Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bambous

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.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Bambous
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Bambous Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Bambous

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$537

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bambous

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Istanbul and in Bambous actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Istanbul $1,550
Bambous $537

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

Istanbul $2,415
Bambous $901

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

Istanbul $3,281
Bambous $1,265

Living in Istanbul is roughly 189% more expensive than in Bambous, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$4.16 MUR 196

195.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$37.24 MUR 1,753

46.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$4.26 MUR 201

116.43%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.14 MUR 101

105.61%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.02 MUR 48.07

64.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.40 MUR 19.06

47.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.65 MUR 125

77.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$1.56 MUR 73.6

278.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.15 MUR 54.1

5.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.72 MUR 33.68

23.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.07 MUR 50.4

104.67%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.45 MUR 115

-4.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$5.31 MUR 250

96.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$3.14 MUR 148

79.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$4.15 MUR 195

404.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.13 MUR 100

-10.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.66 MUR 125

-13.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.44 MUR 67.6

-11.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.88 MUR 136

-37.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.99 MUR 46.53

-34.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.99 MUR 46.58

-35.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.69 MUR 32.59

81.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.83 MUR 39.14

-32.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.49 MUR 306

-63.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$8.35 MUR 393

60.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.69 MUR 79.5

42.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.36 MUR 111

47.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$4.19 MUR 197

-69.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$3.23 MUR 152

-71.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$21.46 MUR 1,010

-48.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.39 MUR 65.4

5.76%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$36.9K MUR 1.7M

37.73%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$30.9K MUR 1.5M

44.29%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$44.49 MUR 2,095

99.17%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$10.50 MUR 494

10.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$28.85 MUR 1,358

-45.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$6.18 MUR 291

31.72%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$124 MUR 5,861

709.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$7,510 MUR 353.6K

240.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$77.0 MUR 3,624

-29.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$72.3 MUR 3,403

-43.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$120 MUR 5,646

-17.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$76.4 MUR 3,598

26.39%

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 %)

40.92

6.67

513.49%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bambous: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Bambous

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Bambous

$171 31.9% 34.1% $89

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Bambous

$94 17.5% 58% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Bambous

$156 29% 19.1% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Bambous

$84 15.6% 27.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Bambous

$12 * 2.3% 86.8% $81

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Bambous

$20 * 3.8% 73.6% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇺 Bambous

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

19:12 7:12 PM

1 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

15,300

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

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).

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).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Bambous 7,420 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Bambous

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

Istanbul vs Bambous: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You'd need roughly $2,325 in Istanbul and $805 in Bambous 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 $1,008 in Istanbul versus $124 in Bambous. 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, Istanbul and Bambous 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.