Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Ibadan

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibadan: $255 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,550
/mo nomad
Ibadan
🇳🇬 Nigeria
$255
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Ibadan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $255 in Ibadan.

  • Istanbul $1,550
  • Ibadan $255

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $571 in Ibadan.

  • Istanbul $2,415
  • Ibadan $571

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $887 in Ibadan.

  • Istanbul $3,281
  • Ibadan $887

Living in Istanbul is roughly 507% more expensive than in Ibadan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, Ibadan is 81% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Ibadan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.30 ₺609
$1.11 ₦1,481
1008.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.7 ₺2,708
$30.33 ₦40.3K
80.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.22 ₺456
$6.22 ₦8,276
48.23%
Cappuccino
$4.40 ₺218
$0.80 ₦1,058
450.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 ₺83.1
$0.22 ₦293
663.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 ₺29.40
$0.14 ₦180
321.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.70 ₺233
$0.59 ₦786
696.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.91 ₺292
$1.15 ₦1,534
413.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Ibadan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.21 ₺60.0
$0.58 ₦776
108.62%
White Bread (500g)
$0.89 ₺44.10
$0.60 ₦803
48.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.19 ₺108
$1.15 ₦1,524
90.43%
Eggs
$2.35 ₺116
$1.55 ₦2,055
51.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.42 ₺516
$3.59 ₦4,774
190.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.65 ₺280
$4.02 ₦5,342
40.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.94 ₺1,037
$0.71 ₦951
2849.30%
Apples (1kg)
$1.90 ₺94.1
$1.65 ₦2,198
15.15%
Banana (1kg)
$2.31 ₺114
$1.29 ₦1,712
79.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 ₺63.1
$1.10 ₦1,457
16.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 ₺89.0
$0.29 ₦385
520.69%
Potato (1kg)
$0.65 ₺32.16
$0.58 ₦773
12.07%
Onion (1kg)
$0.64 ₺31.91
$0.24 ₦320
166.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 ₺62.1
$0.22 ₦291
468.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺27.58
$0.12 ₦159
366.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.37 ₺118
$0.59 ₦781
301.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.42 ₺664
$1.15 ₦1,533
1066.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.40 ₺119
$0.39 ₦523
515.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.48 ₺172
$0.47 ₦621
640.43%
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Ibadan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.89 ₺43.84
$0.12 ₦164
641.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$67.4 ₺3,338
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.29 ₺64.1
$0.66 ₦872
95.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.92 ₺45.70
$0.59 ₦781
55.93%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.96 ₺542
$1.10 ₦1,467
896.36%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ₺72.9
$0.53 ₦703
177.36%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$50.8K ₺2.5M
$4,189 ₦5.6M
1112.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.5K ₺2.2M
$13.7K ₦18.2M
225.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Ibadan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.6 ₺4,387
$11.16 ₦14.8K
694.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.59 ₺574
$3.87 ₦5,145
199.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.81 ₺783
$8.59 ₦11.4K
84.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Ibadan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$77.2 ₺3,820
$22.27 ₦29.6K
246.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.74 ₺1,126
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.14 ₺403
$1.48 ₦1,972
450.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Ibadan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,008 ₺49.9K
$49.51 ₦65.8K
1936.01%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.6K ₺1.3M
$631 ₦839.5K
3949.88%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Ibadan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.0 ₺2,671
$12.18 ₦16.2K
342.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.83 ₺2,021
$5.77 ₦7,674
607.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.9 ₺4,895
$15.36 ₦20.4K
543.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.6 ₺4,783
$21.34 ₦28.4K
352.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Ibadan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$985 ₺48.7K
$125 ₦166.4K
686.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$650 ₺32.2K
$46.64 ₦62.0K
1293.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,983 ₺98.2K
$454 ₦603.2K
337.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,180 ₺58.4K
$305 ₦406.0K
286.64%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,138 ₺155.4K
$880 ₦1.2M
256.53%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,780 ₺88.1K
$29.82 ₦39.7K
5868.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Ibadan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,205 ₺59.7K
$56.6 ₦75.3K
2028.97%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
40.92
18.39
122.51%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ibadan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$650
Ibadan
$47 92.8% $603
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$260
Ibadan
$87 66.4% $173
Eating Out
Istanbul
$223
Ibadan
$44 80.4% $179
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$131
Ibadan
$25 81.2% $106
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$116
Ibadan
$24 79.6% $92
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$93
Ibadan
$25 73% $68
Getting Around
Istanbul
$77
Ibadan
$4.1 * 94.7% $73

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 $125 in Ibadan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 2029% 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 $30.00 in Ibadan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $87.0 per month, with Ibadan cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇳🇬 Ibadan
🕒 Local time
10:59 10:59 AM
08:59 8:59 AM
2 h behind Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
3,034,200
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NGN, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Ibadan 4,490 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Ibadan

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 Ibadan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Istanbul or Ibadan?
Ibadan wins on cost – living expenses run 507% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ibadan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Istanbul or in Ibadan?
Average pay runs 2029% higher in Istanbul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Istanbul compared to Ibadan?
Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $125 in Ibadan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Istanbul and in Ibadan?
Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $49.51 in Ibadan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Istanbul and in Ibadan?
Dining out is cheaper in Ibadan – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $55.0 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Istanbul or in Ibadan?
At $255 in Ibadan versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ibadan but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Ibadan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Istanbul or Ibadan?
Both work as nomad bases, but Ibadan delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $255 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ibadan hard to pass up.
How safe is Istanbul compared to Ibadan?
Safety-wise, Istanbul and Ibadan are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Ibadan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 507% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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