Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and St Francis Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in St Francis Bay: $1,022 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in St Francis Bay
Learn more

St Francis Bay Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

St Francis Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,022

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in St Francis Bay

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 St Francis Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,022 in St Francis Bay, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
St Francis Bay $1,022

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,650 in St Francis Bay, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
St Francis Bay $1,650

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $2,278 in St Francis Bay, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
St Francis Bay $2,278

Istanbul costs about 52% more than St Francis Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while St Francis Bay is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$10.85 R 179

13.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$42.05 R 693

30.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$3.65 R 60.2

152.60%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.14 R 35.18

105.61%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.02 R 16.76

64.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.73 R 11.98

-19.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.13 R 35.13

120.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$1.84 R 30.36

221.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.86 R 14.25

40.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.01 R 16.58

-11.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.43 R 23.56

53.15%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.66 R 43.89

-11.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$7.39 R 122

41.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$5.33 R 87.9

6.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$8.26 R 136

153.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.08 R 34.25

-8.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.46 R 24.04

58.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.67 R 27.59

-23.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.79 R 29.48

0.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.65 R 27.26

-60.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.38 R 22.70

-53.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.22 R 20.15

2.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.98 R 16.17

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.18 R 52.4

-25.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$4.80 R 79.1

179.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.26 R 20.73

90.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.73 R 28.44

101.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.48 R 24.34

-39.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.57 R 9.45

126.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.49 R 8.13

87.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$8.19 R 135

33.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.36 R 22.46

8.09%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$20.3K R 334.8K

149.94%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$33.7K R 554.7K

32.27%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$60.0 R 988

47.73%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$34.08 R 562

-65.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$41.40 R 682

-61.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$31.46 R 518

145.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$10.79 R 178

110.75%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$9.04 R 149

-9.96%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$180 R 2,961

460.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$6,149 R 101.3K

315.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$71.5 R 1,178

-24.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$37.62 R 620

8.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$110 R 1,812

-10.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$97.9 R 1,613

-1.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$398 R 6,561

147.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$353 R 5,823

83.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$716 R 11.8K

176.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$715 R 11.8K

65.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$870 R 14.3K

260.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$665 R 11.0K

167.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

11.94

242.71%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for St Francis Bay: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

St Francis Bay

$353 34.6% 45.6% $296

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

St Francis Bay

$187 18.3% 27.9% $72

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

St Francis Bay

$145 14.2% 35.2% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

St Francis Bay

$143 14% 9.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

St Francis Bay

$135 13.3% 16.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

St Francis Bay

$50 4.9% 47% $44

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

St Francis Bay

$9 * 0.9% 88.4% $68

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $398 in St Francis Bay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $42.00 in St Francis Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $187 – making St Francis Bay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇿🇦 St Francis Bay

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

11:32 11:32 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

5,910

💱 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 St Francis Bay 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
St Francis Bay

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 St Francis Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 52%, 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 $1,533 in St Francis Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $42.00 in St Francis Bay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% 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 St Francis Bay, where all-in costs run around $1,022, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In St Francis Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward St Francis Bay – 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 St Francis Bay. 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.