Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Fourways

For one person, living is cheaper in Fourways: $1,049 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Fourways
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Fourways Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Fourways

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Fourways

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,049 in Fourways, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Fourways $1,049

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,600 in Fourways, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Fourways $1,600

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $2,152 in Fourways, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Fourways $2,152

Istanbul costs about 48% more than Fourways, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Fourways is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$8.81 R 145

39.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$37.13 R 612

47.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$5.49 R 90.5

67.94%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.30 R 37.90

91.30%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.10 R 18.13

52.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.82 R 13.50

-28.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.44 R 40.17

92.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.70 R 44.42

118.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.16 R 19.15

4.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.14 R 18.82

-21.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.72 R 28.35

27.33%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.52 R 41.50

-6.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$7.74 R 128

34.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$4.53 R 74.6

24.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$7.46 R 123

180.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.44 R 23.73

31.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.59 R 26.27

45.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.79 R 29.55

-28.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.56 R 25.75

15.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.08 R 17.79

-39.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.22 R 20.15

-47.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.23 R 20.31

1.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.04 R 17.12

-46.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.26 R 53.7

-27.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$5.17 R 85.1

159.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.51 R 24.80

58.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.99 R 32.72

74.87%

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

$0.31 R 5.14

316.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.78 R 12.84

17.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$14.47 R 238

-24.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.56 R 25.76

-5.77%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$28.7K R 473.3K

76.80%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$27.6K R 454.2K

61.53%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$88.4 R 1,456

0.24%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$36.56 R 602

-68.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$37.70 R 621

-58.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$32.69 R 539

136.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$16.67 R 275

36.41%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$7.22 R 119

12.74%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$257 R 4,239

291.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$7,930 R 130.7K

222.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$52.8 R 870

2.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$31.74 R 523

28.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$78.6 R 1,295

25.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$84.8 R 1,398

13.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$390 R 6,432

152.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$399 R 6,569

62.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$750 R 12.4K

164.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$691 R 11.4K

70.81%

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

$1,603 R 26.4K

-24.79%

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 Fourways: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Fourways

$399 38% 38.6% $251

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Fourways

$185 17.6% 28.8% $75

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Fourways

$140 13.3% 37.4% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Fourways

$112 10.6% 14.6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Fourways

$163 15.5% 40.2% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Fourways

$47 4.5% 49.6% $46

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Fourways

$4.2 * 0.4% 94.5% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $390 in Fourways. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 33% higher in Fourways, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $37.00 in Fourways. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $185 – making Fourways the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇿🇦 Fourways

🕒 Local time

10:40 10:40 AM

09:40 9:40 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Fourways 7,450 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Fourways

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 Fourways: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 48% more than Fourways, 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 $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $1,574 in Fourways. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Fourways, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $37.00 in Fourways. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% 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 Fourways, where all-in costs run around $1,049, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Fourways it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Fourways costs $1,049 versus $1,550 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 Fourways. 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.