Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Midlands

For one person, living is cheaper in Midlands: $621 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Midlands
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Midlands Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Midlands

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Midlands

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $621 in Midlands, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Midlands $621

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,041 in Midlands, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Midlands $1,041

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,461 in Midlands, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Midlands $1,461

Istanbul costs about 150% more than Midlands, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Midlands is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$5.78 MUR 272

112.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$38.17 MUR 1,797

43.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$7.46 MUR 351

23.59%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.69 MUR 127

63.57%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.12 MUR 52.8

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.67 MUR 31.64

-11.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.60 MUR 123

80.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$4.74 MUR 223

24.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.60 MUR 75.3

-24.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.71 MUR 33.65

25.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.10 MUR 51.8

99.09%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.63 MUR 124

-10.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$5.33 MUR 251

95.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$6.14 MUR 289

-7.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$11.08 MUR 522

88.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.74 MUR 129

-30.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.64 MUR 125

-12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.42 MUR 67.1

-9.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.98 MUR 140

-39.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.92 MUR 43.45

-29.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.00 MUR 47.23

-36.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.68 MUR 31.98

83.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.88 MUR 41.57

-36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.47 MUR 304

-63.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$8.63 MUR 406

55.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.64 MUR 77.2

46.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.35 MUR 111

48.09%

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

$4.23 MUR 199

-69.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$3.13 MUR 148

-70.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$21.28 MUR 1,002

-48.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.40 MUR 65.8

5.00%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$37.0K MUR 1.7M

37.43%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$31.1K MUR 1.5M

43.11%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$44.88 MUR 2,113

97.44%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$10.59 MUR 499

9.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$29.02 MUR 1,366

-45.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$6.46 MUR 304

26.01%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$128 MUR 6,031

686.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$7,748 MUR 364.8K

229.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$77.7 MUR 3,657

-30.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$72.9 MUR 3,433

-44.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$121 MUR 5,712

-18.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$76.1 MUR 3,584

26.89%

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

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 Midlands: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Midlands

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Midlands

$216 34.9% 16.6% $43

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Midlands

$131 21% 41.5% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Midlands

$157 25.2% 19.9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Midlands

$85 13.6% 27.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Midlands

$13 * 2.1% 86.2% $81

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Midlands

$20 * 3.2% 74.1% $57

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 $38.00 in Midlands. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $216 – making Midlands the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇺 Midlands

🕒 Local time

22:27 10:27 PM

23:27 11:27 PM

1 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

4,546

💱 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 Midlands 7,430 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Midlands

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 Midlands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 150%, 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 $931 in Midlands. 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 $38.00 in Midlands. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Midlands, where all-in costs run around $621, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Midlands it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Midlands – 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 Midlands. 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.