Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bodrum and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Bodrum: $1,189 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Bodrum
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Bodrum Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Bodrum

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,189

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bodrum and in Cape Town

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bodrum and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,189 in Bodrum versus $1,586 in Cape Town.

Bodrum $1,189
Cape Town $1,586

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,331 in Bodrum versus $2,425 in Cape Town.

Bodrum $2,331
Cape Town $2,425

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,474 in Bodrum versus $3,263 in Cape Town.

Bodrum $3,474
Cape Town $3,263

Living in Bodrum costs roughly 25% less than in Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bodrum is 12% below, Cape Town is 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.15 ₺502

$12.14 R 200

-16.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.4 ₺2,992

$45.34 R 747

33.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ₺431

$5.88 R 96.9

47.96%

Cappuccino

$3.46 ₺171

$2.50 R 41.18

38.40%

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

$1.50 ₺74.1

$1.27 R 20.94

18.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₺41.12

$0.98 R 16.14

-15.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.16 ₺206

$2.99 R 49.33

39.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.65 ₺230

$3.72 R 61.4

25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 ₺48.00

$1.30 R 21.40

-25.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 ₺48.91

$1.25 R 20.68

-20.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.23 R 36.76

7.62%

Eggs

$1.96 ₺96.8

$3.11 R 51.2

-36.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.02 ₺595

$9.06 R 149

32.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.53 ₺175

$6.92 R 114

-48.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.91 ₺1,085

$9.30 R 153

135.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 ₺77.7

$1.84 R 30.25

-14.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.6

$1.96 R 32.29

-1.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.91 ₺45.10

$1.67 R 27.45

-45.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ₺57.4

$2.17 R 35.70

-46.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 ₺25.47

$1.57 R 25.81

-67.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 ₺20.10

$1.48 R 24.45

-72.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 ₺39.85

$1.30 R 21.41

-38.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ₺33.95

$1.13 R 18.60

-38.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.27 ₺112

$3.60 R 59.3

-36.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 ₺689

$6.15 R 101

126.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ₺87.9

$1.38 R 22.66

28.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ₺90.8

$2.14 R 35.20

-14.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₺55.7

$1.50 R 24.65

-24.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ₺154

$0.59 R 9.71

427.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ₺51.1

$1.50 R 24.65

-31.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₺65.0

$1.55 R 25.50

-15.48%

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

$42.2K ₺2.1M

$36.2K R 596.5K

16.66%

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

$38.9K ₺1.9M

$31.2K R 514.8K

24.47%

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

$42.50 ₺2,104

$114 R 1,883

-62.82%

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

$10.17 ₺503

$28.91 R 476

-64.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.14 ₺551

$39.73 R 654

-71.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,699

$49.01 R 808

52.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$7.17 ₺355

$9.15 R 151

-21.64%

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

$411 ₺20.3K

$259 R 4,264

58.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,802 ₺435.8K

$6,794 R 111.9K

29.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₺5,078

$56.2 R 926

82.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 ₺2,937

$32.41 R 534

83.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$156 ₺7,703

$121 R 1,987

29.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 ₺5,783

$108 R 1,781

8.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$618 ₺30.6K

$1,021 R 16.8K

-39.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 ₺19.8K

$717 R 11.8K

-44.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 ₺64.3K

$1,824 R 30.1K

-28.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 ₺75.9K

$1,327 R 21.9K

15.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,887 ₺142.9K

$2,391 R 39.4K

20.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₺119.3K

$1,542 R 25.4K

56.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,065 ₺52.7K

$1,639 R 27.0K

-35.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

38.25

10.97

248.68%

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

Last update for Bodrum: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bodrum

$400 33.7%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 79% $316

Groceries & Markets

Bodrum

$240 20.1%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 6.1% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Bodrum

$195 16.4%

Cape Town

$143 9% 26.9% $53

Eating Out

Bodrum

$188 15.8%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 6.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Bodrum

$89 7.5%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 24.4% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bodrum

$64 5.4%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 187% $119

Getting Around

Bodrum

$13 * 1.1%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 486% $62

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $618 in Bodrum and $1,021 in Cape Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cape Town pays 54% 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: $60.0 in Bodrum vs $45.00 in Cape Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $240 vs $225 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Bodrum

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

22:23 10:23 PM

21:23 9:23 PM

1 h behind Bodrum

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

187,284

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bodrum Cape Town 7,950 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bodrum
Cape Town

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

Bodrum vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bodrum wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Cape Town. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bodrum the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 54% lower in Cape Town. 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: $618 in Bodrum versus $1,021 in Cape Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Cape Town pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,189 per month in Bodrum versus $1,586 in Cape Town – a 33% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,189 in Bodrum versus $1,586 in Cape Town, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bodrum but tight or insufficient in Cape Town. The gap between the two cities makes Bodrum the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bodrum delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,189 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bodrum hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bodrum and Cape Town 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 Bodrum gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Cape Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.