Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Howick

For one person, living is cheaper in Howick: $1,060 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Howick
Learn more

Howick Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Howick

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,060

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Howick

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,060 in Howick.

Istanbul $1,550
Howick $1,060

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $1,654 in Howick.

Istanbul $2,415
Howick $1,654

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $2,248 in Howick.

Istanbul $3,281
Howick $2,248

Living in Istanbul is roughly 46% more expensive than in Howick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, Howick is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$7.59 R 125

62.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$39.02 R 643

40.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$5.36 R 88.3

72.01%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.70 R 44.48

62.96%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.11 R 18.34

51.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.83 R 13.71

-28.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.36 R 38.83

99.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.61 R 42.93

126.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.23 R 20.28

-1.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.97 R 16.06

-8.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.48 R 24.32

47.97%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.32 R 38.24

1.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$8.08 R 133

28.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$5.04 R 83.1

12.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$7.25 R 119

188.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.94 R 32.00

-2.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.85 R 30.55

24.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.90 R 31.33

-32.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.63 R 26.89

10.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.48 R 24.36

-56.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.45 R 23.88

-55.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.16 R 19.16

7.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.19 R 19.66

-52.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.68 R 60.7

-35.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$4.72 R 77.8

184.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.45 R 23.93

65.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.84 R 30.30

89.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.47 R 24.20

-39.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.43 R 7.17

200.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.69 R 11.43

33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$7.48 R 123

46.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.41 R 23.18

4.26%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$35.0K R 576.3K

45.19%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$31.0K R 510.4K

43.75%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$148 R 2,434

-40.03%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$14.79 R 244

-21.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$39.50 R 651

-59.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$32.28 R 532

139.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$10.64 R 175

113.72%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$7.20 R 119

13.06%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$307 R 5,053

228.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$7,495 R 123.5K

241.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$53.1 R 875

1.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$30.21 R 498

35.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$97.5 R 1,606

1.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$82.1 R 1,353

17.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$387 R 6,368

154.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$357 R 5,883

81.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$737 R 12.1K

169.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$734 R 12.1K

60.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$863 R 14.2K

263.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$664 R 10.9K

168.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

11.78

247.37%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Howick: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Howick

$357 33.7% 45% $293

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Howick

$192 18.1% 26.2% $68

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Howick

$134 12.6% 40% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Howick

$118 11.2% 9.4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Howick

$202 19.1% 74.1% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Howick

$47 4.4% 50.1% $47

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Howick

$9.8 * 0.9% 87.3% $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 $387 in Howick. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $39.00 in Howick for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $192 per month, with Howick cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇿🇦 Howick

🕒 Local time

15:13 3:13 PM

14:13 2:13 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

32,453

💱 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 Howick 7,840 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Howick

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 Howick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Howick is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 46% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,325 in Istanbul and $1,589 in Howick 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 $387 in Howick. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $307 in Howick. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Howick – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $55.0 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,060 in Howick versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Howick but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Howick the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Howick is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Istanbul, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Howick 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 Howick gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.