Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Alexandra

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandra: $1,074 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Alexandra
Learn more

Alexandra Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Alexandra

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,074

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Alexandra

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $1,074 in Alexandra, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Alexandra $1,074

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $1,742 in Alexandra, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Alexandra $1,742

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $2,409 in Alexandra, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Alexandra $2,409

Istanbul costs about 42% more than Alexandra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 13% above the global median, while Alexandra is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$9.26 R 152

29.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$36.55 R 602

56.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$5.35 R 88.1

77.76%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.20 R 36.24

100.00%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$1.08 R 17.87

62.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$0.80 R 13.19

-30.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$2.40 R 39.58

96.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$2.78 R 45.85

120.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.17 R 19.23

5.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$1.09 R 17.92

-12.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$1.80 R 29.62

26.67%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$2.43 R 40.11

0.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$8.66 R 143

21.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$5.12 R 84.3

7.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$7.12 R 117

204.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$1.75 R 28.80

4.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.61 R 26.53

42.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$1.72 R 28.30

-25.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$1.63 R 26.86

11.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$1.09 R 18.04

-39.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$1.18 R 19.39

-46.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.20 R 19.71

5.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$1.32 R 21.76

-57.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$3.20 R 52.7

-26.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$5.09 R 83.9

155.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$1.58 R 26.08

56.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$1.90 R 31.36

84.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$1.33 R 21.94

-38.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$0.29 R 4.75

358.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$0.78 R 12.78

15.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$14.57 R 240

-25.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$1.57 R 25.92

-8.92%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$36.2K R 597.0K

36.78%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$34.1K R 562.3K

26.53%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$155 R 2,550

-42.64%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$36.96 R 609

-68.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$38.04 R 627

-57.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$33.24 R 548

129.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

$10.48 R 173

116.79%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$7.50 R 124

10.13%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$244 R 4,019

315.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$5,468 R 90.1K

372.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$54.6 R 899

-2.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$32.16 R 530

26.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$93.5 R 1,540

7.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$85.1 R 1,402

9.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$394 R 6,483

148.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$332 R 5,468

88.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$844 R 13.9K

134.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$833 R 13.7K

37.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$919 R 15.1K

236.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$644 R 10.6K

177.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$1,775 R 29.2K

-31.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

10.91

272.96%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Alexandra: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Alexandra

$332 30.9% 47.1% $295

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Alexandra

$194 18.1% 26.1% $69

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Alexandra

$142 13.2% 36.2% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Alexandra

$119 11.1% 7.7% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Alexandra

$230 21.4% 97.1% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Alexandra

$48 4.5% 48% $45

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Alexandra

$9.5 * 0.9% 87.2% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $394 in Alexandra. 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 46% higher in Alexandra, 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 $57.0 in Istanbul versus $37.00 in Alexandra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $194 – making Alexandra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇿🇦 Alexandra

🕒 Local time

17:49 5:49 PM

16:49 4:49 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

179,624

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Alexandra 7,460 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Alexandra

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 Alexandra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 42% more than Alexandra, 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 $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $1,612 in Alexandra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,525 in Istanbul and $1,074 in Alexandra. That's a gap of about 42%.

Kindergarten costs $1,015 per month in Istanbul and $244 in Alexandra. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Alexandra, where all-in costs run around $1,074, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Alexandra it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Alexandra costs $1,074 versus $1,525 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 Alexandra. 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.