Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Masvingo

For one person, living is cheaper in Masvingo: $606 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Masvingo
Learn more

Masvingo Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Masvingo

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$606

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Masvingo

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $606 in Masvingo, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Masvingo $606

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $1,005 in Masvingo, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Masvingo $1,005

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $1,405 in Masvingo, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Masvingo $1,405

Istanbul costs about 152% more than Masvingo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Masvingo is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺586

$10.03 ZWL 268

18.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,717

$44.87 ZWL 1,198

22.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺451

$5.92 ZWL 158

54.39%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$2.93 ZWL 78.3

44.71%

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

$1.75 ₺86.1

$1.01 ZWL 26.90

73.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.86

$0.45 ZWL 11.96

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$1.26 ZWL 33.70

272.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺295

$2.02 ZWL 53.9

195.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.2

$1.54 ZWL 41.12

-18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.87

$1.03 ZWL 27.40

-7.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.69 ZWL 45.14

36.69%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$1.95 ZWL 52.1

26.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺521

$11.57 ZWL 309

-8.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$5.52 ZWL 147

1.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,046

$6.50 ZWL 173

226.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.2

$2.92 ZWL 78.1

-33.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.63 ZWL 43.45

40.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.2

$1.99 ZWL 53.2

-35.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.9

$1.58 ZWL 42.20

16.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.91

$1.71 ZWL 45.59

-60.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.35

$1.79 ZWL 47.74

-67.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.5

$1.28 ZWL 34.18

3.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.14

$0.94 ZWL 25.15

-37.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$1.94 ZWL 51.9

21.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺665

$8.22 ZWL 219

63.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.38 ZWL 36.74

75.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.96 ZWL 52.4

80.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,277

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.7

$4.08 ZWL 109

-66.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.10

$2.01 ZWL 53.7

-57.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺536

$4.92 ZWL 131

120.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.4

$1.85 ZWL 49.47

-20.54%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$21.9K ZWL 583.3K

136.24%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$27.4K ZWL 732.5K

61.94%

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

$89.2 ₺4,400

$50.7 ZWL 1,354

75.91%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$21.58 ZWL 576

-46.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺794

$69.9 ZWL 1,866

-76.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,810

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,117

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$10.06 ZWL 268

-17.10%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$441 ZWL 11.8K

120.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$8,395 ZWL 224.1K

207.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,600

$23.54 ZWL 628

123.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,932

$21.02 ZWL 561

86.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,090

$38.55 ZWL 1,029

167.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,765

$39.69 ZWL 1,059

143.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺57.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

13.69

200.15%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Masvingo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Masvingo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Masvingo

$215 36% 18.7% $49

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Masvingo

$149 25.1% 31.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Masvingo

$55 9.3% 57.9% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Masvingo

$142 23.9% 21.6% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Masvingo

$20 * 3.4% 78.6% $74

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Masvingo

$14 * 2.4% 81.2% $61

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 $45.00 in Masvingo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $215 – making Masvingo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇿🇼 Masvingo

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

04:42 4:42 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

72,527

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.75 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 49.32 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.28 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 26.69 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.75 USD). 1 EUR = 29.91 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Masvingo 6,790 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Masvingo

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 Masvingo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 152%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $908 in Masvingo. 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 $45.00 in Masvingo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% 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 Masvingo, where all-in costs run around $606, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Masvingo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Masvingo – 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 Masvingo. 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.