Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Burgersfort

For one person, living is cheaper in Burgersfort: $1,102 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Burgersfort
Learn more

Burgersfort Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Burgersfort

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Burgersfort

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,102 in Burgersfort.

Istanbul $1,550
Burgersfort $1,102

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $1,704 in Burgersfort.

Istanbul $2,415
Burgersfort $1,704

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $2,307 in Burgersfort.

Istanbul $3,281
Burgersfort $2,307

Living in Istanbul is roughly 41% more expensive than in Burgersfort, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, Burgersfort is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$9.09 R 150

35.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$36.50 R 601

49.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$5.39 R 88.8

71.06%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.30 R 37.87

91.30%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.05 R 17.28

60.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.87 R 14.35

-32.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.59 R 42.69

81.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.06 R 50.4

93.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.19 R 19.58

1.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.08 R 17.86

-17.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.84 R 30.24

19.02%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.41 R 39.69

-2.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$8.42 R 139

23.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$5.00 R 82.3

13.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$7.29 R 120

187.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.78 R 29.27

6.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.68 R 27.64

37.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.80 R 29.67

-28.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.62 R 26.68

11.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.11 R 18.24

-41.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.20 R 19.80

-46.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.22 R 20.12

2.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.27 R 20.91

-55.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.28 R 54.0

-27.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$5.17 R 85.1

159.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.57 R 25.93

52.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.91 R 31.42

82.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.52 R 25.05

-41.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.31 R 5.11

316.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.75 R 12.42

22.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$14.33 R 236

-23.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.51 R 24.83

-2.65%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$35.6K R 586.5K

42.67%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$34.2K R 562.9K

30.34%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$151 R 2,493

-41.45%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$36.96 R 609

-68.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$37.04 R 610

-57.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$31.72 R 523

143.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$10.57 R 174

115.14%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$7.02 R 116

15.95%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$257 R 4,235

292.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$5,362 R 88.3K

376.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$53.0 R 874

1.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$32.44 R 534

25.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$90.1 R 1,485

9.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$82.8 R 1,364

16.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$395 R 6,513

149.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$367 R 6,053

76.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$731 R 12.0K

171.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$743 R 12.2K

58.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$870 R 14.3K

260.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$647 R 10.7K

175.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

11.34

260.85%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Burgersfort: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Burgersfort

$367 33.3% 43.5% $282

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Burgersfort

$194 17.6% 25.3% $66

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Burgersfort

$143 13% 35.8% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Burgersfort

$116 10.6% 11% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Burgersfort

$225 20.5% 94.2% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Burgersfort

$46 4.2% 51% $48

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Burgersfort

$10 * 0.9% 86.8% $67

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 $395 in Burgersfort. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $36.00 in Burgersfort for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $194 per month, with Burgersfort cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇿🇦 Burgersfort

🕒 Local time

11:55 11:55 AM

10:55 10:55 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

10,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Istanbul Burgersfort 7,300 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Burgersfort

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 Burgersfort: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Burgersfort differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $1,102 including rent). Burgersfort is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,325 in Istanbul and $1,653 in Burgersfort 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 $395 in Burgersfort. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% 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 $1,102 in Burgersfort – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,102 in Burgersfort versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Burgersfort but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Burgersfort 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 Burgersfort 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 Burgersfort gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.