Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Pretoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Pretoria: $1,337 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
Learn more

Pretoria Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,337

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Pretoria

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $1,337 in Pretoria, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Pretoria $1,337

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $2,001 in Pretoria, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Pretoria $2,001

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $2,664 in Pretoria, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Pretoria $2,664

Istanbul costs about 14% more than Pretoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Istanbul and Pretoria sit above the global median – Istanbul by 14%, Pretoria by 0%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$9.12 R 150

30.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$36.06 R 595

52.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$5.28 R 87.1

73.11%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$2.19 R 36.11

93.61%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$1.09 R 17.97

60.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.89 R 14.64

-39.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$2.59 R 42.67

81.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$3.22 R 53.1

85.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.16 R 19.14

8.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.08 R 17.78

-12.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.81 R 29.83

27.62%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$2.45 R 40.35

0.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$8.20 R 135

28.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$4.97 R 82.0

12.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$7.08 R 117

199.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.73 R 28.59

11.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.65 R 27.23

38.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.77 R 29.16

-27.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$1.61 R 26.62

14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.10 R 18.16

-39.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.16 R 19.15

-49.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.22 R 20.05

9.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$1.28 R 21.11

-53.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$3.21 R 52.9

-26.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$5.17 R 85.4

160.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.53 R 25.17

58.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.97 R 32.54

79.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$4.72 R 77.8

-82.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$180 R 2,961

-62.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$0.31 R 5.16

335.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.77 R 12.66

10.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$14.46 R 239

-24.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.49 R 24.62

-1.34%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$35.7K R 588.2K

44.81%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$33.2K R 547.3K

33.98%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$152 R 2,515

-41.48%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$36.42 R 601

-68.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$36.56 R 603

-55.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$31.39 R 518

146.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$10.30 R 170

120.00%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$7.03 R 116

18.63%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$256 R 4,219

280.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$7,665 R 126.5K

236.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$53.4 R 880

-1.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$31.55 R 521

24.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$91.6 R 1,511

12.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$83.1 R 1,370

16.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$453 R 7,475

119.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$410 R 6,772

53.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$950 R 15.7K

113.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$756 R 12.5K

52.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$868 R 14.3K

263.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$692 R 11.4K

165.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$1,385 R 22.9K

-13.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

11.34

262.35%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Pretoria: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Pretoria

$410 30.8% 34.8% $219

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Pretoria

$192 14.4% 27.4% $72

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Pretoria

$142 10.7% 34.7% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Pretoria

$117 8.8% 11% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Pretoria

$225 16.9% 92.8% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Pretoria

$45 3.4% 51.6% $48

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Pretoria

$203 15.2% 169% $127

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $453 in Pretoria. 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 15% higher in Pretoria, 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 $36.00 in Pretoria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $192 – making Pretoria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🕒 Local time

08:31 8:31 AM

07:31 7:31 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

741,651 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Pretoria 7,420 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Pretoria

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 Pretoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $2,006 in Pretoria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pretoria, 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 $256 in Pretoria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Pretoria, where all-in costs run around $1,337, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Pretoria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pretoria – 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 Pretoria. 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.