Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Accra

For one person, living is cheaper in Accra: $1,073 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Accra
Learn more

Accra Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Accra

🇬🇭 Ghana

$1,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Accra

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $1,073 in Accra, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Accra $1,073

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $1,700 in Accra, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Accra $1,700

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $2,327 in Accra, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Accra $2,327

Istanbul costs about 42% more than Accra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Accra is 20% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$8.11 GHS 95.1

46.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,715

$51.8 GHS 608

6.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$10.46 GHS 123

-12.62%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$4.51 GHS 52.9

-5.99%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$1.54 GHS 18.10

13.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.84

$0.45 GHS 5.24

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$1.86 GHS 21.84

152.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$2.24 GHS 26.29

166.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$3.61 GHS 42.37

-65.10%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.82

$1.59 GHS 18.64

-40.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$3.19 GHS 37.42

-27.59%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$2.58 GHS 30.24

-4.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$11.93 GHS 140

-11.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$7.02 GHS 82.3

-20.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$9.91 GHS 116

114.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$3.69 GHS 43.24

-47.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.40 GHS 16.41

63.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.78 GHS 20.85

-28.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$3.68 GHS 43.12

-50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.87

$2.64 GHS 31.00

-74.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$2.62 GHS 30.68

-77.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.76 GHS 8.86

75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.11

$0.59 GHS 6.97

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$2.50 GHS 29.32

-5.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$7.33 GHS 86.0

83.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.28 GHS 14.99

89.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.29 GHS 26.89

54.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.65

$1.47 GHS 17.28

-43.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,274

$40.26 GHS 472

65.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$1.72 GHS 20.23

-21.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.06

$1.25 GHS 14.70

-32.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$4.16 GHS 48.79

161.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.28 GHS 15.06

14.84%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$8,061 GHS 94.6K

540.39%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$9,921 GHS 116.4K

348.01%

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

$89.2 ₺4,396

$74.8 GHS 877

19.36%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$18.90 GHS 222

-38.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$41.82 GHS 491

-61.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,806

$71.6 GHS 840

7.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$18.07 GHS 212

25.40%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$12.59 GHS 148

-33.76%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$470 GHS 5,510

107.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$18.6K GHS 218.4K

38.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$14.28 GHS 167

269.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,930

$18.36 GHS 215

113.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,084

$36.02 GHS 423

186.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,760

$52.4 GHS 615

84.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$691 GHS 8,109

43.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$280 GHS 3,286

124.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$1,092 GHS 12.8K

85.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$467 GHS 5,480

147.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$2,799 GHS 32.8K

12.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$1,424 GHS 16.7K

29.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$175 GHS 2,048

589.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

26.75

53.61%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Accra: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Accra

$280 26.2% 55.5% $349

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Accra

$277 25.9% 4.9% $13

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Accra

$172 16.1% 21% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Accra

$54 5.1% 58.5% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Accra

$135 12.7% 15.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Accra

$97 9% 3% $2.8

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Accra

$54 5.1% 28.2% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $691 in Accra. 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 589% higher in Istanbul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $52.0 in Accra. Groceries tell a different story – $264 in Istanbul vs $277 in Accra – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇭 Accra

🕒 Local time

10:06 10:06 AM

07:06 7:06 AM

3 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

2,388,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

100 GHS = 8.53 USD

100 GHS = 7.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.27 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.26 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 11.73 GHS (100 GHS = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 13.16 GHS (100 GHS = 7.6 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Accra 4,890 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Accra

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 Accra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul, $1,073 in Accra – roughly 42% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $1,610 in Accra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $52.0 in Accra. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Accra, where all-in costs run around $1,073, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Accra it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Accra has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,073 in Accra to $1,526 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Accra. 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.