Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Sakarya

For one person, living is cheaper in Sakarya: $956 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Sakarya
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Sakarya Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Sakarya

🇹🇷 Turkey

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $956 in Sakarya, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Sakarya $956

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,474 in Sakarya, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Sakarya $1,474

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,992 in Sakarya, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Sakarya $1,992

Cape Town costs about 66% more than Sakarya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Sakarya is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$7.11 ₺352

70.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$30.89 ₺1,530

46.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$6.96 ₺344

-15.52%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$3.59 ₺178

-30.36%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.92 ₺45.55

38.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.37 ₺18.23

164.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$1.87 ₺92.6

59.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$2.39 ₺118

55.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.00 ₺49.60

30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.01 ₺49.98

23.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$2.10 ₺104

6.19%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.07 ₺103

50.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$7.75 ₺384

16.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$2.89 ₺143

139.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$18.15 ₺899

-48.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.92 ₺95.1

-4.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.87 ₺92.8

4.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.84 ₺41.49

98.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.33 ₺65.6

63.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.49 ₺24.20

220.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.28 ₺13.78

428.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.75 ₺37.03

73.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.72 ₺35.79

56.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$2.09 ₺103

72.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$14.46 ₺716

-57.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.94 ₺96.3

-28.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$3.47 ₺172

-38.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.45 ₺22.10

233.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$62.0 ₺3,068

-1.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$1.05 ₺51.9

-43.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.12 ₺55.5

33.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$4.21 ₺208

21.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.32 ₺65.4

17.42%

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

$40.9K ₺2.0M

-23.52%

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

$114 R 1,883

$44.90 ₺2,223

154.61%

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

$28.91 R 476

$10.23 ₺507

182.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$14.17 ₺701

180.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$40.74 ₺2,017

20.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$6.12 ₺303

49.51%

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

$259 R 4,264

$898 ₺44.5K

-71.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$14.6K ₺721.3K

-53.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$38.69 ₺1,916

45.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$42.32 ₺2,095

-23.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$82.9 ₺4,104

45.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$71.3 ₺3,528

51.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$407 ₺20.1K

151.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$299 ₺14.8K

140.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$785 ₺38.9K

132.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$498 ₺24.7K

166.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$1,211 ₺60.0K

97.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$689 ₺34.1K

123.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$899 ₺44.5K

82.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

39.8

-72.44%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sakarya: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Sakarya

$299 31.2% 58.3% $418

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Sakarya

$219 22.9% 2.6% $5.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Sakarya

$69 7.3% 62.1% $114

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Sakarya

$140 14.7% 20.5% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Sakarya

$106 11.1% 25.9% $37

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Sakarya

$70 7.4% 5.9% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Sakarya

$53 5.5% 21.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $407 in Sakarya. 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 82% 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 $31.00 in Sakarya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $219 – making Sakarya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇹🇷 Sakarya

🕒 Local time

05:36 5:36 AM

06:36 6:36 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

1,094,481

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

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Between locations

Cape Town Sakarya 8,400 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Sakarya

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 Sakarya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 66% more than Sakarya, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. 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 $1,434 in Sakarya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $956 in Sakarya. That's a gap of about 66%.

Public transport costs about 2% less in Sakarya. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sakarya, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Sakarya 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. Sakarya costs $956 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 Sakarya. 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.