Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fourways and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Fourways: $1,049 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Fourways
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Fourways Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Fourways

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,049

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Fourways 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 Fourways and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,049 per month in Fourways vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Fourways $1,049
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $1,600 per month in Fourways vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Fourways $1,600
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $2,152 per month in Fourways vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Fourways $2,152
Istanbul $3,281

Fourways is about 32% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Fourways sits 22% below the global median, while Istanbul is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R 145

$12.30 ₺609

-28.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.13 R 612

$54.7 ₺2,708

-32.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.49 R 90.5

$9.22 ₺456

-40.46%

Cappuccino

$2.30 R 37.90

$4.40 ₺218

-47.73%

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

$1.10 R 18.13

$1.68 ₺83.1

-34.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 R 13.50

$0.59 ₺29.40

38.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R 40.17

$4.70 ₺233

-48.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 R 44.42

$5.91 ₺292

-54.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 R 19.15

$1.21 ₺60.0

-4.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R 18.82

$0.89 ₺44.10

28.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.35

$2.19 ₺108

-21.46%

Eggs

$2.52 R 41.50

$2.35 ₺116

7.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.74 R 128

$10.42 ₺516

-25.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.53 R 74.6

$5.65 ₺280

-19.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.46 R 123

$20.94 ₺1,037

-64.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.73

$1.90 ₺94.1

-24.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.27

$2.31 ₺114

-31.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.55

$1.28 ₺63.1

39.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.75

$1.80 ₺89.0

-13.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 R 17.79

$0.65 ₺32.16

66.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 R 20.15

$0.64 ₺31.91

90.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.31

$1.25 ₺62.1

-1.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 R 17.12

$0.56 ₺27.58

85.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.26 R 53.7

$2.37 ₺118

37.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.17 R 85.1

$13.42 ₺664

-61.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 R 24.80

$2.40 ₺119

-37.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 R 32.72

$3.48 ₺172

-42.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.14

$1.29 ₺64.1

-75.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R 12.84

$0.92 ₺45.70

-15.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.47 R 238

$10.96 ₺542

32.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 R 25.76

$1.47 ₺72.9

6.12%

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

$28.7K R 473.3K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-43.44%

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

$27.6K R 454.2K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-38.09%

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

$88.4 R 1,456

$88.6 ₺4,387

-0.24%

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

$36.56 R 602

$11.59 ₺574

215.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.70 R 621

$15.81 ₺783

138.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.69 R 539

$77.2 ₺3,820

-57.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.67 R 275

$22.74 ₺1,126

-26.69%

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 R 119

$8.14 ₺403

-11.30%

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

$257 R 4,239

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-74.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,930 R 130.7K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-68.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 R 870

$54.0 ₺2,671

-2.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.74 R 523

$40.83 ₺2,021

-22.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.6 R 1,295

$98.9 ₺4,895

-20.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.8 R 1,398

$96.6 ₺4,783

-12.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$390 R 6,432

$985 ₺48.7K

-60.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$399 R 6,569

$650 ₺32.2K

-38.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 R 12.4K

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-62.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 R 11.4K

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-41.45%

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)

$1,603 R 26.4K

$1,205 ₺59.7K

32.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

40.92

-72.29%

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

Last update for Fourways: October 10, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fourways

$399 38%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 63% $251

Groceries & Markets

Fourways

$185 17.6%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 40.4% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fourways

$163 15.5%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 28.7% $47

Eating Out

Fourways

$140 13.3%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 59.7% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Fourways

$112 10.6%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 17% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Fourways

$47 4.5%

Istanbul

$93 6% 98.2% $46

Getting Around

Fourways

$4.2 * 0.4%

Istanbul

$77 5% 1726% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $390 in Fourways versus $985 in Istanbul. 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 33% higher in Fourways, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Fourways versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $185 vs $260 – making Fourways the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Fourways

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

12:06 12:06 PM

1 h ahead of Fourways

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

💱 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

Fourways Istanbul 7,450 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Fourways
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

Fourways vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 48% more than Fourways, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,574 per month in Fourways and $2,325 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Fourways and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Fourways, where all-in costs run around $1,049, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Fourways it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Fourways costs $1,049 versus $1,550 in Istanbul. 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 Fourways. 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.