Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elmina and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Elmina: $668 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Elmina
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Elmina Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Elmina

🇬🇭 Ghana

$668

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Elmina and in Istanbul

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

A single person spends $668 per month in Elmina vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Elmina $668
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $1,125 per month in Elmina vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Elmina $1,125
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $1,582 per month in Elmina vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Elmina $1,582
Istanbul $3,281

Elmina is about 57% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Elmina sits 51% below the global median, while Istanbul is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.82 GHS 90.8

$12.30 ₺609

-36.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.8 GHS 590

$54.7 ₺2,708

-7.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.26 GHS 119

$9.22 ₺456

11.28%

Cappuccino

$4.46 GHS 51.7

$4.40 ₺218

1.36%

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

$1.53 GHS 17.80

$1.68 ₺83.1

-8.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 GHS 5.11

$0.59 ₺29.40

-25.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 GHS 20.98

$4.70 ₺233

-61.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 GHS 25.12

$5.91 ₺293

-63.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.67 GHS 42.57

$1.21 ₺60.0

203.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 GHS 19.32

$0.89 ₺44.10

87.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 GHS 35.54

$2.19 ₺108

39.73%

Eggs

$2.68 GHS 31.13

$2.35 ₺116

14.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.03 GHS 140

$10.42 ₺516

15.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.08 GHS 82.1

$5.65 ₺280

25.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.62 GHS 112

$20.94 ₺1,037

-54.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 GHS 41.82

$1.90 ₺94.1

90.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 GHS 16.28

$2.31 ₺114

-39.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 GHS 20.53

$1.28 ₺63.2

38.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 GHS 41.34

$1.80 ₺89.0

97.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 GHS 31.21

$0.65 ₺32.17

313.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 GHS 30.74

$0.64 ₺31.92

314.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 GHS 8.32

$1.25 ₺62.1

-42.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 GHS 7.01

$0.56 ₺27.59

7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.51 GHS 29.12

$2.37 ₺118

5.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.06 GHS 81.9

$13.42 ₺664

-47.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 GHS 14.07

$2.40 ₺119

-49.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 GHS 27.07

$3.48 ₺172

-33.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,339

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 GHS 20.24

$1.29 ₺64.1

34.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 GHS 14.61

$0.92 ₺45.70

36.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.30 GHS 49.87

$10.96 ₺543

-60.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 GHS 15.54

$1.47 ₺72.9

-8.84%

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

$7,913 GHS 91.8K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-84.42%

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

$9,662 GHS 112.1K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-78.30%

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

$73.7 GHS 855

$88.6 ₺4,388

-16.83%

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

$19.07 GHS 221

$11.59 ₺574

64.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.25 GHS 490

$15.81 ₺783

167.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,821

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 GHS 147

$8.14 ₺403

55.53%

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

$470 GHS 5,450

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-53.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K GHS 216.0K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-27.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.18 GHS 164

$54.0 ₺2,671

-73.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.59 GHS 216

$40.83 ₺2,021

-54.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.74 GHS 426

$98.9 ₺4,896

-62.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.0 GHS 603

$96.6 ₺4,783

-46.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.75

40.92

-34.63%

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

Last update for Elmina: October 11, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Elmina

$276 41.4%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 6% $17

Eating Out

Elmina

$168 25.2%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 32.8% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elmina

$135 20.2%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 14.1% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Elmina

$55 8.2%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 139% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Elmina

$25 * 3.8%

Istanbul

$93 6% 269% $68

Getting Around

Elmina

$8 * 1.2%

Istanbul

$77 5% 856% $69

Accommodation & Living

Elmina

- * 0%

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Elmina versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $276 in Elmina vs $260 in Istanbul – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇭 Elmina

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

11:24 11:24 AM

14:24 2:24 PM

3 h ahead of Elmina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,403

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 GHS = 8.62 USD

100 GHS = 7.69 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to GHS – Ghanaian Cedi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇭 Ghanaian Cedi (₵)

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 11.6 GHS (100 GHS = 8.62 USD). 1 EUR = 13.01 GHS (100 GHS = 7.69 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.53 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to GHS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Elmina Istanbul 5,000 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Elmina
Istanbul

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

Elmina vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 132%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,001 per month in Elmina and $2,325 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Elmina and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Elmina, where all-in costs run around $668, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Elmina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Elmina – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Elmina. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.