Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Elizabeth and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Elizabeth: $1,233 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Port Elizabeth
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Port Elizabeth Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Port Elizabeth

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,233

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Port Elizabeth 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 Port Elizabeth and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,233 per month in Port Elizabeth vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Port Elizabeth $1,233
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $1,847 per month in Port Elizabeth vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Port Elizabeth $1,847
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $2,461 per month in Port Elizabeth vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Port Elizabeth $2,461
Istanbul $3,272

Port Elizabeth is about 19% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Port Elizabeth sits 8% below the global median, while Istanbul is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 R 175

$11.88 ₺585

-10.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.87 R 707

$55.1 ₺2,714

-22.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.02 R 99.3

$9.14 ₺450

-34.14%

Cappuccino

$2.12 R 35.03

$4.24 ₺209

-50.00%

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

$1.04 R 17.24

$1.75 ₺86.0

-40.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R 11.93

$0.54 ₺26.83

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 R 45.50

$4.69 ₺231

-41.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 50.5

$5.97 ₺294

-48.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 R 18.74

$1.26 ₺62.1

-9.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 R 17.10

$0.95 ₺46.81

9.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.78

$2.31 ₺114

-37.66%

Eggs

$2.81 R 46.33

$2.47 ₺122

13.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.58 R 142

$10.55 ₺520

-18.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.47 R 90.2

$5.60 ₺276

-2.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.28 R 137

$21.21 ₺1,045

-60.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.80

$1.93 ₺95.1

9.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.46

$2.29 ₺113

-32.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.56

$1.28 ₺63.1

25.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.43

$1.84 ₺90.8

-3.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.56

$0.67 ₺32.86

158.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 R 23.46

$0.59 ₺29.31

140.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 R 21.27

$1.33 ₺65.4

-3.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 R 16.70

$0.59 ₺29.10

71.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.13 R 51.6

$2.36 ₺116

32.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.82 R 79.6

$13.47 ₺664

-64.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 R 20.63

$2.42 ₺119

-48.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 R 30.06

$3.54 ₺174

-48.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R 17.96

$0.83 ₺40.64

31.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.08 R 595

$66.5 ₺3,273

-45.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 R 35.03

$1.35 ₺66.6

57.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 R 8.20

$0.85 ₺42.05

-41.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.45 R 139

$10.86 ₺535

-22.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 R 23.86

$1.47 ₺72.3

-1.36%

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

$35.4K R 584.3K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-31.40%

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

$34.0K R 561.2K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-23.47%

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

$123 R 2,024

$89.2 ₺4,395

37.50%

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

$35.08 R 579

$11.60 ₺572

202.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.22 R 746

$16.10 ₺793

180.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.88 R 526

$77.3 ₺3,805

-58.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.73 R 375

$22.66 ₺1,116

0.31%

Cinema Ticket

$10.61 R 175

$8.34 ₺411

27.22%

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

$176 R 2,902

$974 ₺48.0K

-81.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,192 R 102.2K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-75.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 R 1,164

$52.7 ₺2,597

33.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.27 R 631

$39.16 ₺1,929

-2.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 R 1,807

$103 ₺5,083

6.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 R 1,593

$96.6 ₺4,759

-0.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 R 10.1K

$994 ₺49.0K

-38.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R 6,891

$629 ₺31.0K

-33.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 R 13.3K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-60.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$689 R 11.4K

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-40.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$750 R 12.4K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-76.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$531 R 8,754

$1,838 ₺90.5K

-71.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,612 R 26.6K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

33.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.94

41.09

-70.94%

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

Last update for Port Elizabeth: October 3, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Elizabeth

$418 34.4%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 50.7% $212

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Elizabeth

$203 16.7%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 42.4% $86

Groceries & Markets

Port Elizabeth

$197 16.2%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 34.2% $67

Eating Out

Port Elizabeth

$155 12.8%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 40.2% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Port Elizabeth

$142 11.7%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 7.4% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Port Elizabeth

$53 4.4%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 76.9% $41

Getting Around

Port Elizabeth

$45 3.7%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 67.3% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $612 in Port Elizabeth versus $994 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 34% higher in Port Elizabeth, 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 $43.00 in Port Elizabeth versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $264 – making Port Elizabeth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Port Elizabeth

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

11:53 11:53 AM

12:53 12:53 PM

1 h ahead of Port Elizabeth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,050,000

15,701,602

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

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).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Port Elizabeth Istanbul 8,340 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Elizabeth
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

Port Elizabeth vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,849 per month in Port Elizabeth and $2,289 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $176 per month in Port Elizabeth and $974 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% 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 Port Elizabeth, where all-in costs run around $1,233, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Port Elizabeth it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Port Elizabeth – 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 Port Elizabeth. 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.