Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Tema

For one person, living is cheaper in Tema: $738 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Tema
Learn more

Tema Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Tema

🇬🇭 Ghana

$738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Tema

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $738 in Tema, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Tema $738

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $1,173 in Tema, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Tema $1,173

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $1,608 in Tema, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Tema $1,608

Istanbul costs about 107% more than Tema, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Tema is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$7.03 GHS 82.6

68.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$27.88 GHS 328

97.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$5.05 GHS 59.3

-16.04%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$0.90 GHS 10.57

94.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.30 GHS 3.55

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$3.29 GHS 38.67

42.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$2.61 GHS 30.66

128.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$3.16 GHS 37.18

-60.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.60 GHS 18.84

-40.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.07 GHS 24.34

11.59%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$2.30 GHS 27.06

7.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$4.38 GHS 51.4

140.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$3.17 GHS 37.21

76.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$3.38 GHS 39.73

527.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.61 GHS 30.71

-26.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.13 GHS 25.06

7.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.21 GHS 26.01

-42.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$3.49 GHS 41.02

-47.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$3.40 GHS 39.98

-80.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$2.82 GHS 33.12

-79.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.45 GHS 5.25

195.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.67 GHS 7.86

-11.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$1.26 GHS 14.86

87.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$8.54 GHS 100

57.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$2.10 GHS 24.63

15.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.96 GHS 34.79

19.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$1.68 GHS 19.73

-50.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$41.17 GHS 484

61.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$2.10 GHS 24.73

-35.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.41 GHS 4.83

107.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.19 GHS 13.98

23.53%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$78.2 GHS 919

14.12%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$15.22 GHS 179

-23.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$82.5 GHS 970

-80.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$24.06 GHS 283

221.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$8.80 GHS 103

-5.23%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$174 GHS 2,050

458.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$2,544 GHS 29.9K

913.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$13.07 GHS 154

303.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$15.40 GHS 181

154.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$42.37 GHS 498

143.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$32.20 GHS 378

200.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$126 GHS 1,485

686.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$71.3 GHS 838

782.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$426 GHS 5,008

374.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$209 GHS 2,456

452.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$9,909 GHS 116.4K

-68.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$5,903 GHS 69.4K

-68.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$419 GHS 4,921

187.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

17.40%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Tema: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Tema

$71 9.6% 88.7% $558

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Tema

$216 28.9% 18.3% $48

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Tema

$143 * 19.2% 34.2% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Tema

$46 6.2% 64.7% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Tema

$176 23.6% 50.5% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Tema

$42 5.6% 55.7% $52

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Tema

$52 7% 31% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $126 in Tema. 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 187% higher in Istanbul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $28.00 in Tema. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $216 – making Tema the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇭 Tema

🕒 Local time

10:01 10:01 AM

07:01 7:01 AM

3 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

160,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

100 GHS = 8.51 USD

100 GHS = 7.59 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, 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).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 11.75 GHS (100 GHS = 8.51 USD). 1 EUR = 13.18 GHS (100 GHS = 7.59 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Tema 4,870 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Tema

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 Tema: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 107%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $1,107 in Tema. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tema, 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 $174 in Tema. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tema, where all-in costs run around $738, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Tema it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tema – 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 Tema. 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.