Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Mutare

For one person, living is cheaper in Mutare: $789 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Mutare
Learn more

Mutare Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Mutare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$789

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Mutare

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $789 in Mutare, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Mutare $789

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,220 in Mutare, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Mutare $1,220

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,651 in Mutare, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Mutare $1,651

Istanbul costs about 97% more than Mutare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Mutare is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$10.15 ZWL 270

21.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$45.07 ZWL 1,199

21.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$4.42 ZWL 118

108.60%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.28 ZWL 34.07

243.75%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.73 ZWL 19.54

130.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.46 ZWL 12.11

28.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.22 ZWL 32.33

285.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$1.78 ZWL 47.47

232.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.22 ZWL 32.42

-0.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.98 ZWL 26.14

-9.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.33 ZWL 35.28

64.66%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.87 ZWL 49.72

25.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$2.92 ZWL 77.8

256.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$4.04 ZWL 107

39.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$5.01 ZWL 133

317.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.04 ZWL 54.3

-6.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.70 ZWL 45.15

35.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.05 ZWL 54.6

-37.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.98 ZWL 26.18

83.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.75 ZWL 46.52

-62.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.99 ZWL 26.33

-35.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.48 ZWL 12.83

160.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.99 ZWL 26.41

-43.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$1.18 ZWL 31.32

100.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$6.09 ZWL 162

120.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.18 ZWL 31.32

103.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.73 ZWL 45.96

101.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.77 ZWL 20.48

15.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$26.46 ZWL 704

154.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$3.02 ZWL 80.3

-57.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.98 ZWL 52.6

-53.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$4.94 ZWL 131

121.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.86 ZWL 49.42

-20.97%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$21.6K ZWL 575.1K

134.98%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$23.6K ZWL 629.3K

88.30%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$50.7 ZWL 1,349

74.74%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$14.72 ZWL 392

-21.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$59.4 ZWL 1,580

-73.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$39.95 ZWL 1,063

93.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$5.05 ZWL 134

350.30%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$9.89 ZWL 263

-17.69%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$150 ZWL 4,002

570.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$8,553 ZWL 227.6K

198.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$10.06 ZWL 268

436.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$9.48 ZWL 252

330.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$24.80 ZWL 660

298.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$20.27 ZWL 539

376.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$356 ZWL 9,462

176.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$253 ZWL 6,742

156.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$750 ZWL 19.9K

164.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$395 ZWL 10.5K

198.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$246 ZWL 6,539

1177.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$247 ZWL 6,566

388.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

13.69

198.90%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Mutare: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Mutare

$253 32.1% 61% $396

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Mutare

$155 19.6% 40.4% $105

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Mutare

$124 15.8% 44.4% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Mutare

$29 3.7% 77.7% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Mutare

$125 15.8% 7.6% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Mutare

$60 7.6% 36.1% $34

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Mutare

$42 5.4% 44.8% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $356 in Mutare. 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 388% 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 $45.00 in Mutare. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $155 – making Mutare the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇿🇼 Mutare

🕒 Local time

02:39 2:39 AM

01:39 1:39 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

188,243

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.76 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 26.61 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.92 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Mutare 6,680 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Mutare

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 Mutare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 97%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $1,183 in Mutare. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mutare, 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 $150 in Mutare. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 68% 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 Mutare, where all-in costs run around $789, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Mutare it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mutare – 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 Mutare. 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.