Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Somerset West

For one person, living is cheaper in Somerset West: $1,162 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Somerset West
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Somerset West Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Somerset West

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,162

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Somerset West

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,162 in Somerset West, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Somerset West $1,162

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,890 in Somerset West, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Somerset West $1,890

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $2,618 in Somerset West, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Somerset West $2,618

Istanbul costs about 33% more than Somerset West, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Somerset West is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$11.86 R 195

3.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$45.93 R 757

19.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$5.42 R 89.3

70.11%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.17 R 35.82

102.76%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.03 R 16.99

63.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.91 R 15.02

-35.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.52 R 41.47

86.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.32 R 54.6

78.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.94 R 15.56

28.72%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.00 R 16.43

-11.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.06 R 33.91

6.31%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.27 R 37.42

3.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$8.65 R 142

20.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$5.25 R 86.6

7.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$9.52 R 157

119.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.84 R 30.28

3.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.90 R 31.24

21.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.69 R 27.83

-24.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.74 R 28.62

3.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.54 R 25.30

-57.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.54 R 25.30

-58.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.29 R 21.21

-3.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.09 R 17.92

-48.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.28 R 54.0

-27.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$5.98 R 98.5

124.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.34 R 22.13

79.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.76 R 28.95

97.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.12 R 18.52

-20.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$59.4 R 979

13.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.58 R 9.56

122.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.48 R 24.35

-37.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$5.08 R 83.7

115.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.43 R 23.49

2.80%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$28.8K R 474.1K

76.47%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$30.0K R 494.4K

48.38%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$85.2 R 1,404

4.01%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$28.77 R 474

-59.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$40.92 R 674

-61.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$45.25 R 745

70.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$10.76 R 177

111.34%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$7.19 R 118

13.21%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$261 R 4,308

285.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$3,633 R 59.9K

603.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$30.84 R 508

74.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$31.76 R 523

28.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$70.5 R 1,161

40.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$56.5 R 930

71.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$637 R 10.5K

54.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$425 R 6,997

53.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,358 R 22.4K

46.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$935 R 15.4K

26.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$1,227 R 20.2K

155.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$907 R 14.9K

96.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,427 R 23.5K

-15.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

10.12

304.35%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Somerset West: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Somerset West

$425 36.5% 34.6% $225

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Somerset West

$202 17.4% 22.4% $58

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Somerset West

$164 14.1% 26.4% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Somerset West

$85 7.3% 34.7% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Somerset West

$155 13.3% 33.5% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Somerset West

$60 5.1% 36.2% $34

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Somerset West

$72 6.2% 6.5% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $637 in Somerset West. 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 18% higher in Somerset West, 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 $46.00 in Somerset West. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $202 – making Somerset West the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇿🇦 Somerset West

🕒 Local time

11:45 11:45 AM

10:45 10:45 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

55,166

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Somerset West 8,410 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Somerset West

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 Somerset West: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $1,743 in Somerset West. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Somerset West, 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 $261 in Somerset West. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Somerset West, where all-in costs run around $1,162, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Somerset West it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Somerset West – 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 Somerset West. 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.