Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Abidjan

For one person, living is cheaper in Abidjan: $1,222 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Abidjan
Learn more

Abidjan Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Abidjan

🇨🇮 Ivory Coast

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Abidjan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul versus $1,222 in Abidjan.

Istanbul $1,526
Abidjan $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,399 in Istanbul versus $2,090 in Abidjan.

Istanbul $2,399
Abidjan $2,090

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,272 in Istanbul versus $2,957 in Abidjan.

Istanbul $3,272
Abidjan $2,957

Living in Istanbul is roughly 25% more expensive than in Abidjan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 14% above, Abidjan is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$2.59 F CFA 1,513

358.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$67.8 F CFA 39.7K

-18.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$10.46 F CFA 6,119

-12.62%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$1.85 F CFA 1,080

129.19%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$0.72 F CFA 419

143.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.76 F CFA 447

-28.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$1.04 F CFA 610

350.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$1.66 F CFA 971

259.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$2.10 F CFA 1,230

-40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$0.49 F CFA 289

93.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.14 F CFA 667

102.63%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$2.29 F CFA 1,340

7.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$25.21 F CFA 14.8K

-58.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$5.73 F CFA 3,351

-2.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$6.00 F CFA 3,511

253.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$3.91 F CFA 2,287

-50.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.04 F CFA 608

120.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.09 F CFA 1,222

-38.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$2.39 F CFA 1,397

-23.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.76 F CFA 1,032

-61.93%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.59 F CFA 932

-62.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.59 F CFA 345

125.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.86 F CFA 502

-31.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$1.75 F CFA 1,022

34.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$5.22 F CFA 3,052

158.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.06 F CFA 618

128.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.16 F CFA 679

205.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$0.92 F CFA 536

-9.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$42.81 F CFA 25.0K

55.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$1.67 F CFA 977

-19.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$1.72 F CFA 1,008

-50.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$25.89 F CFA 15.1K

-58.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.51 F CFA 884

-2.65%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$28.1K F CFA 16.5M

83.45%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$27.0K F CFA 15.8M

64.39%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$163 F CFA 95.5K

-45.32%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$24.63 F CFA 14.4K

-52.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$35.38 F CFA 20.7K

-54.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$70.0 F CFA 41.0K

10.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$21.29 F CFA 12.5K

6.43%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$8.65 F CFA 5,062

-3.58%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$367 F CFA 214.8K

165.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$4,608 F CFA 2.7M

459.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$91.0 F CFA 53.2K

-42.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$36.71 F CFA 21.5K

6.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$76.2 F CFA 44.6K

35.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$137 F CFA 80.3K

-29.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$679 F CFA 397.3K

46.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$342 F CFA 200.2K

83.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$2,604 F CFA 1.5M

-22.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$1,010 F CFA 590.9K

14.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$2,189 F CFA 1.3M

44.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$675 F CFA 395.2K

172.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$215 F CFA 126.1K

458.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

15.75

160.89%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Abidjan: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Abidjan

$342 28.6% 45.6% $287

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Abidjan

$247 20.6% 6.3% $17

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Abidjan

$89 7.4% 59.3% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Abidjan

$154 12.8% 17% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Abidjan

$223 18.6% 90.9% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Abidjan

$87 7.3% 7% $6.6

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Abidjan

$57 4.7% 24.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $994 in Istanbul and $679 in Abidjan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 458% 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: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $68.0 in Abidjan. Groceries flip the comparison at $264 vs $247, with Abidjan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇨🇮 Abidjan

🕒 Local time

06:49 6:49 AM

03:49 3:49 AM

3 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

7,567,409

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Abidjan 5,150 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Abidjan

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

Istanbul vs Abidjan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Abidjan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 458% higher in Istanbul, 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: $994 in Istanbul versus $679 in Abidjan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Abidjan – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $55.0 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,526 per month in Istanbul versus $1,222 in Abidjan – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,222 in Abidjan versus $1,526 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Abidjan but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Abidjan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Abidjan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Istanbul, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Abidjan 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 Abidjan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.