Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Quatre Bornes

For one person, living is cheaper in Quatre Bornes: $797 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,550
/mo nomad
Quatre Bornes
🇲🇺 Mauritius
$797
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Quatre Bornes

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $797 in Quatre Bornes, rent included.

  • Istanbul $1,550
  • Quatre Bornes $797

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,263 in Quatre Bornes, rent included.

  • Istanbul $2,415
  • Quatre Bornes $1,263

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,729 in Quatre Bornes, rent included.

  • Istanbul $3,281
  • Quatre Bornes $1,729

Istanbul costs about 94% more than Quatre Bornes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Quatre Bornes is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Quatre Bornes
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.30 ₺609
$4.55 MUR 214
170.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.7 ₺2,708
$20.90 MUR 984
161.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.22 ₺456
$6.17 MUR 290
49.43%
Cappuccino
$4.40 ₺218
$2.45 MUR 115
79.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 ₺83.1
$0.87 MUR 41.10
93.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 ₺29.40
$0.51 MUR 23.97
15.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.70 ₺233
$2.62 MUR 123
79.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.91 ₺292
$3.29 MUR 155
79.64%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Quatre Bornes
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.21 ₺60.0
$1.25 MUR 58.8
-3.20%
White Bread (500g)
$0.89 ₺44.10
$0.53 MUR 25.11
67.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.19 ₺108
$1.11 MUR 52.2
97.30%
Eggs
$2.35 ₺116
$1.87 MUR 88.3
25.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.42 ₺516
$2.88 MUR 136
261.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.65 ₺280
$3.75 MUR 177
50.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.94 ₺1,037
$8.26 MUR 389
153.51%
Apples (1kg)
$1.90 ₺94.1
$2.76 MUR 130
-31.16%
Banana (1kg)
$2.31 ₺114
$2.61 MUR 123
-11.49%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 ₺63.1
$1.39 MUR 65.5
-7.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 ₺89.0
$2.88 MUR 136
-37.50%
Potato (1kg)
$0.65 ₺32.16
$1.01 MUR 47.60
-35.64%
Onion (1kg)
$0.64 ₺31.91
$0.99 MUR 46.42
-35.35%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 ₺62.1
$0.72 MUR 34.12
73.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺27.58
$0.90 MUR 42.35
-37.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.37 ₺118
$5.84 MUR 275
-59.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.42 ₺664
$8.53 MUR 402
57.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.40 ₺119
$1.69 MUR 79.5
42.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.48 ₺172
$2.25 MUR 106
54.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Quatre Bornes
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.89 ₺43.84
$0.77 MUR 36.37
15.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$67.4 ₺3,338
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.29 ₺64.1
$4.28 MUR 201
-69.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.92 ₺45.70
$3.23 MUR 152
-71.52%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.96 ₺542
$20.98 MUR 987
-47.76%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ₺72.9
$1.38 MUR 65.1
6.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$50.8K ₺2.5M
$18.9K MUR 889.1K
168.88%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.5K ₺2.2M
$27.1K MUR 1.3M
64.57%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Quatre Bornes
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.6 ₺4,387
$31.01 MUR 1,460
185.75%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.59 ₺574
$10.36 MUR 488
11.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.81 ₺783
$28.88 MUR 1,359
-45.26%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Quatre Bornes
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$77.2 ₺3,820
$28.89 MUR 1,360
167.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.74 ₺1,126
$8.39 MUR 395
171.04%
Cinema Ticket
$8.14 ₺403
$6.40 MUR 301
27.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Quatre Bornes
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,008 ₺49.9K
$119 MUR 5,604
746.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.6K ₺1.3M
$7,744 MUR 364.5K
230.09%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Quatre Bornes
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.0 ₺2,671
$75.9 MUR 3,571
-28.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.83 ₺2,021
$74.7 MUR 3,518
-45.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.9 ₺4,895
$118 MUR 5,541
-16.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.6 ₺4,783
$77.3 MUR 3,640
24.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Quatre Bornes
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$985 ₺48.7K
$310 MUR 14.6K
218.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$650 ₺32.2K
$216 MUR 10.2K
200.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,983 ₺98.2K
$667 MUR 31.4K
197.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,180 ₺58.4K
$430 MUR 20.2K
174.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,138 ₺155.4K
$1,148 MUR 54.0K
173.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,780 ₺88.1K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Quatre Bornes
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,205 ₺59.7K
$522 MUR 24.6K
130.83%
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 Quatre Bornes: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$650
Quatre Bornes
$216 66.7% $433
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$260
Quatre Bornes
$180 30.7% $80
Eating Out
Istanbul
$223
Quatre Bornes
$110 50.9% $114
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$131
Quatre Bornes
$156 19.1% $25
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$116
Quatre Bornes
$70 39.5% $46
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$93
Quatre Bornes
$42 55.4% $52
Getting Around
Istanbul
$77
Quatre Bornes
$24 * 69.4% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $310 in Quatre Bornes. 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 131% 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 $21.00 in Quatre Bornes. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $180 – making Quatre Bornes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇲🇺 Quatre Bornes
🕒 Local time
22:18 10:18 PM
23:18 11:18 PM
1 h ahead of Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
81,773
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 47.07 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.92 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Quatre Bornes 7,420 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Quatre Bornes

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 Quatre Bornes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Quatre Bornes cheaper than Istanbul?
Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 94%, 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 $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $1,195 in Quatre Bornes. 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 Quatre Bornes, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Istanbul or in Quatre Bornes?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $21.00 in Quatre Bornes. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Istanbul and in Quatre Bornes?
Groceries cost about 44% 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 $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Istanbul or in Quatre Bornes?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Quatre Bornes, where all-in costs run around $797, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Quatre Bornes it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Istanbul or Quatre Bornes more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Quatre Bornes – 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 Quatre Bornes?
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 Quatre Bornes. 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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