Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Rwanda

For one person, living is cheaper in Rwanda: $803 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,526
/mo nomad
🇷🇼 Rwanda
$803
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Istanbul is 109% more expensive than Rwanda without rent, and 90.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Istanbul is 118.4% more expensive than Rwanda without rent, and 83.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Rwanda
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.88 ₺585
$3.14 RWF 4,613
278.34%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.1 ₺2,714
$25.44 RWF 37.4K
116.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.14 ₺450
$6.65 RWF 9,771
37.44%
Cappuccino
$4.24 ₺209
$2.37 RWF 3,489
78.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 ₺86.0
$0.74 RWF 1,083
136.49%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 ₺26.83
$0.56 RWF 828
-3.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.69 ₺231
$0.99 RWF 1,456
373.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.97 ₺294
$2.08 RWF 3,061
187.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Rwanda
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.26 ₺62.1
$0.85 RWF 1,250
48.24%
White Bread (500g)
$0.95 ₺46.81
$0.99 RWF 1,456
-4.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.31 ₺114
$1.27 RWF 1,869
81.89%
Eggs
$2.47 ₺122
$1.59 RWF 2,336
55.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.55 ₺520
$3.85 RWF 5,658
174.03%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.60 ₺276
$4.17 RWF 6,134
34.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.21 ₺1,045
$4.15 RWF 6,104
411.08%
Apples (1kg)
$1.93 ₺95.1
$2.75 RWF 4,043
-29.82%
Banana (1kg)
$2.29 ₺113
$0.82 RWF 1,209
179.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 ₺63.1
$1.56 RWF 2,299
-17.95%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.84 ₺90.8
$0.98 RWF 1,442
87.76%
Potato (1kg)
$0.67 ₺32.86
$0.47 RWF 692
42.55%
Onion (1kg)
$0.59 ₺29.31
$0.74 RWF 1,095
-20.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.33 ₺65.4
$0.46 RWF 675
189.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.59 ₺29.10
$0.80 RWF 1,171
-26.25%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.36 ₺116
$2.00 RWF 2,939
18.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.47 ₺664
$9.98 RWF 14.7K
34.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.42 ₺119
$1.14 RWF 1,680
112.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.54 ₺174
$1.58 RWF 2,327
124.05%
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Rwanda
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.83 ₺40.64
$0.36 RWF 523
130.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.5 ₺3,273
$28.50 RWF 41.9K
133.16%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.35 ₺66.6
$2.73 RWF 4,017
-50.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 ₺42.05
$2.07 RWF 3,042
-58.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.86 ₺535
$3.36 RWF 4,936
223.21%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ₺72.3
$1.82 RWF 2,682
-19.23%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$51.6K ₺2.5M
$26.3K RWF 38.7M
95.99%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.4K ₺2.2M
$23.4K RWF 34.4M
89.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Rwanda
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$89.2 ₺4,395
$86.8 RWF 127.5K
2.82%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.60 ₺572
$7.85 RWF 11.5K
47.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.10 ₺793
$20.43 RWF 30.0K
-21.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Rwanda
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$77.3 ₺3,805
$30.34 RWF 44.6K
154.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.66 ₺1,116
$4.26 RWF 6,260
431.92%
Cinema Ticket
$8.34 ₺411
$3.32 RWF 4,882
151.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Rwanda
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$974 ₺48.0K
$134 RWF 196.3K
629.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.8K ₺1.3M
$9,439 RWF 13.9M
173.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Rwanda
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.7 ₺2,597
$20.45 RWF 30.1K
157.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.16 ₺1,929
$17.15 RWF 25.2K
128.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 ₺5,083
$26.57 RWF 39.1K
288.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.6 ₺4,759
$35.32 RWF 51.9K
173.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Rwanda
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$994 ₺49.0K
$609 RWF 895.5K
63.18%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$629 ₺31.0K
$336 RWF 494.1K
87.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,024 ₺99.7K
$1,274 RWF 1.9M
58.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,155 ₺56.9K
$786 RWF 1.2M
47.01%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,160 ₺155.7K
$3,308 RWF 4.9M
-4.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,838 ₺90.5K
$3,054 RWF 4.5M
-39.84%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Rwanda
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,203 ₺59.3K
$292 RWF 429.3K
312.07%
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 Rwanda: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$629
Rwanda
$336 46.6% $293
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$264
Rwanda
$148 44% $116
Eating Out
Istanbul
$218
Rwanda
$88 59.7% $130
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$131
Rwanda
$45 65.9% $86
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$117
Rwanda
$115 1.6% $1.9
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$94
Rwanda
$37 60.6% $57
Getting Around
Istanbul
$75
Rwanda
$43 42.9% $32
Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇷🇼 Rwanda
🕒 Local time
14:15 2:15 PM
13:15 1:15 PM
1 h behind Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
13,246,394
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RWF, 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 = 55.2 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 = 1,647 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.07 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Rwanda 4,780 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Rwanda

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

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