Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bissau

For one person, living is cheaper in Bissau: $837 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Bissau

🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau

$837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bissau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul versus $837 in Bissau.

Istanbul $1,526
Bissau $837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,399 in Istanbul versus $1,352 in Bissau.

Istanbul $2,399
Bissau $1,352

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,272 in Istanbul versus $1,868 in Bissau.

Istanbul $3,272
Bissau $1,868

Living in Istanbul is roughly 82% more expensive than in Bissau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 14% above, Bissau is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$5.33 F CFA 3,120

122.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$25.69 F CFA 15.0K

114.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$9.50 F CFA 5,560

-3.79%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$1.75 F CFA 1,023

142.29%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$1.03 F CFA 600

69.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.83 F CFA 487

-34.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$0.71 F CFA 413

560.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.70 F CFA 992

-25.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.00 F CFA 587

-5.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.02 F CFA 1,184

14.36%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$5.29 F CFA 3,093

-53.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$14.63 F CFA 8,561

-27.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$13.73 F CFA 8,033

-59.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$14.00 F CFA 8,193

51.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$4.46 F CFA 2,608

-56.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.06 F CFA 622

116.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$4.37 F CFA 2,558

-70.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$0.15 F CFA 85.3

1126.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.42 F CFA 829

-52.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.42 F CFA 830

-58.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$1.29 F CFA 753

-54.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$6.94 F CFA 4,062

94.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.28 F CFA 749

89.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$0.85 F CFA 499

316.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$0.50 F CFA 294

66.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$25.49 F CFA 14.9K

160.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.48 F CFA 868

-0.68%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$31.7K F CFA 18.6M

62.75%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$28.9K F CFA 16.9M

53.61%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$105 F CFA 61.5K

-15.17%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$34.41 F CFA 20.1K

-66.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$45.15 F CFA 26.4K

-64.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$43.73 F CFA 25.6K

76.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$759 F CFA 444.1K

28.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$2,319 F CFA 1.4M

1011.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$528 F CFA 309.1K

88.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$171 F CFA 100.1K

267.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$867 F CFA 507.3K

133.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$429 F CFA 250.8K

169.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$1,029 F CFA 601.9K

16.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bissau: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Bissau

–

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Bissau

–

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Bissau

–

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Bissau

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Bissau

–

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Bissau

–

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Bissau

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $994 in Istanbul and $528 in Bissau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 17% 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 $26.00 in Bissau. Groceries flip the comparison at $264 vs $302, with Istanbul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇼 Bissau

🕒 Local time

13:12 1:12 PM

10:12 10:12 AM

3 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

395,954 Capital

💱 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 = 1.53 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 = 55.2 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 = 1.53 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Bissau 5,410 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Bissau

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 Bissau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Bissau differ by about 82% in total monthly costs ($1,526 vs $837 including rent). Bissau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 17% 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 $528 in Bissau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $974 in Istanbul versus $759 in Bissau. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Istanbul pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $837 in Bissau versus $1,526 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bissau but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Bissau 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 Bissau 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 Bissau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 82% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.