Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bursa and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Bursa: $1,047 a month against $1,556 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Bursa
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Bursa Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Bursa

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,047

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bursa 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 Bursa and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,047 in Bursa versus $1,556 in Cape Town.

Bursa $1,047
Cape Town $1,556

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,654 in Bursa versus $2,432 in Cape Town.

Bursa $1,654
Cape Town $2,432

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,260 in Bursa versus $3,307 in Cape Town.

Bursa $2,260
Cape Town $3,307

Living in Bursa costs roughly 33% less than in Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bursa is 23% below, Cape Town is 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.79 ₺488

$12.09 R 201

-19.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.03 ₺1,496

$44.34 R 738

-32.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.75 ₺386

$6.15 R 102

26.02%

Cappuccino

$3.65 ₺182

$2.36 R 39.24

54.66%

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

$1.06 ₺52.7

$1.26 R 21.03

-15.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 ₺18.69

$1.00 R 16.56

-62.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 ₺114

$3.08 R 51.2

-25.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ₺146

$3.70 R 61.5

-20.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 ₺47.89

$1.34 R 22.38

-28.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₺39.96

$1.19 R 19.86

-32.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 ₺112

$2.10 R 34.96

7.62%

Eggs

$2.28 ₺114

$3.05 R 50.7

-25.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.26 ₺511

$8.73 R 145

17.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 ₺244

$6.97 R 116

-29.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.96 ₺945

$9.39 R 156

101.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 ₺82.9

$1.89 R 31.39

-12.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 ₺97.7

$1.88 R 31.27

4.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 ₺52.0

$1.69 R 28.04

-38.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₺64.7

$2.04 R 34.02

-36.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 ₺28.79

$1.57 R 26.08

-63.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.39 ₺19.64

$1.48 R 24.61

-73.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₺36.46

$1.28 R 21.33

-42.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₺35.84

$1.19 R 19.78

-39.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.07 ₺103

$3.63 R 60.4

-42.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.15 ₺705

$6.17 R 103

129.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 ₺103

$1.39 R 23.10

49.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 ₺112

$2.18 R 36.27

3.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ₺48.92

$1.37 R 22.79

-28.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.23 ₺1,805

$61.3 R 1,020

-40.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₺51.2

$0.57 R 9.56

80.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 ₺43.11

$1.48 R 24.58

-41.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.89 ₺343

$4.90 R 81.5

40.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ₺68.2

$1.58 R 26.25

-13.29%

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

$44.3K ₺2.2M

$34.7K R 577.5K

27.60%

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

$38.9K ₺1.9M

$34.1K R 567.4K

14.17%

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

$75.9 ₺3,784

$117 R 1,945

-35.05%

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

$10.92 ₺544

$28.35 R 472

-61.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.81 ₺738

$40.58 R 675

-63.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 ₺3,047

$48.54 R 808

26.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,148

$10.80 R 180

113.33%

Cinema Ticket

$5.88 ₺293

$9.11 R 152

-35.46%

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

$548 ₺27.3K

$302 R 5,024

81.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K ₺542.7K

$6,720 R 111.8K

62.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.43 ₺2,213

$55.2 R 919

-19.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.51 ₺1,719

$32.70 R 544

5.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.4 ₺3,906

$118 R 1,961

-33.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.6 ₺4,613

$104 R 1,728

-10.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$401 ₺20.0K

$1,041 R 17.3K

-61.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ₺15.5K

$691 R 11.5K

-55.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 ₺36.0K

$1,981 R 33.0K

-63.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 ₺30.2K

$1,388 R 23.1K

-56.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 ₺59.4K

$2,420 R 40.3K

-50.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,217 ₺60.6K

$1,552 R 25.8K

-21.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,028 ₺51.2K

$1,576 R 26.2K

-34.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

42.67

10.97

288.97%

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

Last update for Bursa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bursa

$310 29.6%

Cape Town

$691 44.4% 123% $380

Groceries & Markets

Bursa

$236 22.5%

Cape Town

$224 14.4% 5.2% $12

Eating Out

Bursa

$168 16.1%

Cape Town

$175 11.3% 4.1% $7

Clothing & Footwear

Bursa

$112 10.7%

Cape Town

$139 9% 23.9% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bursa

$102 9.7%

Cape Town

$186 11.9% 82.8% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Bursa

$73 7%

Cape Town

$67 4.3% 8.5% $6.2

Getting Around

Bursa

$46 4.4%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 64.2% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $401 in Bursa and $1,041 in Cape Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cape Town pays 53% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Bursa vs $44 in Cape Town. Groceries flip the comparison at $236 vs $224, with Cape Town cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Bursa

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

12:12 12:12 PM

11:12 11:12 AM

1 h behind Bursa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,238,618

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.82 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.45 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 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

Bursa Cape Town 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bursa
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

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

Bursa is cheaper overall, especially in utilities, transport, and clothing. The 49% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Bursa. 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: $401 in Bursa versus $1,041 in Cape Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Cape Town pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Bursa – a meal for two runs $30 versus $44 in Cape Town. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,047 in Bursa versus $1,556 in Cape Town, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bursa but tight or insufficient in Cape Town. The gap between the two cities makes Bursa 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.

It comes down to priorities – Bursa wins on affordability, Cape Town on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.