Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kimberley and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Kimberley: $1,128 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Kimberley
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Kimberley Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Kimberley

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,128

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kimberley and in Istanbul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kimberley and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,128 per month in Kimberley vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kimberley $1,128
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $1,905 per month in Kimberley vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kimberley $1,905
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $2,683 per month in Kimberley vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kimberley $2,683
Istanbul $3,281

Kimberley is about 27% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Kimberley sits 16% below the global median, while Istanbul is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 R 201

$12.30 ₺609

-0.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.40 R 600

$54.7 ₺2,708

-33.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.91 R 97.3

$9.22 ₺456

-35.90%

Cappuccino

$3.02 R 49.76

$4.40 ₺218

-31.36%

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

$1.32 R 21.67

$1.68 ₺83.1

-21.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 20.96

$0.59 ₺29.40

115.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.78 R 45.76

$4.70 ₺233

-40.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 R 45.40

$5.91 ₺292

-53.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 R 25.08

$1.21 ₺60.0

25.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 R 19.09

$0.89 ₺44.10

30.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.01 R 49.58

$2.19 ₺108

37.44%

Eggs

$2.88 R 47.44

$2.35 ₺116

22.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.60 R 109

$10.42 ₺516

-36.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.84 R 96.2

$5.65 ₺280

3.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.62 R 142

$20.94 ₺1,037

-58.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 R 36.86

$1.90 ₺94.1

17.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.46 R 40.59

$2.31 ₺114

6.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.02

$1.28 ₺63.1

37.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.33 R 54.9

$1.80 ₺89.0

85.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.20

$0.65 ₺32.16

126.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 R 23.42

$0.64 ₺31.91

121.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 R 22.03

$1.25 ₺62.1

7.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 R 14.25

$0.56 ₺27.58

53.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.09 R 50.9

$2.37 ₺118

30.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.51 R 107

$13.42 ₺664

-51.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 R 36.48

$2.40 ₺119

-7.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 R 45.98

$3.48 ₺172

-19.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 R 24.97

$0.89 ₺43.84

70.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.35 R 549

$67.4 ₺3,338

-50.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 R 9.57

$1.29 ₺64.1

-55.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 R 14.57

$0.92 ₺45.70

-4.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.59 R 191

$10.96 ₺542

5.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.88

$1.47 ₺72.9

-5.44%

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

$35.2K R 579.7K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-30.72%

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

$31.7K R 522.0K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-28.85%

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

$105 R 1,734

$88.6 ₺4,387

18.77%

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

$34.81 R 573

$11.59 ₺574

200.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.50 R 700

$15.81 ₺783

168.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.96 R 378

$77.2 ₺3,820

-70.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.87 R 179

$22.74 ₺1,126

-52.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.27 R 120

$8.14 ₺403

-10.69%

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

$242 R 3,985

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-76.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,516 R 90.9K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-78.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.9 R 871

$54.0 ₺2,671

-1.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.01 R 544

$40.83 ₺2,021

-19.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.7 R 1,626

$98.9 ₺4,895

-0.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.3 R 1,438

$96.6 ₺4,783

-9.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$266 R 4,378

$985 ₺48.7K

-73.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 R 5,472

$650 ₺32.2K

-48.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 R 10.5K

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-67.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$940 R 15.5K

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-20.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$888 R 14.6K

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-71.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$649 R 10.7K

$1,780 ₺88.1K

-63.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$935 R 15.4K

$1,205 ₺59.7K

-22.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

40.92

-73.26%

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

Last update for Kimberley: October 11, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kimberley

$332 29.5%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 95.6% $318

Groceries & Markets

Kimberley

$228 20.2%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 14.1% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kimberley

$183 16.2%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 36.4% $67

Eating Out

Kimberley

$181 16.1%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 23.1% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Kimberley

$122 10.9%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 6.8% $8.3

Getting Around

Kimberley

$44 3.9%

Istanbul

$77 5% 73.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Kimberley

$38 3.3%

Istanbul

$93 6% 149% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $266 in Kimberley versus $985 in Istanbul. 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 29% 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 $36.00 in Kimberley versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $228 vs $260 – making Kimberley the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Kimberley

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

11:13 11:13 AM

12:13 12:13 PM

1 h ahead of Kimberley

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

225,160

15,701,602

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kimberley Istanbul 7,770 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Kimberley
Istanbul

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

Kimberley vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,692 per month in Kimberley and $2,325 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $242 per month in Kimberley and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kimberley, where all-in costs run around $1,128, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Kimberley it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kimberley – 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 Kimberley. 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.