Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kigali

For one person, living is cheaper in Kigali: $881 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Kigali
Learn more

Kigali Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Kigali

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$881

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kigali

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $881 in Kigali, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Kigali $881

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $1,376 in Kigali, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Kigali $1,376

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $1,871 in Kigali, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Kigali $1,871

Istanbul costs about 73% more than Kigali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Kigali is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$2.75 RWF 4,037

332.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$30.32 RWF 44.6K

81.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$6.73 RWF 9,895

35.81%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$2.45 RWF 3,599

73.06%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$0.76 RWF 1,112

130.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.55 RWF 803

-1.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$1.00 RWF 1,471

369.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$2.34 RWF 3,435

155.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$0.82 RWF 1,204

53.66%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.07 RWF 1,577

-11.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.32 RWF 1,935

75.00%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$1.60 RWF 2,354

54.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$4.19 RWF 6,162

151.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$4.68 RWF 6,878

19.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$4.51 RWF 6,631

370.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.45 RWF 3,601

-21.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$0.74 RWF 1,093

209.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.54 RWF 2,263

-16.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$1.06 RWF 1,564

73.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$0.49 RWF 719

36.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.71 RWF 1,050

-16.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.70 RWF 1,024

90.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.82 RWF 1,204

-28.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$1.97 RWF 2,897

19.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$10.28 RWF 15.1K

31.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.00 RWF 1,468

142.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.59 RWF 2,342

122.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$0.35 RWF 516

137.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$25.24 RWF 37.1K

163.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$2.67 RWF 3,920

-49.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$2.01 RWF 2,957

-57.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$3.31 RWF 4,869

228.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.84 RWF 2,702

-20.11%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$26.5K RWF 38.9M

94.98%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$29.1K RWF 42.7M

52.95%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$82.6 RWF 121.5K

7.98%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$7.06 RWF 10.4K

64.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$20.85 RWF 30.6K

-22.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$26.26 RWF 38.6K

194.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$4.16 RWF 6,115

444.71%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$3.49 RWF 5,126

138.97%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$112 RWF 164.1K

772.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$9,532 RWF 14.0M

170.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$17.17 RWF 25.2K

206.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$15.74 RWF 23.1K

148.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$22.31 RWF 32.8K

362.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$34.12 RWF 50.2K

183.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$670 RWF 984.8K

48.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$411 RWF 604.6K

53.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$1,361 RWF 2.0M

48.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$837 RWF 1.2M

38.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$3,404 RWF 5.0M

-7.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$3,062 RWF 4.5M

-39.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$275 RWF 404.6K

337.20%

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 Kigali: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Kigali

$411 47.1% 34.6% $218

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Kigali

$153 17.5% 42.2% $111

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Kigali

$86 9.9% 60.3% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Kigali

$40 4.6% 69.4% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Kigali

$111 12.7% 5.5% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Kigali

$33 3.8% 64.6% $61

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Kigali

$39 4.5% 47.8% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $670 in Kigali. 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 337% higher in Istanbul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $30.00 in Kigali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $153 – making Kigali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇼 Kigali

🕒 Local time

12:06 12:06 PM

11:06 11:06 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

1,132,686 Capital

💱 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 Kigali 4,780 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kigali

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 Kigali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 73%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $1,321 in Kigali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Istanbul and $112 in Kigali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 73% 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 Kigali, where all-in costs run around $881, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Kigali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kigali – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Kigali. 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.