

$0.58 ₺28.94

-65.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.85 E£99.8

$2.34 ₺117

-20.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.11 E£383

$13.03 ₺653

-45.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 E£76.0

$2.36 ₺118

-40.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 E£106

$3.32 ₺166

-40.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.11 E£5.76

$0.88 ₺44.07

-87.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.47 E£295

$66.1 ₺3,316

-91.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.16 E£8.35

$1.28 ₺64.4

-87.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 E£9.31

$0.85 ₺42.80

-80.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 E£32.17

$11.09 ₺556

-94.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.37 E£19.78

$1.48 ₺74.0

-75.00%

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

$32.8K E£1.8M

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-32.58%

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

$25.3K E£1.4M

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-39.63%

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

$13.78 E£742

$92.7 ₺4,650

-85.14%

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

$4.94 E£266

$11.20 ₺562

-55.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.10 E£544

$15.89 ₺797

-36.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.20 E£495

$74.7 ₺3,745

-87.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$1.86 E£100

$8.05 ₺404

-76.89%

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

$123 E£6,598

$948 ₺47.6K

-87.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.0K E£538.9K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-72.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.75 E£956

$53.9 ₺2,702

-67.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.85 E£2,630

$41.49 ₺2,081

17.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 E£5,782

$101 ₺5,060

6.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$16.28 E£877

$91.3 ₺4,580

-82.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$36.26 E£1,952

$625 ₺31.3K

-94.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$91.3 E£4,914

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-91.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$269 E£14.5K

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-84.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$191 E£10.3K

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-83.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

-75.26%

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

Last update for Zagazig: October 31, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zagazig

$111 31.8%

Istanbul

$258 17% 132% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Zagazig

$86 24.5%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 51.1% $44

Eating Out

Zagazig

$68 19.4%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 226% $153

Accommodation & Living

Zagazig

$36 10.4%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 1622% $588

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zagazig

$29 8.3%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 316% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Zagazig

$13 3.7%

Istanbul

$91 6% 603% $78

Getting Around

Zagazig

$6.9 2%

Istanbul

$75 5% 986% $68

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Istanbul are about 6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $14 in Zagazig versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $111 vs $258 – making Zagazig the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Zagazig

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

08:12 8:12 AM

09:12 9:12 AM

1 h ahead of Zagazig

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

285,097

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.86 USD

100 EGP = 1.65 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 53.85 EGP (100 EGP = 1.86 USD). 1 EUR = 60.45 EGP (100 EGP = 1.65 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.3 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zagazig Istanbul 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Zagazig
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

Zagazig vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 335%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $524 per month in Zagazig and $2,278 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Kindergarten costs $123 per month in Zagazig and $948 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 132% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Zagazig, where all-in costs run around $350, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Zagazig it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $350 in Zagazig to $1,519 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Zagazig. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.