Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bulawayo

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.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Bulawayo
Learn more

Bulawayo Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Bulawayo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$763

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bulawayo

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 Bulawayo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Istanbul $1,526
Bulawayo $763

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

Istanbul $2,399
Bulawayo $1,192

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

Istanbul $3,272
Bulawayo $1,622

Istanbul costs about 100% more than Bulawayo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$4.58 ZWL 122

159.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$30.29 ZWL 809

81.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$4.89 ZWL 131

86.91%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$2.09 ZWL 55.9

102.87%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$0.52 ZWL 13.86

236.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.37 ZWL 9.85

45.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$1.47 ZWL 39.14

219.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$2.03 ZWL 54.2

194.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.66 ZWL 44.28

-24.10%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.01 ZWL 27.05

-5.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.55 ZWL 41.32

49.03%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$1.91 ZWL 50.9

29.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$9.59 ZWL 256

10.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$4.02 ZWL 107

39.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$4.46 ZWL 119

375.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.85 ZWL 49.29

4.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.60 ZWL 42.68

43.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.42 ZWL 64.8

-47.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$1.04 ZWL 27.89

76.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.28 ZWL 34.19

-47.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.39 ZWL 37.02

-57.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.10 ZWL 29.29

20.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.75 ZWL 19.93

-21.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$1.54 ZWL 41.04

53.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$5.10 ZWL 136

164.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.35 ZWL 36.15

79.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.85 ZWL 49.48

91.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$0.77 ZWL 20.65

7.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$30.55 ZWL 816

117.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$2.94 ZWL 78.6

-54.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$1.95 ZWL 52.1

-56.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$5.04 ZWL 135

115.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.64 ZWL 43.75

-10.37%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$24.6K ZWL 656.4K

110.08%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$24.6K ZWL 657.7K

80.51%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$95.3 ZWL 2,547

-6.42%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$17.21 ZWL 460

-32.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$105 ZWL 2,816

-84.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$31.62 ZWL 845

144.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$20.07 ZWL 536

12.90%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$9.86 ZWL 263

-15.42%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$231 ZWL 6,175

321.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$3,512 ZWL 93.8K

633.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$20.96 ZWL 560

151.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$11.58 ZWL 309

238.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$45.58 ZWL 1,217

126.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$58.0 ZWL 1,548

66.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$176 ZWL 4,695

465.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$107 ZWL 2,863

487.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$414 ZWL 11.1K

388.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$325 ZWL 8,679

255.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$2,053 ZWL 54.8K

53.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$2,046 ZWL 54.7K

-10.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$306 ZWL 8,161

293.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

173.93%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bulawayo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Bulawayo

$107 14.2% 83% $522

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Bulawayo

$177 23.5% 32.9% $87

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Bulawayo

$91 12.1% 58.1% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Bulawayo

$61 8.1% 53.3% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Bulawayo

$218 29% 86.4% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Bulawayo

$51 6.8% 45.3% $43

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Bulawayo

$46 6.2% 38.5% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $176 in Bulawayo. 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $30.00 in Bulawayo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $177 – making Bulawayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇿🇼 Bulawayo

🕒 Local time

13:41 1:41 PM

12:41 12:41 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

653,337

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.74 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

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).

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).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Bulawayo 6,800 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Bulawayo

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 Bulawayo: 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 $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $1,144 in Bulawayo. 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 $1,526 in Istanbul and $763 in Bulawayo. 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.