Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Surinam

For one person, living is cheaper in Surinam: $626 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Surinam
Learn more

Surinam Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Surinam

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Surinam

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $626 in Surinam, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Surinam $626

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $1,049 in Surinam, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Surinam $1,049

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $1,472 in Surinam, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Surinam $1,472

Istanbul costs about 144% more than Surinam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 13% above the global median, while Surinam is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$5.96 MUR 280

100.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$38.18 MUR 1,797

49.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$7.54 MUR 355

26.13%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.70 MUR 127

62.96%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$1.18 MUR 55.3

48.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$0.68 MUR 31.99

-17.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$2.68 MUR 126

75.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$4.62 MUR 218

32.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.61 MUR 75.6

-22.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$0.72 MUR 33.80

31.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$1.10 MUR 51.8

107.27%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$2.65 MUR 125

-7.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$5.31 MUR 250

98.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$6.18 MUR 291

-11.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$11.05 MUR 520

95.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$2.81 MUR 132

-34.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.66 MUR 125

-13.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$1.45 MUR 68.3

-11.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$2.98 MUR 140

-38.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$0.93 MUR 43.58

-29.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$0.96 MUR 45.08

-34.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$0.73 MUR 34.57

73.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.89 MUR 41.98

-37.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$6.34 MUR 298

-62.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$8.60 MUR 405

50.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$1.66 MUR 78.3

49.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$2.38 MUR 112

47.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$4.09 MUR 192

-67.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$3.22 MUR 151

-72.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$20.97 MUR 987

-47.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$1.39 MUR 65.2

2.88%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$37.0K MUR 1.7M

34.12%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$30.4K MUR 1.4M

41.85%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$44.93 MUR 2,115

97.57%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$10.67 MUR 502

9.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$28.60 MUR 1,346

-43.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$6.39 MUR 301

29.26%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$124 MUR 5,826

719.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$7,598 MUR 357.7K

240.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$78.6 MUR 3,702

-32.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$75.1 MUR 3,533

-45.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$120 MUR 5,633

-16.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$78.1 MUR 3,678

19.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

6.67

510.04%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Surinam: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Surinam

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Surinam

$217 34.8% 17.2% $45

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Surinam

$133 21.2% 40.2% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Surinam

$158 25.3% 22.3% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Surinam

$84 13.5% 27.8% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Surinam

$13 * 2% 86.2% $80

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Surinam

$20 * 3.2% 72.9% $54

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 $57.0 in Istanbul versus $38.00 in Surinam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $218 – making Surinam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇺 Surinam

🕒 Local time

08:57 8:57 AM

09:57 9:57 AM

1 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

10,500

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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 Surinam 7,450 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Surinam

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 Surinam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 144%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $938 in Surinam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Istanbul and $38.00 in Surinam. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% 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 Surinam, where all-in costs run around $626, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Surinam it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Surinam – 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 Surinam. 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.