Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bulawayo and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulawayo: $763 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Bulawayo
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Bulawayo Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$763

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $763 per month in Bulawayo vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Bulawayo $763
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $1,192 per month in Bulawayo vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Bulawayo $1,192
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $1,622 per month in Bulawayo vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Bulawayo $1,622
Istanbul $3,272

Bulawayo is about 50% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bulawayo sits 43% below the global median, while Istanbul is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ZWL 122

$11.88 ₺585

-61.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ZWL 809

$55.1 ₺2,714

-45.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 ZWL 131

$9.14 ₺450

-46.50%

Cappuccino

$2.09 ZWL 55.9

$4.24 ₺209

-50.71%

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

$0.52 ZWL 13.86

$1.75 ₺86.0

-70.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ZWL 9.85

$0.54 ₺26.83

-31.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ZWL 39.14

$4.69 ₺231

-68.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ZWL 54.2

$5.97 ₺294

-66.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ZWL 44.28

$1.26 ₺62.1

31.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ZWL 27.05

$0.95 ₺46.81

6.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 ZWL 41.32

$2.31 ₺114

-32.90%

Eggs

$1.91 ZWL 50.9

$2.47 ₺122

-22.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.59 ZWL 256

$10.55 ₺520

-9.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.02 ZWL 107

$5.60 ₺276

-28.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.46 ZWL 119

$21.21 ₺1,045

-78.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 ZWL 49.29

$1.93 ₺95.1

-4.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ZWL 42.68

$2.29 ₺113

-30.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 ZWL 64.8

$1.28 ₺63.1

89.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.04 ZWL 27.89

$1.84 ₺90.8

-43.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ZWL 34.19

$0.67 ₺32.86

91.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 ZWL 37.02

$0.59 ₺29.31

135.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ZWL 29.29

$1.33 ₺65.4

-17.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ZWL 19.93

$0.59 ₺29.10

27.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.54 ZWL 41.04

$2.36 ₺116

-34.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.10 ZWL 136

$13.47 ₺664

-62.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 ZWL 36.15

$2.42 ₺119

-44.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ZWL 49.48

$3.54 ₺174

-47.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ZWL 20.65

$0.83 ₺40.64

-7.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.55 ZWL 816

$66.5 ₺3,273

-54.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 ZWL 78.6

$1.35 ₺66.6

117.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 ZWL 52.1

$0.85 ₺42.05

129.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 ZWL 135

$10.86 ₺535

-53.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 ZWL 43.75

$1.47 ₺72.3

11.56%

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

$24.6K ZWL 656.4K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-52.40%

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

$24.6K ZWL 657.7K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-44.60%

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

$95.3 ZWL 2,547

$89.2 ₺4,395

6.86%

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

$17.21 ZWL 460

$11.60 ₺572

48.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$105 ZWL 2,816

$16.10 ₺793

554.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.62 ZWL 845

$77.3 ₺3,805

-59.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.07 ZWL 536

$22.66 ₺1,116

-11.43%

Cinema Ticket

$9.86 ZWL 263

$8.34 ₺411

18.23%

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

$231 ZWL 6,175

$974 ₺48.0K

-76.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,512 ZWL 93.8K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-86.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.96 ZWL 560

$52.7 ₺2,597

-60.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.58 ZWL 309

$39.16 ₺1,929

-70.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.58 ZWL 1,217

$103 ₺5,083

-55.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 ZWL 1,548

$96.6 ₺4,759

-40.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$176 ZWL 4,695

$994 ₺49.0K

-82.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$107 ZWL 2,863

$629 ₺31.0K

-82.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$414 ZWL 11.1K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-79.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 ZWL 8,679

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-71.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 ZWL 54.8K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-35.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,046 ZWL 54.7K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

11.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$306 ZWL 8,161

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-74.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

-63.49%

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

Last update for Bulawayo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bulawayo

$218 29%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 46.4% $101

Groceries & Markets

Bulawayo

$177 23.5%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 49% $87

Accommodation & Living

Bulawayo

$107 14.2%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 487% $522

Eating Out

Bulawayo

$91 12.1%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 139% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Bulawayo

$61 8.1%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 114% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Bulawayo

$51 6.8%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 83% $43

Getting Around

Bulawayo

$46 6.2%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 62.7% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $176 in Bulawayo 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 294% 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 $30.00 in Bulawayo versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $177 vs $264 – making Bulawayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Bulawayo

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

15:50 3:50 PM

16:50 4:50 PM

1 h ahead of Bulawayo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

653,337

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.74 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇼 Zimbabwean Dollar ($)

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 26.71 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.74 USD). 1 EUR = 29.93 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 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 ZWL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bulawayo Istanbul 6,800 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bulawayo
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

Bulawayo vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 100%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,144 per month in Bulawayo 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 Bulawayo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $763 in Bulawayo and $1,526 in Istanbul. That's a gap of about 100%.

Public transport costs about 118% less in Bulawayo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bulawayo, where all-in costs run around $763, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Bulawayo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bulawayo – 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 Bulawayo. 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.