Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Pilikwe

For one person, living is cheaper in Pilikwe: $568 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Pilikwe
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Pilikwe Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Pilikwe

🇧🇼 Botswana

$568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Pilikwe

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $568 in Pilikwe, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Pilikwe $568

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $914 in Pilikwe, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Pilikwe $914

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,259 in Pilikwe, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Pilikwe $1,259

Istanbul costs about 173% more than Pilikwe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Pilikwe is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$10.72 P 143

14.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$28.91 P 386

89.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$5.66 P 75.7

62.90%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.27 P 30.27

93.83%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.76 P 10.21

121.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.41 P 5.42

43.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.97 P 26.34

138.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.52 P 33.65

134.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.47 P 19.65

-17.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.82 P 11.00

8.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.86 P 24.84

17.74%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.43 P 32.41

-3.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$6.42 P 85.8

62.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$4.66 P 62.3

21.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$5.03 P 67.3

316.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.66 P 22.22

14.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.46 P 19.46

58.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.07 P 27.61

-38.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.59 P 21.31

13.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.36 P 18.17

-52.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.16 P 15.50

-44.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.29 P 17.30

-3.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.95 P 12.75

-41.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.56 P 47.53

-33.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$4.35 P 58.1

208.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.38 P 18.43

73.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.74 P 23.31

100.00%

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

$0.61 P 8.15

111.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.50 P 33.41

-63.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$2.86 P 38.28

283.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.34 P 17.93

9.70%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$20.1K P 268.7K

152.62%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$20.0K P 267.7K

122.28%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$60.2 P 804

47.29%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$18.66 P 249

-37.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$44.56 P 595

-64.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$6.29 P 84.1

29.41%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$127 P 1,703

691.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$2,466 P 33.0K

936.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$47.79 P 639

12.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$16.52 P 221

147.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$71.6 P 956

38.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$78.2 P 1,045

23.50%

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

11.33

261.17%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Pilikwe: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Pilikwe

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Pilikwe

$173 30.5% 33.3% $87

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Pilikwe

$149 26.3% 33.1% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Pilikwe

$96 17% 26.2% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Pilikwe

$123 21.7% 6.3% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Pilikwe

$13 * 2.2% 86.5% $81

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Pilikwe

$13 * 2.3% 82.9% $64

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 $29.00 in Pilikwe. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $173 – making Pilikwe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇼 Pilikwe

🕒 Local time

12:28 12:28 PM

11:28 11:28 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

1,375

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Botswana Pula BWP P

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 BWP = 7.48 USD

100 BWP = 6.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BWP, 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).

Botswana Pula exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 13.36 BWP (100 BWP = 7.48 USD). 1 EUR = 15.02 BWP (100 BWP = 6.66 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Pilikwe 7,100 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Pilikwe

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 Pilikwe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 173%, 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 $852 in Pilikwe. 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 $29.00 in Pilikwe. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 50% 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 Pilikwe, where all-in costs run around $568, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Pilikwe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pilikwe – 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 Pilikwe. 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.