Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brazzaville and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $1,931 in Brazzaville, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brazzaville outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

93

Cost of Living Index in Brazzaville
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Brazzaville Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Brazzaville

🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo

$1,931

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,931 per month in Brazzaville vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Brazzaville $1,931
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $2,959 per month in Brazzaville vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Brazzaville $2,959
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $3,986 per month in Brazzaville vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Brazzaville $3,986
Istanbul $3,272

Brazzaville costs about 27% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Brazzaville and Istanbul sit above the global median – Brazzaville by 44%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.22 FCFA 4,812

$11.88 ₺585

-30.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.75 FCFA 29.1K

$55.1 ₺2,714

-9.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 FCFA 2,839

$9.14 ₺450

-46.94%

Cappuccino

$4.05 FCFA 2,370

$4.24 ₺209

-4.48%

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

$1.59 FCFA 929

$1.75 ₺86.0

-9.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 FCFA 766

$0.54 ₺26.83

142.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.58 FCFA 3,264

$4.69 ₺231

18.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 FCFA 2,157

$5.97 ₺294

-38.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.75 FCFA 1,608

$1.26 ₺62.1

118.25%

White Bread (500g)

$4.81 FCFA 2,813

$0.95 ₺46.81

406.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 FCFA 1,754

$2.31 ₺114

29.87%

Eggs

$2.87 FCFA 1,678

$2.47 ₺122

16.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.06 FCFA 9,399

$10.55 ₺520

52.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 FCFA 5,527

$5.60 ₺276

68.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.39 FCFA 8,422

$21.21 ₺1,045

-32.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 FCFA 1,413

$1.93 ₺95.1

25.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 FCFA 1,022

$2.29 ₺113

-23.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.57 FCFA 2,089

$1.28 ₺63.1

178.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.91 FCFA 1,701

$1.84 ₺90.8

58.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 FCFA 1,509

$0.67 ₺32.86

285.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 FCFA 1,376

$0.59 ₺29.31

298.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 FCFA 796

$1.33 ₺65.4

2.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 FCFA 487

$0.59 ₺29.10

40.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 FCFA 2,181

$2.36 ₺116

58.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.38 FCFA 6,075

$13.47 ₺664

-22.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 FCFA 145

$0.83 ₺40.64

-69.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.00 FCFA 13.5K

$66.5 ₺3,273

-65.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 FCFA 1,011

$1.35 ₺66.6

28.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 FCFA 768

$0.85 ₺42.05

54.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.75 FCFA 3,946

$10.86 ₺535

-37.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 FCFA 798

$1.47 ₺72.3

-7.48%

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

$29.5K FCFA 17.2M

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-42.95%

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

$26.9K FCFA 15.7M

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-39.44%

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

$839 FCFA 491.1K

$89.2 ₺4,395

840.76%

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

$17.27 FCFA 10.1K

$11.60 ₺572

48.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.17 FCFA 24.7K

$16.10 ₺793

161.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.27 FCFA 15.4K

$77.3 ₺3,805

-65.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.90 FCFA 8,133

$22.66 ₺1,116

-38.66%

Cinema Ticket

$5.60 FCFA 3,279

$8.34 ₺411

-32.85%

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

$52.2 FCFA 30.5K

$974 ₺48.0K

-94.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

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)

$1,175 FCFA 687.2K

$994 ₺49.0K

18.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 FCFA 264.1K

$629 ₺31.0K

-28.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,203 FCFA 1.9M

$2,024 ₺99.7K

58.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,449 FCFA 848.0K

$1,155 ₺56.9K

25.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,458 FCFA 2.0M

$3,160 ₺155.7K

9.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,979 FCFA 1.7M

$1,838 ₺90.5K

62.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$451 FCFA 264.1K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-62.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

41.09

-84.08%

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

Last update for Brazzaville: October 6, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brazzaville

$899 46.5%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 87% $782

Accommodation & Living

Brazzaville

$451 23.4%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 39.4% $178

Groceries & Markets

Brazzaville

$338 * 17.5%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 21.8% $74

Eating Out

Brazzaville

$176 9.1%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 23.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Brazzaville

$37 1.9%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 151% $56

Getting Around

Brazzaville

$32 1.7%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 134% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Brazzaville

- * 0%

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,175 in Brazzaville versus $994 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 167% higher in Istanbul, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Brazzaville versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $338 in Brazzaville vs $264 in Istanbul – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇬 Brazzaville

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

09:44 9:44 AM

11:44 11:44 AM

2 h ahead of Brazzaville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,932,610 Capital

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to XAF – Central African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Central African CFA Franc (Fr)

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

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Brazzaville Istanbul 5,220 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Brazzaville
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

Brazzaville vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brazzaville costs about 27% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,897 per month in Brazzaville and $2,289 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Istanbul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Brazzaville and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,931 in Brazzaville and $1,526 in Istanbul. That's a gap of about 27%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Brazzaville at $1,931. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brazzaville it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Istanbul costs $1,526 versus $1,931 in Brazzaville. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Brazzaville makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.