Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Brakpan

For one person, living is cheaper in Brakpan: $1,114 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Brakpan
Learn more

Brakpan Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Brakpan

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,114

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Brakpan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,114 in Brakpan.

Istanbul $1,550
Brakpan $1,114

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $1,678 in Brakpan.

Istanbul $2,415
Brakpan $1,678

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $2,241 in Brakpan.

Istanbul $3,281
Brakpan $2,241

Living in Istanbul is roughly 39% more expensive than in Brakpan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, Brakpan is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$9.57 R 158

28.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$40.41 R 666

35.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$5.86 R 96.6

57.34%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.21 R 36.42

99.10%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.07 R 17.65

57.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.89 R 14.66

-33.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.27 R 37.44

107.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.72 R 44.82

117.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.10 R 18.05

10.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.12 R 18.43

-20.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.39 R 22.92

57.55%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.37 R 39.03

-0.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$10.25 R 169

1.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$4.46 R 73.5

26.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$8.29 R 137

152.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.62 R 26.74

17.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.55 R 25.53

49.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.38 R 22.69

-7.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.44 R 23.70

25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.45 R 23.92

-55.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.22 R 20.08

-47.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.04 R 17.09

20.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.93 R 15.30

-39.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.16 R 52.0

-25.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$4.88 R 80.4

175.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.03 R 17.04

133.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.43 R 23.53

143.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.53 R 25.18

-41.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.61 R 10.10

111.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.89 R 14.61

3.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$11.91 R 196

-7.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.53 R 25.27

-3.92%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$34.9K R 575.2K

45.46%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$32.0K R 527.0K

39.21%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$147 R 2,423

-39.75%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$34.97 R 576

-66.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$52.8 R 869

-70.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$32.50 R 535

137.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$10.87 R 179

109.20%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$7.29 R 120

11.66%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$245 R 4,040

311.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$5,421 R 89.3K

371.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$53.1 R 875

1.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$32.39 R 534

26.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$102 R 1,675

-2.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$86.9 R 1,432

11.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$394 R 6,499

149.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$367 R 6,047

77.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$486 R 8,009

307.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$638 R 10.5K

84.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$887 R 14.6K

253.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$662 R 10.9K

168.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

10.94

274.04%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Brakpan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Brakpan

$367 33% 43.5% $283

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Brakpan

$185 16.6% 28.7% $75

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Brakpan

$145 13.1% 34.9% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Brakpan

$123 11.1% 5.6% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Brakpan

$235 21.1% 102% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Brakpan

$47 4.2% 49.6% $46

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Brakpan

$11 * 1% 85.5% $66

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 $394 in Brakpan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $40.00 in Brakpan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $185 per month, with Brakpan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇿🇦 Brakpan

🕒 Local time

17:57 5:57 PM

16:57 4:57 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

305,692

💱 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 Brakpan 7,480 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Brakpan

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 Brakpan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brakpan wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Brakpan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,325 in Istanbul and $1,671 in Brakpan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $394 in Brakpan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $245 in Brakpan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Brakpan – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $55.0 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,114 in Brakpan versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Brakpan but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Brakpan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Brakpan delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,114 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Brakpan hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Brakpan 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 Brakpan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.