Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Lalmatie

For one person, living is cheaper in Lalmatie: $706 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Lalmatie
Learn more

Lalmatie Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Lalmatie

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$706

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Lalmatie

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $706 in Lalmatie, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Lalmatie $706

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,247 in Lalmatie, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Lalmatie $1,247

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,788 in Lalmatie, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Lalmatie $1,788

Istanbul costs about 120% more than Lalmatie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Lalmatie is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$5.94 MUR 280

107.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$38.00 MUR 1,789

43.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$7.33 MUR 345

25.78%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.68 MUR 126

64.18%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.99 MUR 46.46

69.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.51 MUR 24.16

15.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.92 MUR 90.5

144.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.07 MUR 97.7

185.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.53 MUR 72.2

-20.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.20 MUR 9.58

345.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.14 MUR 53.8

92.11%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.64 MUR 124

-10.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$12.28 MUR 578

-15.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$6.10 MUR 287

-7.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$11.38 MUR 536

84.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.83 MUR 133

-32.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.51 MUR 118

-7.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.45 MUR 68.3

-11.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.97 MUR 92.7

-8.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.95 MUR 44.67

-31.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.00 MUR 47.05

-36.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.72 MUR 34.10

73.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.86 MUR 40.38

-34.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.30 MUR 297

-62.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.61 MUR 358

76.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.68 MUR 79.1

42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.38 MUR 112

46.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.13 MUR 53.1

-21.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$53.9 MUR 2,537

25.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$4.10 MUR 193

-68.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.26 MUR 59.4

-26.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$21.34 MUR 1,005

-48.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.35 MUR 63.8

8.89%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$36.1K MUR 1.7M

40.74%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$31.5K MUR 1.5M

41.53%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$43.83 MUR 2,063

102.17%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$10.67 MUR 502

8.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$29.33 MUR 1,381

-46.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$37.40 MUR 1,761

106.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$6.39 MUR 301

27.39%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$102 MUR 4,807

887.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$7,493 MUR 352.8K

241.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$12.66 MUR 596

326.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$25.06 MUR 1,180

62.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$50.9 MUR 2,398

94.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$37.24 MUR 1,753

159.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$198 MUR 9,327

396.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$99.7 MUR 4,692

551.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$629 MUR 29.6K

215.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$369 MUR 17.4K

220.10%

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

$623 MUR 29.4K

93.35%

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 Lalmatie: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Lalmatie

$100 14.1% 84.7% $550

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Lalmatie

$225 31.9% 13.3% $34

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Lalmatie

$121 17.2% 45.6% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Lalmatie

$57 8% 56.6% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Lalmatie

$84 11.9% 27.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Lalmatie

$50 7.1% 46.3% $43

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Lalmatie

$69 9.8% 10.5% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $198 in Lalmatie. 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 93% 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 $38.00 in Lalmatie. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $225 – making Lalmatie the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇺 Lalmatie

🕒 Local time

21:43 9:43 PM

22:43 10:43 PM

1 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

10,641

💱 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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Between locations

Istanbul Lalmatie 7,420 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Lalmatie

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 Lalmatie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 120%, 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 $1,059 in Lalmatie. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lalmatie, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $102 in Lalmatie. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Lalmatie, where all-in costs run around $706, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Lalmatie it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lalmatie – 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 Lalmatie. 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.