Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Abuja

For one person, living is cheaper in Abuja: $1,005 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Abuja
Learn more

Abuja Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Abuja

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$1,005

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Abuja

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul versus $1,005 in Abuja.

Istanbul $1,526
Abuja $1,005

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,399 in Istanbul versus $1,961 in Abuja.

Istanbul $2,399
Abuja $1,961

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,272 in Istanbul versus $2,916 in Abuja.

Istanbul $3,272
Abuja $2,916

Living in Istanbul is roughly 52% more expensive than in Abuja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 14% above, Abuja is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$2.01 ₦2,673

491.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$30.45 ₦40.5K

80.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$3.90 ₦5,177

134.36%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$3.38 ₦4,496

25.44%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$0.50 ₦667

250.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.72 ₦963

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$1.02 ₦1,349

359.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$2.10 ₦2,791

184.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$3.75 ₦4,975

-66.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.30 ₦1,726

-26.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.29 ₦3,045

0.87%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$1.80 ₦2,390

37.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$10.86 ₦14.4K

-2.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$5.22 ₦6,931

7.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$5.78 ₦7,673

266.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.98 ₦2,631

-2.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.44 ₦1,918

59.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.54 ₦2,044

-16.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$2.26 ₦3,002

-18.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.80 ₦2,385

-62.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$2.39 ₦3,172

-75.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.60 ₦802

121.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.38 ₦504

55.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$1.95 ₦2,595

21.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$5.96 ₦7,923

126.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.23 ₦1,640

96.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.83 ₦2,433

93.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$0.44 ₦580

88.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$32.75 ₦43.5K

102.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$0.63 ₦836

114.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.80 ₦1,062

6.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$1.87 ₦2,478

480.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$0.56 ₦741

162.50%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$26.0K ₦34.5M

98.57%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$18.1K ₦24.1M

145.27%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$115 ₦152.3K

-22.18%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$6.43 ₦8,537

80.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$29.45 ₦39.1K

-45.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$26.20 ₦34.8K

194.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$9.60 ₦12.8K

136.04%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$6.59 ₦8,749

26.56%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$45.94 ₦61.0K

2019.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$3,119 ₦4.1M

726.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$26.42 ₦35.1K

99.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$60.3 ₦80.0K

-35.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$79.3 ₦105.3K

30.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$107 ₦142.3K

-9.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$591 ₦785.2K

68.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$345 ₦458.2K

82.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$1,444 ₦1.9M

40.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$1,567 ₦2.1M

-26.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$717 ₦952.4K

340.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$384 ₦510.5K

378.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$170 ₦225.5K

608.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

22.5

82.62%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Abuja: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Abuja

$345 34.6% 45.2% $284

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Abuja

$218 21.8% 17.5% $46

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Abuja

$83 8.3% 62.1% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Abuja

$123 12.3% 6.4% $8.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Abuja

$151 15.1% 28.7% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Abuja

$39 4% 58.1% $55

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Abuja

$39 3.9% 48.1% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $994 in Istanbul and $591 in Abuja. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 609% 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 $30.00 in Abuja for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $264 vs $218 per month, with Abuja cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇳🇬 Abuja

🕒 Local time

14:46 2:46 PM

12:46 12:46 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

776,298 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

10,000 NGN = 7.53 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NGN, 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 = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,328 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.53 USD). 1 EUR = 1,489 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.72 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Abuja 4,130 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Abuja

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 Abuja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Abuja differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($1,526 vs $1,005 including rent). Abuja is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 609% 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 $591 in Abuja. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,526 per month in Istanbul versus $1,005 in Abuja – a 52% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Abuja runs roughly 103% less than in Istanbul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,005 in Abuja versus $1,526 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Abuja but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Abuja the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Abuja 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 Abuja gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.