Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and the Republic of the Congo

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $1,646 in the Republic of the Congo, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in the Republic of the Congo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,526
/mo nomad
🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo
$1,646
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Istanbul is 2.6% more expensive than the Republic of the Congo without rent, and 7.3% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Istanbul is 3.5% more expensive than the Republic of the Congo without rent, and 5.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Republic of the Congo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.88 ₺585
$8.51 FCFA 4,976
39.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.1 ₺2,714
$37.60 FCFA 22.0K
46.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.14 ₺450
$4.99 FCFA 2,919
83.17%
Cappuccino
$4.24 ₺209
$3.90 FCFA 2,284
8.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 ₺86.0
$1.62 FCFA 948
8.02%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 ₺26.83
$1.35 FCFA 790
-60.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.69 ₺231
$5.74 FCFA 3,360
-18.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.97 ₺294
$2.58 FCFA 1,511
131.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Republic of the Congo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.26 ₺62.1
$2.56 FCFA 1,498
-50.78%
White Bread (500g)
$0.95 ₺46.81
$4.65 FCFA 2,720
-79.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.31 ₺114
$3.13 FCFA 1,832
-26.20%
Eggs
$2.47 ₺122
$2.52 FCFA 1,476
-1.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.55 ₺520
$15.89 FCFA 9,298
-33.61%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.60 ₺276
$7.21 FCFA 4,216
-22.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.21 ₺1,045
$12.10 FCFA 7,080
75.29%
Apples (1kg)
$1.93 ₺95.1
$2.86 FCFA 1,672
-32.52%
Banana (1kg)
$2.29 ₺113
$1.75 FCFA 1,025
30.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 ₺63.1
$3.52 FCFA 2,062
-63.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.84 ₺90.8
$4.06 FCFA 2,378
-54.68%
Potato (1kg)
$0.67 ₺32.86
$3.25 FCFA 1,902
-79.38%
Onion (1kg)
$0.59 ₺29.31
$2.43 FCFA 1,420
-75.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.33 ₺65.4
$1.29 FCFA 755
3.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.59 ₺29.10
$0.88 FCFA 513
-32.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.36 ₺116
$3.75 FCFA 2,193
-37.07%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.47 ₺664
$8.09 FCFA 4,734
66.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.42 ₺119
$1.05 FCFA 612
130.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.54 ₺174
$1.74 FCFA 1,015
103.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Republic of the Congo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.83 ₺40.64
$0.27 FCFA 158
207.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.5 ₺3,273
$23.35 FCFA 13.7K
184.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.35 ₺66.6
$1.67 FCFA 980
-19.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 ₺42.05
$1.66 FCFA 974
-48.80%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.86 ₺535
$6.79 FCFA 3,973
59.94%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ₺72.3
$1.29 FCFA 758
13.95%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$51.6K ₺2.5M
$29.0K FCFA 17.0M
77.92%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.4K ₺2.2M
$20.8K FCFA 12.2M
113.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Republic of the Congo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$89.2 ₺4,395
$607 FCFA 355.1K
-85.30%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.60 ₺572
$29.13 FCFA 17.0K
-60.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.10 ₺793
$43.35 FCFA 25.4K
-62.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Republic of the Congo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$77.3 ₺3,805
$34.43 FCFA 20.1K
124.37%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.66 ₺1,116
$16.70 FCFA 9,769
35.69%
Cinema Ticket
$8.34 ₺411
$6.43 FCFA 3,761
29.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Republic of the Congo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$974 ₺48.0K
$55.1 FCFA 32.2K
1668.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.8K ₺1.3M
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Republic of the Congo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.7 ₺2,597
$46.27 FCFA 27.1K
13.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.16 ₺1,929
$48.44 FCFA 28.3K
-19.16%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 ₺5,083
$119 FCFA 69.6K
-13.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.6 ₺4,759
$116 FCFA 67.7K
-16.49%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Republic of the Congo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$994 ₺49.0K
$795 FCFA 465.2K
25.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$629 ₺31.0K
$251 FCFA 146.7K
151.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,024 ₺99.7K
$2,616 FCFA 1.5M
-22.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,155 ₺56.9K
$977 FCFA 571.7K
18.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,160 ₺155.7K
$3,433 FCFA 2.0M
-7.95%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,838 ₺90.5K
$2,991 FCFA 1.8M
-38.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Republic of the Congo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,203 ₺59.3K
$382 FCFA 223.3K
215.31%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
41.09
9.51
332.07%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for the Republic of the Congo: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$629
Republic of the Congo
$251 60.2% $379
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$264
Republic of the Congo
$329 24.7% $65
Eating Out
Istanbul
$218
Republic of the Congo
$176 19.4% $42
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$131
Republic of the Congo
$148 12.9% $17
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$117
Republic of the Congo
$679 481% $563
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$94
Republic of the Congo
$47 49.7% $47
Getting Around
Istanbul
$75
Republic of the Congo
$34 54.3% $41
Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo
🕒 Local time
11:05 11:05 AM
09:05 9:05 AM
2 h behind Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
6,142,180
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

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).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Republic of the Congo 5,220 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Republic of the Congo

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.
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