Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tema and Istanbul

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.

36

Cost of Living Index in Tema
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Tema Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Tema

🇬🇭 Ghana

$738

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Tema $738
Istanbul $1,526

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

Tema $1,173
Istanbul $2,399

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

Tema $1,608
Istanbul $3,272

Tema is about 52% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.03 GHS 82.6

$11.88 ₺585

-40.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.88 GHS 328

$55.1 ₺2,714

-49.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

Cappuccino

$5.05 GHS 59.3

$4.24 ₺209

19.10%

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

$0.90 GHS 10.57

$1.75 ₺86.0

-48.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 GHS 3.55

$0.54 ₺26.83

-44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.29 GHS 38.67

$4.69 ₺231

-29.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 GHS 30.66

$5.97 ₺294

-56.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.16 GHS 37.18

$1.26 ₺62.1

150.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 GHS 18.84

$0.95 ₺46.81

68.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 GHS 24.34

$2.31 ₺114

-10.39%

Eggs

$2.30 GHS 27.06

$2.47 ₺122

-6.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.38 GHS 51.4

$10.55 ₺520

-58.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 GHS 37.21

$5.60 ₺276

-43.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.38 GHS 39.73

$21.21 ₺1,045

-84.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 GHS 30.71

$1.93 ₺95.1

35.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 GHS 25.06

$2.29 ₺113

-6.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 GHS 26.01

$1.28 ₺63.1

72.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.49 GHS 41.02

$1.84 ₺90.8

89.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 GHS 39.98

$0.67 ₺32.86

407.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 GHS 33.12

$0.59 ₺29.31

377.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 GHS 5.25

$1.33 ₺65.4

-66.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 GHS 7.86

$0.59 ₺29.10

13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.26 GHS 14.86

$2.36 ₺116

-46.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.54 GHS 100

$13.47 ₺664

-36.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 GHS 24.63

$2.42 ₺119

-13.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 GHS 34.79

$3.54 ₺174

-16.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.68 GHS 19.73

$0.83 ₺40.64

102.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.17 GHS 484

$66.5 ₺3,273

-38.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 GHS 24.73

$1.35 ₺66.6

55.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 GHS 4.83

$0.85 ₺42.05

-51.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 GHS 13.98

$1.47 ₺72.3

-19.05%

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)

$78.2 GHS 919

$89.2 ₺4,395

-12.37%

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

$15.22 GHS 179

$11.60 ₺572

31.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.5 GHS 970

$16.10 ₺793

412.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.06 GHS 283

$77.3 ₺3,805

-68.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 GHS 103

$8.34 ₺411

5.52%

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

$174 GHS 2,050

$974 ₺48.0K

-82.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,544 GHS 29.9K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-90.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.07 GHS 154

$52.7 ₺2,597

-75.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.40 GHS 181

$39.16 ₺1,929

-60.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.37 GHS 498

$103 ₺5,083

-58.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.20 GHS 378

$96.6 ₺4,759

-66.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$126 GHS 1,485

$994 ₺49.0K

-87.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$71.3 GHS 838

$629 ₺31.0K

-88.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 GHS 5,008

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-78.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$209 GHS 2,456

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-81.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,909 GHS 116.4K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

213.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,903 GHS 69.4K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

221.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$419 GHS 4,921

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-65.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

-14.82%

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

Last update for Tema: October 4, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tema

$216 28.9%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 22.4% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tema

$176 23.6%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 33.5% $59

Eating Out

Tema

$143 * 19.2%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 52.1% $75

Accommodation & Living

Tema

$71 9.6%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 783% $558

Getting Around

Tema

$52 7%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 44.8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Tema

$46 6.2%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 183% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Tema

$42 5.6%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 126% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $126 in Tema 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 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 $28.00 in Tema versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $216 vs $264 – making Tema the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇭 Tema

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

03:42 3:42 AM

06:42 6:42 AM

3 h ahead of Tema

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,000

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 GHS = 8.51 USD

100 GHS = 7.59 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to GHS – Ghanaian Cedi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇭 Ghanaian Cedi (₵)

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).

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).

USD to GHS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tema Istanbul 4,870 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tema
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

Tema vs Istanbul: 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 $1,107 per month in Tema 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 Tema, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $174 per month in Tema 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 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.