Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Benoni

For one person, living is cheaper in Benoni: $1,072 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Benoni
Learn more

Benoni Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Benoni

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,072

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Benoni

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,072 in Benoni.

Istanbul $1,550
Benoni $1,072

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $1,331 in Benoni.

Istanbul $2,415
Benoni $1,331

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $1,589 in Benoni.

Istanbul $3,281
Benoni $1,589

Living in Istanbul is roughly 45% more expensive than in Benoni, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, Benoni is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$10.19 R 168

20.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$37.46 R 617

46.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$5.86 R 96.5

57.34%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.22 R 36.61

98.20%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.19 R 19.64

41.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.85 R 14.00

-30.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.33 R 38.33

101.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.74 R 45.15

115.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.22 R 20.16

-0.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.13 R 18.65

-21.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.72 R 28.33

27.33%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.46 R 40.48

-4.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$8.31 R 137

25.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$4.86 R 80.1

16.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$7.12 R 117

194.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.73 R 28.55

9.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.63 R 26.81

41.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.80 R 29.58

-28.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.56 R 25.70

15.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.12 R 18.39

-41.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.22 R 20.10

-47.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.23 R 20.29

1.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.27 R 20.97

-55.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.37 R 55.5

-29.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$5.09 R 83.8

163.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.51 R 24.94

58.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.95 R 32.14

78.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.29 R 4.72

344.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.89 R 14.67

3.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$14.73 R 243

-25.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.54 R 25.41

-4.55%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$35.1K R 578.8K

44.57%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$32.5K R 534.9K

37.14%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$203 R 3,342

-56.32%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$38.42 R 633

-69.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$36.63 R 604

-56.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$18.06 R 297

327.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$7.10 R 117

14.65%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$246 R 4,051

309.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$5,577 R 91.9K

358.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$53.5 R 882

0.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$32.40 R 534

26.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$91.9 R 1,515

7.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$84.8 R 1,397

13.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$398 R 6,557

147.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$296 R 4,881

119.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$487 R 8,029

306.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

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)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$2,041 R 33.6K

-40.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

10.91

275.07%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Benoni: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Benoni

$296 27.6% 54.4% $353

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Benoni

$192 17.9% 26.1% $68

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Benoni

$151 14.1% 32.3% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Benoni

$118 11% 9.5% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Benoni

$278 25.9% 140% $162

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Benoni

$32 3% 65.5% $61

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Benoni

$4.7 * 0.4% 93.8% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $398 in Benoni. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Benoni pays 69% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $37.00 in Benoni for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $192 per month, with Benoni cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇿🇦 Benoni

🕒 Local time

10:55 10:55 AM

09:55 9:55 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

158,777

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Benoni 7,470 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Benoni

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 Benoni: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Benoni differ by about 45% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $1,072 including rent). Benoni is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 69% lower in Benoni. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $398 in Benoni. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,550 per month in Istanbul versus $1,072 in Benoni – a 45% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,072 in Benoni versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Benoni but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Benoni 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 Benoni 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 Benoni gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.