Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Polokwane

For one person, living is cheaper in Polokwane: $959 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Polokwane
Learn more

Polokwane Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Polokwane

🇿🇦 South Africa

$959

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Polokwane

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $959 in Polokwane, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Polokwane $959

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,417 in Polokwane, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Polokwane $1,417

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,875 in Polokwane, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Polokwane $1,875

Istanbul costs about 62% more than Polokwane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Polokwane is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$12.24 R 202

0.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$29.66 R 489

84.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$7.46 R 123

23.59%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.38 R 39.26

84.87%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.77 R 12.68

118.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.88 R 14.47

-32.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.68 R 27.65

179.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$1.88 R 30.95

214.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.32 R 21.71

-8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.08 R 17.82

-17.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.70 R 28.03

28.82%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.65 R 43.69

-11.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$7.84 R 129

32.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$4.59 R 75.6

23.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$6.04 R 99.6

246.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.01 R 33.19

-5.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.85 R 30.53

24.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.81 R 29.80

-29.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.96 R 32.30

-8.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.67 R 27.49

-61.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.50 R 24.73

-57.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.12 R 18.48

11.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.82 R 13.46

-31.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$2.68 R 44.22

-11.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$4.87 R 80.2

175.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.15 R 18.88

108.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.61 R 26.54

116.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.92 R 15.22

-3.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$30.03 R 495

124.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.87 R 14.41

48.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.95 R 15.66

-3.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$14.36 R 237

-23.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.43 R 23.52

2.80%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$26.1K R 430.1K

94.55%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$28.5K R 469.0K

56.43%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$138 R 2,281

-36.00%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$38.10 R 628

-69.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$32.99 R 544

-52.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$23.29 R 384

231.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$8.00 R 132

1.75%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$179 R 2,946

463.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$1,452 R 23.9K

1660.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$45.30 R 746

19.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$37.73 R 622

8.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$80.6 R 1,328

22.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$93.7 R 1,544

3.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$290 R 4,785

238.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$203 R 3,338

220.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$420 R 6,922

372.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$284 R 4,683

315.16%

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

$1,343 R 22.1K

-10.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

10.91

275.07%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Polokwane: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Polokwane

$203 21.1% 68.8% $447

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Polokwane

$185 19.3% 28.7% $74

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Polokwane

$168 17.5% 24.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Polokwane

$116 12.1% 11.3% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Polokwane

$210 21.8% 80.6% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Polokwane

$39 4.1% 57.9% $54

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Polokwane

$39 4.1% 48.8% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $290 in Polokwane. 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 11% higher in Polokwane, 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 $30.00 in Polokwane. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $185 – making Polokwane the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇿🇦 Polokwane

🕒 Local time

02:21 2:21 AM

01:21 1:21 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

628,999

💱 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 Polokwane 7,220 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Polokwane

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 Polokwane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $1,439 in Polokwane. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $179 in Polokwane. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing 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 Polokwane, where all-in costs run around $959, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Polokwane it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Polokwane – 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 Polokwane. 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.