Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pilikwe and Istanbul

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.

28

Cost of Living Index in Pilikwe
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Pilikwe Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Pilikwe

🇧🇼 Botswana

$568

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pilikwe and in Istanbul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Pilikwe and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Pilikwe $568
Istanbul $1,550

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

Pilikwe $914
Istanbul $2,415

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

Pilikwe $1,259
Istanbul $3,281

Pilikwe is about 63% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.72 P 143

$12.30 ₺609

-12.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.91 P 386

$54.7 ₺2,708

-47.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.66 P 75.7

$9.22 ₺456

-38.61%

Cappuccino

$2.27 P 30.27

$4.40 ₺218

-48.41%

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

$0.76 P 10.21

$1.68 ₺83.1

-54.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 P 5.42

$0.59 ₺29.40

-30.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 P 26.34

$4.70 ₺233

-58.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 P 33.65

$5.91 ₺292

-57.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 P 19.65

$1.21 ₺60.0

21.49%

White Bread (500g)

$0.82 P 11.00

$0.89 ₺44.10

-7.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 P 24.84

$2.19 ₺108

-15.07%

Eggs

$2.43 P 32.41

$2.35 ₺116

3.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.42 P 85.8

$10.42 ₺516

-38.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.66 P 62.3

$5.65 ₺280

-17.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.03 P 67.3

$20.94 ₺1,037

-75.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 P 22.22

$1.90 ₺94.1

-12.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 P 19.46

$2.31 ₺114

-36.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 P 27.61

$1.28 ₺63.1

61.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 P 21.31

$1.80 ₺89.0

-11.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 P 18.17

$0.65 ₺32.16

109.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 P 15.50

$0.64 ₺31.91

81.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 P 17.30

$1.25 ₺62.1

3.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 P 12.75

$0.56 ₺27.58

69.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.56 P 47.53

$2.37 ₺118

50.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.35 P 58.1

$13.42 ₺664

-67.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 P 18.43

$2.40 ₺119

-42.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 P 23.31

$3.48 ₺172

-50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 P 8.15

$1.29 ₺64.1

-52.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.50 P 33.41

$0.92 ₺45.70

171.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 P 38.28

$10.96 ₺542

-73.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 P 17.93

$1.47 ₺72.9

-8.84%

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

$20.1K P 268.7K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-60.41%

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

$20.0K P 267.7K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-55.01%

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

$60.2 P 804

$88.6 ₺4,387

-32.11%

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

$18.66 P 249

$11.59 ₺574

61.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.56 P 595

$15.81 ₺783

181.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$6.29 P 84.1

$8.14 ₺403

-22.73%

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

$127 P 1,703

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-87.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,466 P 33.0K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-90.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.79 P 639

$54.0 ₺2,671

-11.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.52 P 221

$40.83 ₺2,021

-59.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.6 P 956

$98.9 ₺4,895

-27.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 P 1,045

$96.6 ₺4,783

-19.03%

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 %)

11.33

40.92

-72.31%

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

Last update for Pilikwe: October 10, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pilikwe

$173 30.5%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 50% $87

Eating Out

Pilikwe

$149 26.3%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 49.4% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pilikwe

$123 21.7%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 6% $7.4

Clothing & Footwear

Pilikwe

$96 17%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 35.6% $34

Getting Around

Pilikwe

$13 * 2.3%

Istanbul

$77 5% 486% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Pilikwe

$13 * 2.2%

Istanbul

$93 6% 642% $81

Accommodation & Living

Pilikwe

- * 0%

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

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 $29.00 in Pilikwe versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $173 vs $260 – making Pilikwe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇼 Pilikwe

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

16:02 4:02 PM

17:02 5:02 PM

1 h ahead of Pilikwe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,375

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Botswana Pula BWP P

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 BWP = 7.48 USD

100 BWP = 6.66 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to BWP – Botswana Pula Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇼 Botswana Pula (P)

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).

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).

USD to BWP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pilikwe Istanbul 7,100 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Pilikwe
Istanbul

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

Pilikwe vs Istanbul: 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 $852 per month in Pilikwe and $2,325 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Pilikwe and $55.0 in Istanbul. 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.