Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Ankara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ankara: $1,397 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Ankara
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Ankara Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,397

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,397 in Ankara, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Ankara $1,397

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $2,075 in Ankara, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Ankara $2,075

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,753 in Ankara, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Ankara $2,753

Cape Town costs about 13% more than Ankara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Cape Town and Ankara sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Ankara by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$10.10 ₺500

20.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$43.03 ₺2,130

5.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$9.87 ₺489

-40.43%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$4.17 ₺206

-40.05%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.74 ₺86.2

-27.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.77 ₺38.35

27.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$5.12 ₺254

-41.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$6.21 ₺308

-40.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.16 ₺57.2

12.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.93 ₺46.15

34.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$2.30 ₺114

-3.04%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.66 ₺132

16.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$10.07 ₺499

-10.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$5.53 ₺274

25.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$20.03 ₺992

-53.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.97 ₺97.7

-6.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$2.16 ₺107

-9.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.33 ₺65.6

25.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.68 ₺83.0

29.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.63 ₺31.18

149.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.54 ₺26.73

174.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.01 ₺49.86

28.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.69 ₺34.25

63.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$2.16 ₺107

66.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$12.54 ₺621

-50.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$2.26 ₺112

-38.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$3.23 ₺160

-33.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.70 ₺34.62

114.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$12.35 ₺611

391.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$1.29 ₺64.1

-54.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.80 ₺39.43

87.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$6.79 ₺336

-24.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.44 ₺71.4

7.64%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$48.0K ₺2.4M

-24.61%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$41.7K ₺2.1M

-25.04%

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

$114 R 1,883

$92.9 ₺4,600

23.04%

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

$28.91 R 476

$10.81 ₺535

167.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$17.73 ₺878

124.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$72.5 ₺3,589

-32.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$15.27 ₺756

-28.03%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$8.09 ₺400

13.10%

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

$259 R 4,264

$1,038 ₺51.4K

-75.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$19.5K ₺966.2K

-65.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$53.7 ₺2,656

4.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$48.13 ₺2,383

-32.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$104 ₺5,149

15.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$97.3 ₺4,815

11.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$747 ₺37.0K

36.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$569 ₺28.2K

26.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$1,140 ₺56.5K

59.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$873 ₺43.2K

52.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$1,674 ₺82.9K

42.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$1,174 ₺58.1K

31.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$1,068 ₺52.9K

53.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

43.57

-74.82%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ankara: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Ankara

$569 40.7% 20.7% $148

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Ankara

$253 18.1% 12.6% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Ankara

$121 8.7% 33.6% $62

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Ankara

$209 14.9% 18.4% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Ankara

$136 9.8% 4.5% $6.4

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Ankara

$20 1.5% 72.7% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Ankara

$89 6.3% 31.7% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $747 in Ankara. 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 53% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $43.00 in Ankara. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in Cape Town vs $253 in Ankara – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇹🇷 Ankara

🕒 Local time

12:47 12:47 PM

13:47 1:47 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

5,864,049 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Ankara 8,340 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Ankara

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

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

Cape Town costs about 13% more than Ankara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $2,096 in Ankara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $1,038 in Ankara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 13% cheaper in Cape Town – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ankara, where all-in costs run around $1,397, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Ankara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ankara costs $1,397 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. 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 Ankara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.