Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Port Louis

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Louis: $945 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,526
/mo nomad
Port Louis
🇲🇺 Mauritius
$945
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Port Louis

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $945 in Port Louis, rent included.

  • Istanbul $1,526
  • Port Louis $945

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $1,579 in Port Louis, rent included.

  • Istanbul $2,399
  • Port Louis $1,579

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $2,212 in Port Louis, rent included.

  • Istanbul $3,272
  • Port Louis $2,212

Istanbul costs about 61% more than Port Louis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Port Louis is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Port Louis
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.88 ₺585
$5.65 MUR 267
110.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.1 ₺2,714
$37.50 MUR 1,774
46.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.14 ₺450
$7.21 MUR 341
26.77%
Cappuccino
$4.24 ₺209
$2.55 MUR 120
66.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 ₺86.0
$1.11 MUR 52.5
57.66%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 ₺26.83
$0.62 MUR 29.19
-12.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.69 ₺231
$2.56 MUR 121
83.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.97 ₺294
$4.83 MUR 229
23.60%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Port Louis
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.26 ₺62.1
$1.51 MUR 71.7
-16.56%
White Bread (500g)
$0.95 ₺46.81
$0.78 MUR 36.74
21.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.31 ₺114
$1.14 MUR 54.0
102.63%
Eggs
$2.47 ₺122
$2.50 MUR 118
-1.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.55 ₺520
$5.24 MUR 248
101.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.60 ₺276
$6.23 MUR 295
-10.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.21 ₺1,045
$11.33 MUR 536
87.20%
Apples (1kg)
$1.93 ₺95.1
$2.70 MUR 128
-28.52%
Banana (1kg)
$2.29 ₺113
$2.56 MUR 121
-10.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 ₺63.1
$1.42 MUR 67.3
-9.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.84 ₺90.8
$3.00 MUR 142
-38.67%
Potato (1kg)
$0.67 ₺32.86
$0.93 MUR 44.18
-27.96%
Onion (1kg)
$0.59 ₺29.31
$0.94 MUR 44.62
-37.23%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.33 ₺65.4
$0.73 MUR 34.51
82.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.59 ₺29.10
$0.85 MUR 40.11
-30.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.36 ₺116
$6.48 MUR 307
-63.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.47 ₺664
$8.16 MUR 386
65.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.42 ₺119
$1.61 MUR 76.3
50.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.54 ₺174
$2.36 MUR 112
50.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Port Louis
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.83 ₺40.64
$1.02 MUR 48.21
-18.63%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.5 ₺3,273
$31.09 MUR 1,471
113.73%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.35 ₺66.6
$4.24 MUR 200
-68.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 ₺42.05
$3.16 MUR 149
-73.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.86 ₺535
$21.17 MUR 1,001
-48.70%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ₺72.3
$1.40 MUR 66.2
5.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$51.6K ₺2.5M
$36.0K MUR 1.7M
43.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.4K ₺2.2M
$31.0K MUR 1.5M
43.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Port Louis
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$89.2 ₺4,395
$43.83 MUR 2,073
103.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.60 ₺572
$10.37 MUR 490
11.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.10 ₺793
$28.41 MUR 1,344
-43.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Port Louis
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$77.3 ₺3,805
$25.62 MUR 1,212
201.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.66 ₺1,116
$3.88 MUR 184
484.02%
Cinema Ticket
$8.34 ₺411
$6.20 MUR 293
34.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Port Louis
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$974 ₺48.0K
$125 MUR 5,930
676.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.8K ₺1.3M
$7,687 MUR 363.7K
235.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Port Louis
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.7 ₺2,597
$76.2 MUR 3,607
-30.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.16 ₺1,929
$73.4 MUR 3,471
-46.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 ₺5,083
$118 MUR 5,569
-12.33%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.6 ₺4,759
$77.4 MUR 3,663
24.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Port Louis
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$994 ₺49.0K
$465 MUR 22.0K
113.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$629 ₺31.0K
$269 MUR 12.7K
134.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,024 ₺99.7K
$761 MUR 36.0K
165.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,155 ₺56.9K
$588 MUR 27.8K
96.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,160 ₺155.7K
$4,109 MUR 194.4K
-23.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,838 ₺90.5K
$1,047 MUR 49.6K
75.44%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Port Louis
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,203 ₺59.3K
$670 MUR 31.7K
79.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
41.09
6.67
516.04%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Port Louis: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$629
Port Louis
$269 57.3% $361
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$264
Port Louis
$215 18.6% $49
Eating Out
Istanbul
$218
Port Louis
$127 41.8% $91
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$131
Port Louis
$155 18.2% $24
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$117
Port Louis
$83 29.4% $34
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$94
Port Louis
$38 59.5% $56
Getting Around
Istanbul
$75
Port Louis
$55 26.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $465 in Port Louis. 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 80% 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 $37.00 in Port Louis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $215 – making Port Louis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇲🇺 Port Louis
🕒 Local time
08:52 8:52 AM
09:52 9:52 AM
1 h ahead of Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
147,688 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

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).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 47.31 MUR (100 MUR = 2.11 USD). 1 EUR = 53.06 MUR (100 MUR = 1.88 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Port Louis 7,410 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Port Louis

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 Port Louis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Port Louis cheaper than Istanbul?
Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $1,418 in Port Louis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Port Louis, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Istanbul and $125 in Port Louis. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Istanbul and in Port Louis?
Groceries cost about 23% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Istanbul or in Port Louis?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Port Louis, where all-in costs run around $945, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Port Louis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Istanbul or Port Louis more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Port Louis – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Istanbul or Port Louis?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Port Louis. 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.

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