Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in South Africa: $1,182 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,182

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: South Africa is 16.7% cheaper than Istanbul without rent, and 22.6% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: South Africa is 17.6% cheaper than Istanbul without rent, and 22.9% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.64 R 176

$11.88 ₺585

-10.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.40 R 683

$55.1 ₺2,714

-24.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 R 92.4

$9.14 ₺450

-38.73%

Cappuccino

$2.28 R 37.63

$4.24 ₺209

-46.23%

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

$1.16 R 19.17

$1.75 ₺86.0

-33.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.22

$0.54 ₺26.83

70.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.40

$4.69 ₺231

-47.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 R 48.69

$5.97 ₺294

-50.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.63

$1.26 ₺62.1

-5.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 R 18.42

$0.95 ₺46.81

17.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.58

$2.31 ₺114

-22.51%

Eggs

$2.48 R 40.88

$2.47 ₺122

0.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.08 R 133

$10.55 ₺520

-23.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.13 R 84.7

$5.60 ₺276

-8.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.81 R 129

$21.21 ₺1,045

-63.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$1.93 ₺95.1

-3.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.42

$2.29 ₺113

-27.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.15

$1.28 ₺63.1

38.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R 29.67

$1.84 ₺90.8

-2.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$0.67 ₺32.86

122.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.71

$0.59 ₺29.31

154.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.16

$1.33 ₺65.4

-3.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R 17.97

$0.59 ₺29.10

84.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.22 R 53.2

$2.36 ₺116

36.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.93 R 81.3

$13.47 ₺664

-63.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 R 24.47

$2.42 ₺119

-38.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 R 33.09

$3.54 ₺174

-43.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 R 26.39

$0.83 ₺40.64

92.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.7 R 1,001

$66.5 ₺3,273

-8.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 17.98

$1.35 ₺66.6

-19.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 R 16.23

$0.85 ₺42.05

15.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.42 R 122

$10.86 ₺535

-31.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.63

$1.47 ₺72.3

1.36%

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

$35.0K R 578.2K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-32.11%

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

$31.6K R 521.1K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-28.93%

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

$131 R 2,168

$89.2 ₺4,395

47.30%

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

$34.71 R 573

$11.60 ₺572

199.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.94 R 659

$16.10 ₺793

148.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.88 R 559

$77.3 ₺3,805

-56.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.39 R 188

$22.66 ₺1,116

-49.74%

Cinema Ticket

$7.31 R 121

$8.34 ₺411

-12.35%

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

$225 R 3,715

$974 ₺48.0K

-76.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,485 R 90.5K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-78.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 R 858

$52.7 ₺2,597

-1.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.30 R 549

$39.16 ₺1,929

-14.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.4 R 1,640

$103 ₺5,083

-3.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.4 R 1,441

$96.6 ₺4,759

-9.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$480 R 7,918

$994 ₺49.0K

-51.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 R 6,692

$629 ₺31.0K

-35.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$935 R 15.4K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-53.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$796 R 13.1K

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-31.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,111 R 18.3K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-64.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$777 R 12.8K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

-57.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,476 R 24.4K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

22.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

41.09

-72.67%

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

Last update for South Africa: 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

South Africa

$406 33.6%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 55.2% $224

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$206 17.1%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 43.3% $89

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.2%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 34.9% $68

Eating Out

South Africa

$156 12.9%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 39.9% $62

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$122 10.1%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 7.2% $8.8

Getting Around

South Africa

$73 6.1%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 3.1% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$49 4%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 93.7% $45

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

12:54 12:54 PM

13:54 1:54 PM

1 h ahead of South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

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

South Africa Istanbul 7,800 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Istanbul

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Istanbul

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

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

South Africa

Istanbul

South Africa

Istanbul

South Africa vs other spots: cost of living compared

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