Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint-Louis and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Louis: $830 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Louis
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Saint-Louis Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Saint-Louis

🇸🇳 Senegal

$830

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $830 per month in Saint-Louis vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Saint-Louis $830
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $1,322 per month in Saint-Louis vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Saint-Louis $1,322
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $1,815 per month in Saint-Louis vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Saint-Louis $1,815
Istanbul $3,272

Saint-Louis is about 46% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Saint-Louis sits 38% below the global median, while Istanbul is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.50 F CFA 2,045

$11.88 ₺585

-70.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.7 F CFA 30.8K

$55.1 ₺2,715

-4.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.15 F CFA 6,516

$9.14 ₺450

21.99%

Cappuccino

$3.35 F CFA 1,961

$4.24 ₺209

-20.99%

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

$1.25 F CFA 728

$1.75 ₺86.0

-28.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 F CFA 508

$0.54 ₺26.84

61.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.75 F CFA 1,025

$4.69 ₺231

-62.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 F CFA 2,553

$5.97 ₺294

-26.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.49 F CFA 1,458

$1.26 ₺62.1

97.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.27 F CFA 159

$0.95 ₺46.82

-71.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 F CFA 980

$2.31 ₺114

-27.27%

Eggs

$2.45 F CFA 1,431

$2.47 ₺122

-0.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.14 F CFA 10.0K

$10.55 ₺520

62.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.75 F CFA 5,117

$5.60 ₺276

56.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.00 F CFA 6,432

$21.21 ₺1,045

-48.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 F CFA 1,826

$1.93 ₺95.1

61.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 F CFA 1,142

$2.29 ₺113

-14.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 F CFA 1,670

$1.28 ₺63.1

123.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 F CFA 1,010

$1.84 ₺90.8

-5.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 F CFA 787

$0.67 ₺32.87

101.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 F CFA 573

$0.59 ₺29.31

66.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 F CFA 630

$1.33 ₺65.4

-18.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 F CFA 410

$0.59 ₺29.11

18.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.12 F CFA 1,241

$2.36 ₺116

-10.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.91 F CFA 9,885

$13.47 ₺664

25.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 F CFA 895

$2.42 ₺119

-36.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 F CFA 1,968

$3.54 ₺174

-4.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.65

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,274

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 F CFA 522

$1.35 ₺66.6

-34.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 F CFA 1,241

$0.85 ₺42.06

149.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.34 F CFA 10.1K

$10.86 ₺535

59.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 F CFA 991

$1.47 ₺72.3

15.65%

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

$50.9K F CFA 29.7M

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-1.43%

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

$48.6K F CFA 28.4M

$44.4K ₺2.2M

9.31%

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

$206 F CFA 120.7K

$89.2 ₺4,396

131.39%

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

$11.46 F CFA 6,701

$11.60 ₺572

-1.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.89 F CFA 27.4K

$16.10 ₺793

191.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,806

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

Cinema Ticket

$8.64 F CFA 5,048

$8.34 ₺411

3.60%

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

$320 F CFA 186.8K

$974 ₺48.0K

-67.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K F CFA 6.1M

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-59.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 F CFA 34.4K

$52.7 ₺2,597

11.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.28 F CFA 26.5K

$39.16 ₺1,930

15.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.6 F CFA 50.0K

$103 ₺5,084

-17.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 F CFA 55.5K

$96.6 ₺4,760

-1.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$435 F CFA 254.2K

$994 ₺49.0K

-56.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.75

41.09

-78.71%

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

Last update for Saint-Louis: October 6, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Saint-Louis

$287 34.3%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 7.9% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint-Louis

$265 31.7%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 55.8% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Saint-Louis

$128 15.3%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 2.5% $3.2

Eating Out

Saint-Louis

$128 15.3%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 70.7% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Saint-Louis

$17 * 2.1%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 444% $77

Getting Around

Saint-Louis

$12 * 1.4%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 555% $64

Accommodation & Living

Saint-Louis

- * 0%

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $435 in Saint-Louis 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53.0 in Saint-Louis versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $287 in Saint-Louis vs $264 in Istanbul – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇳 Saint-Louis

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

11:36 11:36 AM

14:36 2:36 PM

3 h ahead of Saint-Louis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

176,000

15,701,602

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 655 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.27 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.21 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saint-Louis Istanbul 5,160 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint-Louis
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

Saint-Louis vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 84%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,245 per month in Saint-Louis 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 Saint-Louis, 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 $53.0 in Saint-Louis and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Saint-Louis, where all-in costs run around $830, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Saint-Louis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Saint-Louis – 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 Saint-Louis. 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.