Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harare and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Harare: $1,025 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Harare
Learn more

Harare Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Harare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$1,025

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,025 in Harare versus $1,526 in Istanbul.

Harare $1,025
Istanbul $1,526

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,682 in Harare versus $2,399 in Istanbul.

Harare $1,682
Istanbul $2,399

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,339 in Harare versus $3,272 in Istanbul.

Harare $2,339
Istanbul $3,272

Living in Harare costs roughly 33% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Harare is 24% below, Istanbul is 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.12 ZWL 270

$11.88 ₺585

-14.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.29 ZWL 1,210

$55.1 ₺2,714

-17.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ZWL 150

$9.14 ₺450

-38.73%

Cappuccino

$3.01 ZWL 80.4

$4.24 ₺209

-29.01%

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

$0.97 ZWL 26.04

$1.75 ₺86.0

-44.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ZWL 12.07

$0.54 ₺26.83

-16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ZWL 32.56

$4.69 ₺231

-73.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ZWL 52.2

$5.97 ₺294

-67.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ZWL 39.29

$1.26 ₺62.1

16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ZWL 27.29

$0.95 ₺46.81

7.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 ZWL 45.80

$2.31 ₺114

-25.97%

Eggs

$1.98 ZWL 52.8

$2.47 ₺122

-19.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 ZWL 304

$10.55 ₺520

8.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.53 ZWL 148

$5.60 ₺276

-1.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.42 ZWL 171

$21.21 ₺1,045

-69.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 ZWL 82.1

$1.93 ₺95.1

59.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ZWL 45.29

$2.29 ₺113

-25.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 ZWL 55.4

$1.28 ₺63.1

62.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 ZWL 40.45

$1.84 ₺90.8

-17.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ZWL 46.67

$0.67 ₺32.86

161.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 ZWL 47.51

$0.59 ₺29.31

201.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ZWL 32.72

$1.33 ₺65.4

-8.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ZWL 25.02

$0.59 ₺29.10

59.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 ZWL 52.1

$2.36 ₺116

-17.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.37 ZWL 224

$13.47 ₺664

-37.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 ZWL 36.81

$2.42 ₺119

-42.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ZWL 52.8

$3.54 ₺174

-44.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 ZWL 27.10

$0.83 ₺40.64

21.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.1 ZWL 1,578

$66.5 ₺3,273

-11.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.12 ZWL 110

$1.35 ₺66.6

205.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 ZWL 54.8

$0.85 ₺42.05

141.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.06 ZWL 135

$10.86 ₺535

-53.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 ZWL 49.04

$1.47 ₺72.3

25.17%

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

$21.6K ZWL 576.3K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-58.21%

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

$27.6K ZWL 736.2K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-37.99%

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

$52.2 ZWL 1,394

$89.2 ₺4,395

-41.52%

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

$21.85 ZWL 583

$11.60 ₺572

88.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.0 ZWL 1,817

$16.10 ₺793

322.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.13 ZWL 1,286

$77.3 ₺3,805

-37.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.78 ZWL 609

$22.66 ₺1,116

0.53%

Cinema Ticket

$9.88 ZWL 264

$8.34 ₺411

18.47%

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

$428 ZWL 11.4K

$974 ₺48.0K

-56.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,427 ZWL 225.1K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-67.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.65 ZWL 632

$52.7 ₺2,597

-55.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.26 ZWL 568

$39.16 ₺1,929

-45.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.85 ZWL 1,038

$103 ₺5,083

-62.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.60 ZWL 1,058

$96.6 ₺4,759

-59.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$389 ZWL 10.4K

$994 ₺49.0K

-60.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$316 ZWL 8,435

$629 ₺31.0K

-49.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$838 ZWL 22.4K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-58.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$755 ZWL 20.2K

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-34.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$913 ZWL 24.4K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-71.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$388 ZWL 10.4K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

-78.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$421 ZWL 11.3K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-65.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.69

41.09

-66.68%

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

Last update for Harare: October 4, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harare

$316 30.9%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 99.3% $314

Groceries & Markets

Harare

$215 21%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 22.9% $49

Eating Out

Harare

$150 14.6%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 45.6% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harare

$142 13.9%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 17.7% $25

Getting Around

Harare

$78 7.6%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 2.8% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Harare

$68 6.6%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 38.4% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Harare

$56 5.4%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 136% $76

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $389 in Harare and $994 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 186% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $45.00 in Harare vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $264 per month, with Harare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Harare

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

14:22 2:22 PM

1 h ahead of Harare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,606,000 Capital

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

Harare Istanbul 6,550 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Harare
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

Harare vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Harare is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 49% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 186% lower in Istanbul. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $389 in Harare versus $994 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $428 in Harare versus $974 in Istanbul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,025 in Harare versus $1,526 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Harare but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Harare the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Harare is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Istanbul, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Harare 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 Harare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.