Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bambous and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Bambous: $537 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Bambous
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Bambous Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Bambous

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$537

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $537 in Bambous versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Bambous $537
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $901 in Bambous versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Bambous $901
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,265 in Bambous versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Bambous $1,265
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Bambous costs roughly 65% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bambous is 60% below, Istanbul is 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.16 MUR 196

$12.30 ₺609

-66.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.24 MUR 1,753

$54.7 ₺2,708

-31.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.26 MUR 201

$9.22 ₺456

-53.80%

Cappuccino

$2.14 MUR 101

$4.40 ₺218

-51.36%

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

$1.02 MUR 48.07

$1.68 ₺83.1

-39.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MUR 19.06

$0.59 ₺29.40

-32.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 MUR 125

$4.70 ₺233

-43.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 MUR 73.6

$5.91 ₺292

-73.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 MUR 54.1

$1.21 ₺60.0

-4.96%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 MUR 33.68

$0.89 ₺44.10

-19.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 MUR 50.4

$2.19 ₺108

-51.14%

Eggs

$2.45 MUR 115

$2.35 ₺116

4.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.31 MUR 250

$10.42 ₺516

-49.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.14 MUR 148

$5.65 ₺280

-44.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.15 MUR 195

$20.94 ₺1,037

-80.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 MUR 100

$1.90 ₺94.1

12.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 MUR 125

$2.31 ₺114

15.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 MUR 67.6

$1.28 ₺63.1

12.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 MUR 136

$1.80 ₺89.0

60.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 MUR 46.53

$0.65 ₺32.16

52.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 MUR 46.58

$0.64 ₺31.91

54.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 MUR 32.59

$1.25 ₺62.1

-44.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 MUR 39.14

$0.56 ₺27.58

48.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.49 MUR 306

$2.37 ₺118

173.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.35 MUR 393

$13.42 ₺664

-37.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 MUR 79.5

$2.40 ₺119

-29.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 MUR 111

$3.48 ₺172

-32.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.19 MUR 197

$1.29 ₺64.1

224.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 MUR 152

$0.92 ₺45.70

251.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.46 MUR 1,010

$10.96 ₺542

95.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 MUR 65.4

$1.47 ₺72.9

-5.44%

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

$36.9K MUR 1.7M

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-27.39%

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

$30.9K MUR 1.5M

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-30.70%

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

$44.49 MUR 2,095

$88.6 ₺4,387

-49.79%

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

$10.50 MUR 494

$11.59 ₺574

-9.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.85 MUR 1,358

$15.81 ₺783

82.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$6.18 MUR 291

$8.14 ₺403

-24.08%

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

$124 MUR 5,861

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-87.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,510 MUR 353.6K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-70.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.0 MUR 3,624

$54.0 ₺2,671

42.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$72.3 MUR 3,403

$40.83 ₺2,021

77.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 MUR 5,646

$98.9 ₺4,895

21.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.4 MUR 3,598

$96.6 ₺4,783

-20.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

40.92

-83.70%

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

Last update for Bambous: October 13, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bambous

$171 31.9%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 51.7% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Bambous

$156 29%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 16% $25

Eating Out

Bambous

$94 17.5%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 138% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bambous

$84 15.6%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 38.4% $32

Getting Around

Bambous

$20 * 3.8%

Istanbul

$77 5% 278% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Bambous

$12 * 2.3%

Istanbul

$93 6% 656% $81

Accommodation & Living

Bambous

- * 0%

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $37.00 in Bambous vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $260 per month, with Bambous cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇺 Bambous

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

20:54 8:54 PM

19:54 7:54 PM

1 h behind Bambous

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,300

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to MUR – Mauritian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇺 Mauritian Rupee (₨)

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to MUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bambous Istanbul 7,420 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bambous
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

Bambous vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bambous and Istanbul differ by about 189% in total monthly costs ($537 vs $1,550 including rent). Bambous is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $805 in Bambous and $2,325 in Istanbul to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $124 in Bambous versus $1,008 in Istanbul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bambous – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $55.0 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $537 in Bambous versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bambous but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Bambous the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bambous and Istanbul are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bambous gentler on the wallet – expenses run 189% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.