Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abidjan and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Abidjan: $1,222 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Abidjan
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Abidjan Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Abidjan

🇨🇮 Ivory Coast

$1,222

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Abidjan versus $1,526 in Istanbul.

Abidjan $1,222
Istanbul $1,526

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,090 in Abidjan versus $2,399 in Istanbul.

Abidjan $2,090
Istanbul $2,399

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,957 in Abidjan versus $3,272 in Istanbul.

Abidjan $2,957
Istanbul $3,272

Living in Abidjan costs roughly 20% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Abidjan is 9% below, Istanbul is 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.59 F CFA 1,513

$11.88 ₺585

-78.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 F CFA 39.7K

$55.1 ₺2,714

23.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.46 F CFA 6,119

$9.14 ₺450

14.44%

Cappuccino

$1.85 F CFA 1,080

$4.24 ₺209

-56.37%

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

$0.72 F CFA 419

$1.75 ₺86.0

-58.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 F CFA 447

$0.54 ₺26.83

40.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.04 F CFA 610

$4.69 ₺231

-77.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 F CFA 971

$5.97 ₺294

-72.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 F CFA 1,230

$1.26 ₺62.1

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.49 F CFA 289

$0.95 ₺46.81

-48.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 F CFA 667

$2.31 ₺114

-50.65%

Eggs

$2.29 F CFA 1,340

$2.47 ₺122

-7.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.21 F CFA 14.8K

$10.55 ₺520

138.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.73 F CFA 3,351

$5.60 ₺276

2.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.00 F CFA 3,511

$21.21 ₺1,045

-71.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.91 F CFA 2,287

$1.93 ₺95.1

102.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 F CFA 608

$2.29 ₺113

-54.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 F CFA 1,222

$1.28 ₺63.1

63.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.39 F CFA 1,397

$1.84 ₺90.8

29.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 F CFA 1,032

$0.67 ₺32.86

162.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 F CFA 932

$0.59 ₺29.31

169.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 F CFA 345

$1.33 ₺65.4

-55.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 F CFA 502

$0.59 ₺29.10

45.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.75 F CFA 1,022

$2.36 ₺116

-25.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.22 F CFA 3,052

$13.47 ₺664

-61.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 F CFA 618

$2.42 ₺119

-56.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 F CFA 679

$3.54 ₺174

-67.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 F CFA 536

$0.83 ₺40.64

10.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.81 F CFA 25.0K

$66.5 ₺3,273

-35.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 F CFA 977

$1.35 ₺66.6

23.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 F CFA 1,008

$0.85 ₺42.05

102.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.89 F CFA 15.1K

$10.86 ₺535

138.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 F CFA 884

$1.47 ₺72.3

2.72%

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

$28.1K F CFA 16.5M

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-45.49%

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

$27.0K F CFA 15.8M

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-39.17%

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

$163 F CFA 95.5K

$89.2 ₺4,395

82.87%

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

$24.63 F CFA 14.4K

$11.60 ₺572

112.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.38 F CFA 20.7K

$16.10 ₺793

119.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.0 F CFA 41.0K

$77.3 ₺3,805

-9.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 F CFA 12.5K

$22.66 ₺1,116

-6.05%

Cinema Ticket

$8.65 F CFA 5,062

$8.34 ₺411

3.72%

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

$367 F CFA 214.8K

$974 ₺48.0K

-62.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,608 F CFA 2.7M

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-82.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.0 F CFA 53.2K

$52.7 ₺2,597

72.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.71 F CFA 21.5K

$39.16 ₺1,929

-6.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.2 F CFA 44.6K

$103 ₺5,083

-26.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 F CFA 80.3K

$96.6 ₺4,759

42.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$679 F CFA 397.3K

$994 ₺49.0K

-31.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$342 F CFA 200.2K

$629 ₺31.0K

-45.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,604 F CFA 1.5M

$2,024 ₺99.7K

28.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,010 F CFA 590.9K

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-12.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,189 F CFA 1.3M

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-30.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$675 F CFA 395.2K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

-63.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 F CFA 126.1K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-82.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.75

41.09

-61.67%

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

Last update for Abidjan: October 6, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Abidjan

$342 28.6%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 83.9% $287

Groceries & Markets

Abidjan

$247 20.6%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 6.8% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abidjan

$223 18.6%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 47.6% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Abidjan

$154 12.8%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 14.5% $22

Eating Out

Abidjan

$89 7.4%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 146% $129

Sport & Entertainment

Abidjan

$87 7.3%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 7.6% $6.6

Getting Around

Abidjan

$57 4.7%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 32.8% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $679 in Abidjan and $994 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 458% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Abidjan vs $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries flip the comparison at $247 vs $264, with Abidjan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇮 Abidjan

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

05:54 5:54 AM

3 h ahead of Abidjan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,567,409

15,701,602

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.52 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 XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Abidjan Istanbul 5,150 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Abidjan
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

Abidjan vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Abidjan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 458% lower in Istanbul. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $679 in Abidjan versus $994 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Abidjan – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $55.0 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,222 per month in Abidjan versus $1,526 in Istanbul – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,222 in Abidjan versus $1,526 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Abidjan but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Abidjan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Abidjan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Istanbul, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Abidjan and Istanbul are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Abidjan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.