Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Upington and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Upington: $1,133 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Upington
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Upington Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Upington

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,133

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,133 per month in Upington vs $1,525 in Istanbul, rent included.

Upington $1,133
Istanbul $1,525

A couple spends around $1,760 per month in Upington vs $2,390 in Istanbul, rent included.

Upington $1,760
Istanbul $2,390

A family of three spends $2,388 per month in Upington vs $3,256 in Istanbul, rent included.

Upington $2,388
Istanbul $3,256

Upington is about 26% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Upington sits 16% below the global median, while Istanbul is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.40 R 204

$11.96 ₺592

3.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.12 R 612

$57.2 ₺2,834

-35.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.69 R 93.7

$9.51 ₺471

-40.17%

Cappuccino

$1.74 R 28.68

$4.40 ₺218

-60.45%

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

$1.04 R 17.17

$1.75 ₺86.6

-40.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R 12.58

$0.56 ₺27.57

35.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 R 28.48

$4.71 ₺233

-63.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 R 46.42

$6.14 ₺304

-54.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 R 14.65

$1.24 ₺61.6

-28.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.66

$0.95 ₺47.25

31.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.26

$2.28 ₺113

-27.63%

Eggs

$2.64 R 43.52

$2.45 ₺121

7.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.45 R 139

$10.56 ₺523

-19.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 R 84.3

$5.50 ₺272

-6.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.27 R 120

$21.65 ₺1,072

-66.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 R 33.55

$1.83 ₺90.6

11.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R 28.20

$2.29 ₺113

-25.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.35

$1.28 ₺63.4

39.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.29

$1.82 ₺90.1

1.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 R 24.81

$0.66 ₺32.74

128.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.95

$0.63 ₺31.14

150.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R 20.96

$1.27 ₺62.8

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 R 16.78

$0.56 ₺27.62

82.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.76 R 45.51

$2.36 ₺117

16.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.73 R 61.4

$12.98 ₺642

-71.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 R 21.09

$2.48 ₺123

-48.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 R 28.88

$3.50 ₺174

-50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.74 R 28.72

$0.82 ₺40.77

112.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.55 R 9.03

$1.33 ₺65.7

-58.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 R 15.86

$0.90 ₺44.60

6.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 R 176

$10.91 ₺540

-2.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 R 24.69

$1.43 ₺70.7

4.90%

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

$31.3K R 514.9K

$49.6K ₺2.5M

-36.95%

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

$34.0K R 560.5K

$43.2K ₺2.1M

-21.23%

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

$146 R 2,404

$88.8 ₺4,395

64.37%

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

$37.98 R 626

$11.69 ₺579

224.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.45 R 633

$16.09 ₺797

138.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.77 R 458

$76.3 ₺3,776

-63.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.05 R 198

$22.72 ₺1,125

-46.96%

Cinema Ticket

$6.94 R 114

$8.26 ₺409

-15.98%

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

$103 R 1,691

$1,015 ₺50.2K

-89.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,463 R 90.0K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-78.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.2 R 1,008

$53.3 ₺2,636

14.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.44 R 551

$40.55 ₺2,008

-17.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,916

$100 ₺4,956

16.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.9 R 1,597

$93.5 ₺4,630

3.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 R 6,494

$977 ₺48.4K

-59.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 R 6,084

$627 ₺31.0K

-41.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 R 10.2K

$1,980 ₺98.0K

-68.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$737 R 12.1K

$1,147 ₺56.8K

-35.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$763 R 12.6K

$3,095 ₺153.2K

-75.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$736 R 12.1K

$1,787 ₺88.5K

-58.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$776 R 12.8K

$1,213 ₺60.1K

-36.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.38

40.69

-72.03%

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

Last update for Upington: October 18, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Upington

$369 32.6%

Istanbul

$627 41.1% 69.8% $258

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Upington

$222 19.6%

Istanbul

$117 7.6% 47.6% $106

Groceries & Markets

Upington

$190 16.8%

Istanbul

$263 17.2% 37.9% $72

Eating Out

Upington

$159 14%

Istanbul

$222 14.6% 40% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Upington

$139 12.2%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 6.6% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Upington

$42 3.7%

Istanbul

$93 6.1% 123% $51

Getting Around

Upington

$12 * 1.1%

Istanbul

$74 4.9% 503% $62

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $394 in Upington versus $977 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 56% 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 $37.00 in Upington versus $57.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $263 – making Upington the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Upington

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

04:28 4:28 AM

05:28 5:28 AM

1 h ahead of Upington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,834

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 21, 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 21, 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

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Between locations

Upington Istanbul 7,760 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Upington
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

Upington vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,700 per month in Upington and $2,287 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Upington, 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 $37.00 in Upington and $57.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% 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 Upington, where all-in costs run around $1,133, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Upington it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Upington – 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 Upington. 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.