Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Bodrum

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.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Bodrum
Learn more

Bodrum Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Bodrum

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,189

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Bodrum actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Cape Town $1,586
Bodrum $1,189

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

Cape Town $2,425
Bodrum $2,331

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

Cape Town $3,263
Bodrum $3,474

Living in Cape Town is roughly 33% more expensive than in Bodrum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$10.15 ₺502

19.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$60.4 ₺2,992

-24.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$8.70 ₺431

-32.41%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$3.46 ₺171

-27.75%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.50 ₺74.1

-15.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.83 ₺41.12

18.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$4.16 ₺206

-28.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$4.65 ₺230

-20.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.97 ₺48.00

34.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.99 ₺48.91

26.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$2.40 ₺119

-7.08%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.96 ₺96.8

58.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$12.02 ₺595

-24.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$3.53 ₺175

96.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$21.91 ₺1,085

-57.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.57 ₺77.7

17.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.93 ₺95.6

1.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.91 ₺45.10

83.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.16 ₺57.4

87.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.51 ₺25.47

207.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.41 ₺20.10

260.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.80 ₺39.85

62.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.69 ₺33.95

63.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$2.27 ₺112

58.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$13.93 ₺689

-55.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.78 ₺87.9

-22.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.83 ₺90.8

16.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.13 ₺55.7

32.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$3.11 ₺154

-81.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.03 ₺51.1

45.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.31 ₺65.0

18.32%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$42.2K ₺2.1M

-14.28%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$38.9K ₺1.9M

-19.66%

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

$114 R 1,883

$42.50 ₺2,104

168.99%

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

$28.91 R 476

$10.17 ₺503

184.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$11.14 ₺551

256.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$74.7 ₺3,699

-34.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$7.17 ₺355

27.62%

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

$259 R 4,264

$411 ₺20.3K

-37.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$8,802 ₺435.8K

-22.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$103 ₺5,078

-45.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$59.3 ₺2,937

-45.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$156 ₺7,703

-22.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$117 ₺5,783

-7.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$618 ₺30.6K

65.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$400 ₺19.8K

79.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$1,298 ₺64.3K

40.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$1,533 ₺75.9K

-13.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$2,887 ₺142.9K

-17.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$2,410 ₺119.3K

-36.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$1,065 ₺52.7K

53.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

38.25

-71.32%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bodrum: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Bodrum

$400 33.7% 44.1% $316

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Bodrum

$240 20.1% 6.5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Bodrum

$64 5.4% 65.1% $119

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Bodrum

$188 15.8% 6.8% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Bodrum

$195 16.4% 36.9% $53

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Bodrum

$13 * 1.1% 82.9% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Bodrum

$89 7.5% 32.3% $22

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 $1,021 in Cape Town and $618 in Bodrum. 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: $45.00 in Cape Town vs $60.0 in Bodrum for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $240 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇹🇷 Bodrum

🕒 Local time

22:10 10:10 PM

23:10 11:10 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

187,284

💱 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Cape Town
Bodrum

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 Bodrum: 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.

Average pay runs 54% higher in Cape Town, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,021 in Cape Town versus $618 in Bodrum. 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 $1,586 per month in Cape Town versus $1,189 in Bodrum – 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, Cape Town and Bodrum 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.