Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Byumba

For one person, living is cheaper in Byumba: $418 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Byumba
Learn more

Byumba Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Byumba

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$418

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Byumba

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $418 in Byumba, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Byumba $418

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $662 in Byumba, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Byumba $662

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $907 in Byumba, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Byumba $907

Istanbul costs about 266% more than Byumba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Byumba is 69% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$2.66 RWF 3,907

346.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$30.91 RWF 45.4K

78.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$6.91 RWF 10.2K

32.27%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$2.43 RWF 3,578

74.49%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$0.81 RWF 1,186

116.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.54 RWF 792

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$1.04 RWF 1,532

350.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$2.35 RWF 3,452

154.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$0.83 RWF 1,214

51.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.03 RWF 1,513

-7.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.32 RWF 1,934

75.00%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$1.67 RWF 2,455

47.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$4.10 RWF 6,023

157.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$4.47 RWF 6,572

25.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$4.45 RWF 6,536

376.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.43 RWF 3,569

-20.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$0.76 RWF 1,117

201.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.49 RWF 2,192

-14.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$1.03 RWF 1,511

78.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$0.48 RWF 709

39.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.72 RWF 1,052

-18.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.68 RWF 1,003

95.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.83 RWF 1,214

-28.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$2.00 RWF 2,937

18.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$10.11 RWF 14.9K

33.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.02 RWF 1,506

137.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.60 RWF 2,346

121.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$2.75 RWF 4,043

-50.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$1.99 RWF 2,926

-57.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$3.31 RWF 4,872

228.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.83 RWF 2,692

-19.67%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$26.4K RWF 38.9M

95.19%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$30.0K RWF 44.1M

48.11%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$83.6 RWF 122.8K

6.76%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$6.84 RWF 10.0K

69.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$21.24 RWF 31.2K

-24.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$3.43 RWF 5,038

143.15%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$112 RWF 164.5K

770.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$9,390 RWF 13.8M

174.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$17.43 RWF 25.6K

202.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$15.75 RWF 23.1K

148.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$21.88 RWF 32.2K

371.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$34.44 RWF 50.6K

180.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

16.2

153.64%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Byumba: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Byumba

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Byumba

$150 36.8% 43.1% $114

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Byumba

$86 21.2% 60.3% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Byumba

$40 9.9% 69.3% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Byumba

$112 27.3% 4.5% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Byumba

$6.9 * 1.7% 92.7% $87

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Byumba

$13 * 3.1% 83.1% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $31.00 in Byumba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $150 – making Byumba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇼 Byumba

🕒 Local time

08:15 8:15 AM

07:15 7:15 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

43,134

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RWF, 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 = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,470 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,649 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.07 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Byumba 4,740 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Byumba

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 Byumba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 266% more than Byumba, 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 $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $626 in Byumba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $31.00 in Byumba. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 76% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Byumba, where all-in costs run around $418, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Byumba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Byumba costs $418 versus $1,526 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 Byumba. 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.