Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kafue

For one person, living is cheaper in Kafue: $591 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Kafue
Learn more

Kafue Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Kafue

🇿🇲 Zambia

$591

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kafue

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $591 in Kafue, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Kafue $591

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $939 in Kafue, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Kafue $939

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,288 in Kafue, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Kafue $1,288

Istanbul costs about 162% more than Kafue, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Kafue is 56% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$5.61 ZMW 112

119.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$30.47 ZMW 606

79.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$5.20 ZMW 103

77.31%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.87 ZMW 57.0

53.31%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.78 ZMW 15.44

115.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.50 ZMW 10.01

18.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.24 ZMW 24.59

279.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.24 ZMW 44.46

163.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.77 ZMW 35.17

-31.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.24 ZMW 24.63

-28.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.15 ZMW 42.77

1.86%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.89 ZMW 37.65

24.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$10.26 ZMW 204

1.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$6.45 ZMW 128

-12.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$6.61 ZMW 131

216.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.31 ZMW 65.9

-42.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.45 ZMW 48.76

-5.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.62 ZMW 72.1

-64.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.51 ZMW 30.01

19.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$2.67 ZMW 53.0

-75.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.89 ZMW 37.51

-66.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.17 ZMW 23.28

6.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.78 ZMW 15.55

-28.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$2.99 ZMW 59.4

-20.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$10.18 ZMW 203

31.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.47 ZMW 29.23

63.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.38 ZMW 47.35

46.22%

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

$2.48 ZMW 49.32

-47.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.56 ZMW 31.06

-41.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$4.94 ZMW 98.3

121.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.51 ZMW 29.93

-2.65%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$7,751 ZMW 154.2K

555.22%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$27.5K ZMW 546.0K

62.20%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$79.7 ZMW 1,586

11.15%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$10.66 ZMW 212

8.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$55.3 ZMW 1,100

-71.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$6.23 ZMW 124

30.66%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$140 ZMW 2,777

621.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$16.5K ZMW 328.6K

54.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$23.38 ZMW 465

130.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$15.47 ZMW 308

163.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$46.03 ZMW 915

114.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$72.7 ZMW 1,445

32.93%

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

41.10%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kafue: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Kafue

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Kafue

$241 40.8% 7.3% $19

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Kafue

$111 18.7% 50.4% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Kafue

$71 12% 45.7% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Kafue

$146 24.7% 25.6% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Kafue

$12 * 2.1% 86.7% $81

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Kafue

$10 * 1.7% 86.6% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $30.00 in Kafue. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $241 – making Kafue the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇿🇲 Kafue

🕒 Local time

19:54 7:54 PM

18:54 6:54 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

104,174

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, 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).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Kafue 6,310 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kafue

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 Kafue: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 162%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $886 in Kafue. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $30.00 in Kafue. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kafue, where all-in costs run around $591, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Kafue it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kafue – 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 Kafue. 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.