Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Central African Republic and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in the Central African Republic: $418 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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🇨🇫 Central African Republic

$418

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: The Central African Republic is 48.7% cheaper than Istanbul without rent, and 72.6% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: The Central African Republic is 48.4% cheaper than Istanbul without rent, and 71.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 FCFA 1,029

$0.54 ₺26.83

225.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.50 FCFA 2,050

$4.69 ₺231

-25.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 FCFA 2,932

$5.97 ₺294

-16.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$5.18 FCFA 3,031

$1.26 ₺62.1

311.11%

White Bread (500g)

$4.36 FCFA 2,550

$0.95 ₺46.81

358.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.17 FCFA 2,437

$2.31 ₺114

80.52%

Eggs

$5.09 FCFA 2,975

$2.47 ₺122

106.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.46 FCFA 4,948

$10.55 ₺520

-19.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.68 FCFA 5,079

$5.60 ₺276

55.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.52 FCFA 2,059

$21.21 ₺1,045

-83.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

Oranges (1kg)

$7.02 FCFA 4,109

$1.28 ₺63.1

448.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.24 FCFA 3,065

$1.84 ₺90.8

184.78%

Potato (1kg)

$4.37 FCFA 2,554

$0.67 ₺32.86

552.24%

Onion (1kg)

$6.00 FCFA 3,511

$0.59 ₺29.31

916.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 FCFA 1,495

$1.33 ₺65.4

91.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 FCFA 1,519

$0.59 ₺29.10

340.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 FCFA 2,446

$2.36 ₺116

77.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.60 FCFA 6,788

$13.47 ₺664

-13.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.87 FCFA 3,435

$2.42 ₺119

142.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 FCFA 2,537

$3.54 ₺174

22.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.52 FCFA 1,474

$1.47 ₺72.3

71.43%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

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

$11.60 ₺572

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

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

$974 ₺48.0K

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)

$1,387 FCFA 811.4K

$994 ₺49.0K

39.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,389 FCFA 812.7K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-56.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,656 FCFA 968.8K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

-9.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$841 FCFA 492.1K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-30.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

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

Last update for the Central African Republic: October 4, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Central African Republic

–

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Groceries & Markets

Central African Republic

–

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Eating Out

Central African Republic

–

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Clothing & Footwear

Central African Republic

–

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Central African Republic

–

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Sport & Entertainment

Central African Republic

–

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Getting Around

Central African Republic

–

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Good to know

🇨🇫 Central African Republic

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

11:52 11:52 AM

13:52 1:52 PM

2 h ahead of the Central African Republic

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,152,421

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 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 = 1.53 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to XAF in detail →

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