Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Matola

For one person, living is cheaper in Matola: $995 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Matola
Learn more

Matola Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Matola

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$995

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Matola

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $995 in Matola, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Matola $995

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,520 in Matola, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Matola $1,520

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $2,045 in Matola, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Matola $2,045

Istanbul costs about 56% more than Matola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Matola is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$7.60 MZN 481

61.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$63.4 MZN 4,010

-13.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$7.32 MZN 463

25.96%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.58 MZN 99.9

178.48%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.82 MZN 52.1

104.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.74 MZN 46.85

-20.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.15 MZN 72.9

308.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$1.52 MZN 96.3

288.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.54 MZN 97.4

-21.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.99 MZN 62.8

-10.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.66 MZN 105

31.93%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.84 MZN 117

27.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$13.09 MZN 828

-20.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$5.65 MZN 357

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$4.55 MZN 288

360.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.07 MZN 131

-8.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.59 MZN 37.08

291.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.71 MZN 108

-25.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.07 MZN 67.9

68.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.99 MZN 62.7

-34.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.82 MZN 51.8

-21.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.97 MZN 61.2

28.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.53 MZN 33.63

5.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$2.83 MZN 179

-16.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$6.98 MZN 442

92.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$0.90 MZN 57.2

166.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.24 MZN 78.4

180.65%

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

$1.59 MZN 101

-18.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.20 MZN 75.6

-23.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$24.67 MZN 1,560

-55.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.42 MZN 89.8

3.52%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$32.2K MZN 2.0M

57.63%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$22.8K MZN 1.4M

95.05%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$39.72 MZN 2,512

123.09%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$7.80 MZN 493

48.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$77.3 MZN 4,891

-79.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$39.53 MZN 2,500

95.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$7.87 MZN 498

3.43%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$130 MZN 8,234

674.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$5,052 MZN 319.5K

405.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$49.07 MZN 3,104

9.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$57.0 MZN 3,606

-28.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$78.1 MZN 4,939

26.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$79.4 MZN 5,019

21.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$473 MZN 29.9K

108.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$389 MZN 24.6K

66.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$693 MZN 43.8K

186.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$552 MZN 34.9K

113.90%

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

$315 MZN 19.9K

282.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

63.68%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Matola: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Matola

$389 39.1% 40.1% $260

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Matola

$182 18.3% 29.8% $77

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Matola

$117 11.7% 47.7% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Matola

$119 11.9% 9.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Matola

$125 12.6% 7.6% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Matola

$55 5.6% 40.8% $38

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Matola

$7.6 * 0.8% 90.2% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $473 in Matola. 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 283% 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 $63.0 in Matola. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Istanbul vs $182 in Matola – so Matola wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇿 Matola

🕒 Local time

18:57 6:57 PM

17:57 5:57 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

675,422

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MZN, 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).

Mozambican Metical exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 63.25 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.11 MZN (100 MZN = 1.41 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Matola 7,460 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Matola

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 Matola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 56%, 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 $1,492 in Matola. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $63.0 in Matola. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% 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 Matola, where all-in costs run around $995, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Matola it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Matola – 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 Matola. 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.