Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Grahamstown

For one person, living is cheaper in Grahamstown: $1,121 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Grahamstown
Learn more

Grahamstown Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Grahamstown

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,121

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Grahamstown

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,121 in Grahamstown.

Istanbul $1,550
Grahamstown $1,121

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $1,757 in Grahamstown.

Istanbul $2,415
Grahamstown $1,757

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $2,392 in Grahamstown.

Istanbul $3,281
Grahamstown $2,392

Living in Istanbul is roughly 38% more expensive than in Grahamstown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$10.85 R 179

13.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$42.03 R 692

30.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$6.06 R 99.9

52.15%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.13 R 35.03

106.57%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.04 R 17.21

61.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.72 R 11.94

-18.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.76 R 45.45

70.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.07 R 50.6

92.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.12 R 18.45

8.04%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.01 R 16.57

-11.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.45 R 23.86

51.03%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.82 R 46.40

-16.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$8.78 R 145

18.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$5.25 R 86.5

7.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$8.51 R 140

146.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.19 R 36.07

-13.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.47 R 24.17

57.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.69 R 27.91

-24.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.72 R 28.34

4.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.67 R 27.50

-61.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.37 R 22.55

-53.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.30 R 21.36

-3.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.02 R 16.73

-45.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.20 R 52.7

-25.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$4.68 R 77.1

186.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.22 R 20.02

96.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.78 R 29.34

95.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.54 R 25.32

-42.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.62 R 10.13

108.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.47 R 7.72

95.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$8.17 R 135

34.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.40 R 23.07

5.00%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$35.0K R 576.1K

45.24%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$32.8K R 540.0K

35.86%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$120 R 1,983

-26.38%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$34.81 R 574

-66.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$44.20 R 728

-64.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$31.55 R 520

144.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$10.55 R 174

115.55%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$10.60 R 175

-23.21%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$175 R 2,891

474.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$4,834 R 79.6K

428.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$71.5 R 1,178

-24.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$36.90 R 608

10.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$109 R 1,803

-9.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$94.3 R 1,553

2.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$394 R 6,497

149.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$366 R 6,038

77.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$726 R 12.0K

173.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$719 R 11.9K

64.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$874 R 14.4K

258.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$646 R 10.6K

175.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,164 R 19.2K

3.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

11.94

242.71%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Grahamstown: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Grahamstown

$366 32.7% 43.6% $283

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Grahamstown

$196 17.5% 24.6% $64

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Grahamstown

$158 14.1% 29.5% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Grahamstown

$140 12.5% 7.5% $9.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Grahamstown

$199 17.8% 71.8% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Grahamstown

$53 4.7% 43.5% $41

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Grahamstown

$9.1 * 0.8% 88.2% $68

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 Grahamstown. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 4% 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 $42.00 in Grahamstown for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $196 per month, with Grahamstown cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇿🇦 Grahamstown

🕒 Local time

10:15 10:15 AM

09:15 9:15 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

67,264

💱 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 Grahamstown 8,270 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Grahamstown

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 Grahamstown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Grahamstown wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Grahamstown the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 4% 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: $985 in Istanbul versus $394 in Grahamstown. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% 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 $1,121 in Grahamstown – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,121 in Grahamstown versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Grahamstown but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Grahamstown the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Grahamstown delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,121 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Grahamstown hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Grahamstown 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 Grahamstown gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.