Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bissau and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Bissau: $837 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Bissau

🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau

$837

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $837 in Bissau versus $1,526 in Istanbul.

Bissau $837
Istanbul $1,526

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,352 in Bissau versus $2,399 in Istanbul.

Bissau $1,352
Istanbul $2,399

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,868 in Bissau versus $3,272 in Istanbul.

Bissau $1,868
Istanbul $3,272

Living in Bissau costs roughly 45% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bissau is 38% below, Istanbul is 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.33 F CFA 3,120

$11.88 ₺585

-55.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.69 F CFA 15.0K

$55.1 ₺2,714

-53.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 F CFA 5,560

$9.14 ₺450

3.94%

Cappuccino

$1.75 F CFA 1,023

$4.24 ₺209

-58.73%

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

$1.03 F CFA 600

$1.75 ₺86.0

-41.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 F CFA 487

$0.54 ₺26.83

53.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.71 F CFA 413

$4.69 ₺231

-84.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 F CFA 992

$1.26 ₺62.1

34.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 F CFA 587

$0.95 ₺46.81

5.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 F CFA 1,184

$2.31 ₺114

-12.55%

Eggs

$5.29 F CFA 3,093

$2.47 ₺122

114.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.63 F CFA 8,561

$10.55 ₺520

38.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.73 F CFA 8,033

$5.60 ₺276

145.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.00 F CFA 8,193

$21.21 ₺1,045

-33.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.46 F CFA 2,608

$1.93 ₺95.1

131.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 F CFA 622

$2.29 ₺113

-53.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 F CFA 2,558

$1.28 ₺63.1

241.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.15 F CFA 85.3

$1.84 ₺90.8

-91.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 F CFA 829

$0.67 ₺32.86

111.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 F CFA 830

$0.59 ₺29.31

140.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 F CFA 753

$0.59 ₺29.10

118.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

Wine (Bottle)

$6.94 F CFA 4,062

$13.47 ₺664

-48.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 F CFA 749

$2.42 ₺119

-47.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 F CFA 499

$3.54 ₺174

-75.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 F CFA 294

$0.83 ₺40.64

-39.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.49 F CFA 14.9K

$66.5 ₺3,273

-61.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 F CFA 868

$1.47 ₺72.3

0.68%

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

$31.7K F CFA 18.6M

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-38.56%

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

$28.9K F CFA 16.9M

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-34.90%

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

$105 F CFA 61.5K

$89.2 ₺4,395

17.88%

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

$34.41 F CFA 20.1K

$11.60 ₺572

196.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.15 F CFA 26.4K

$16.10 ₺793

180.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.73 F CFA 25.6K

$77.3 ₺3,805

-43.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

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

$759 F CFA 444.1K

$974 ₺48.0K

-22.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,319 F CFA 1.4M

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-91.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$528 F CFA 309.1K

$994 ₺49.0K

-46.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$171 F CFA 100.1K

$629 ₺31.0K

-72.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$867 F CFA 507.3K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-57.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$429 F CFA 250.8K

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-62.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 F CFA 601.9K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-14.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

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

Last update for Bissau: October 5, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bissau

–

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Groceries & Markets

Bissau

–

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Eating Out

Bissau

–

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Clothing & Footwear

Bissau

–

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bissau

–

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Sport & Entertainment

Bissau

–

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Getting Around

Bissau

–

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $528 in Bissau and $994 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 17% 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: $26.00 in Bissau vs $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries flip the comparison at $302 vs $264, with Istanbul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇼 Bissau

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

08:36 8:36 AM

11:36 11:36 AM

3 h ahead of Bissau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

395,954 Capital

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

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Between locations

Bissau Istanbul 5,410 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bissau
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

Bissau vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bissau and Istanbul differ by about 82% in total monthly costs ($837 vs $1,526 including rent). Bissau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 17% 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: $528 in Bissau versus $994 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $759 in Bissau versus $974 in Istanbul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Istanbul pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $837 in Bissau versus $1,526 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bissau but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Bissau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bissau 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 Bissau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 82% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.