Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Mbabane

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbabane: $747 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Mbabane
Learn more

Mbabane Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Mbabane

🇸🇿 Eswatini

$747

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Mbabane

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $747 in Mbabane, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Mbabane $747

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $1,223 in Mbabane, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Mbabane $1,223

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $1,700 in Mbabane, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Mbabane $1,700

Istanbul costs about 104% more than Mbabane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Mbabane is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$10.27 SZL 169

15.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$34.04 SZL 561

61.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$5.74 SZL 94.6

59.23%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$2.62 SZL 43.16

61.83%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$1.12 SZL 18.41

56.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.62 SZL 10.21

-12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$2.16 SZL 35.58

117.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$2.45 SZL 40.46

143.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.53 SZL 25.29

-17.65%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$0.81 SZL 13.34

17.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.75 SZL 28.82

32.00%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$1.78 SZL 29.32

38.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$11.01 SZL 181

-4.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$5.60 SZL 92.3

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$4.98 SZL 82.0

325.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.74 SZL 28.72

10.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$0.63 SZL 10.38

263.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.25 SZL 20.56

2.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$1.41 SZL 23.18

30.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.25 SZL 20.57

-46.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.49 SZL 24.48

-60.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.71 SZL 11.74

87.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.76 SZL 12.56

-22.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$2.85 SZL 46.91

-17.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$5.93 SZL 97.8

127.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.52 SZL 25.10

59.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.67 SZL 27.59

111.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$0.74 SZL 12.18

12.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$1.38 SZL 22.80

-38.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$3.03 SZL 50.0

258.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.27 SZL 20.98

15.75%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$64.0 SZL 1,056

39.32%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$38.40 SZL 633

-69.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$26.97 SZL 445

-40.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$22.61 SZL 373

241.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$3.04 SZL 50.1

645.39%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$3.65 SZL 60.1

128.49%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$6,330 SZL 104.3K

307.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$35.21 SZL 580

49.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$14.80 SZL 244

164.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$69.1 SZL 1,139

49.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$53.2 SZL 877

81.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$267 SZL 4,406

271.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$179 SZL 2,950

251.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$445 SZL 7,332

355.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$347 SZL 5,720

232.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$473 SZL 7,794

568.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$359 SZL 5,915

412.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

7.25

466.76%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Mbabane: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Mbabane

$179 23.6% 71.6% $450

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Mbabane

$180 23.7% 32% $84

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Mbabane

$153 20.2% 29.6% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Mbabane

$78 10.2% 40.9% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Mbabane

$129 17.1% 10.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Mbabane

$30 3.9% 68.2% $64

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Mbabane

$9.9 * 1.3% 86.9% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $267 in Mbabane. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $34.00 in Mbabane. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $180 – making Mbabane the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇸🇿 Mbabane

🕒 Local time

11:25 11:25 AM

10:25 10:25 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

94,874 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Eswatini Lilangeni SZL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

100 SZL = 6.07 USD

100 SZL = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SZL, 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 = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Eswatini Lilangeni exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 SZL (100 SZL = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 SZL (100 SZL = 5.41 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Mbabane 7,490 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Mbabane

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 Mbabane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 104%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $1,121 in Mbabane. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 47% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $34.00 in Mbabane. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mbabane, where all-in costs run around $747, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Mbabane it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mbabane – 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 Mbabane. 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.