Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tamarin and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Tamarin: $1,024 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Tamarin
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Tamarin Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Tamarin

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$1,024

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tamarin 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 Tamarin and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,024 per month in Tamarin vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Tamarin $1,024
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $1,623 per month in Tamarin vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Tamarin $1,623
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $2,222 per month in Tamarin vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Tamarin $2,222
Istanbul $3,281

Tamarin is about 34% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tamarin sits 24% below the global median, while Istanbul is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.64 MUR 266

$12.30 ₺609

-54.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.00 MUR 1,507

$54.7 ₺2,708

-41.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.05 MUR 332

$9.22 ₺456

-23.54%

Cappuccino

$2.57 MUR 121

$4.40 ₺218

-41.59%

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

$1.18 MUR 55.5

$1.68 ₺83.1

-29.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 MUR 31.34

$0.59 ₺29.40

13.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.66 MUR 125

$4.70 ₺233

-43.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 MUR 229

$5.91 ₺292

-17.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 MUR 71.7

$1.21 ₺60.0

25.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.22 MUR 10.37

$0.89 ₺44.10

-75.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 MUR 53.9

$2.19 ₺108

-47.95%

Eggs

$2.48 MUR 117

$2.35 ₺116

5.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.90 MUR 184

$10.42 ₺516

-62.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.34 MUR 299

$5.65 ₺280

12.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.06 MUR 521

$20.94 ₺1,037

-47.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 MUR 99.6

$1.90 ₺94.1

11.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 MUR 103

$2.31 ₺114

-5.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 MUR 68.1

$1.28 ₺63.1

13.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 MUR 137

$1.80 ₺89.0

61.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 MUR 44.96

$0.65 ₺32.16

46.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 MUR 46.91

$0.64 ₺31.91

56.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 MUR 32.73

$1.25 ₺62.1

-44.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 MUR 41.10

$0.56 ₺27.58

55.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.99 MUR 282

$2.37 ₺118

152.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.62 MUR 406

$13.42 ₺664

-35.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 MUR 76.5

$2.40 ₺119

-32.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 MUR 88.2

$3.48 ₺172

-46.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 MUR 41.12

$0.89 ₺43.84

-2.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.26 MUR 201

$1.29 ₺64.1

230.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.10 MUR 146

$0.92 ₺45.70

236.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.42 MUR 302

$10.96 ₺542

-41.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 MUR 63.6

$1.47 ₺72.9

-8.16%

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

$29.5K MUR 1.4M

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-41.99%

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

$30.6K MUR 1.4M

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-31.30%

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

$44.88 MUR 2,113

$88.6 ₺4,387

-49.35%

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

$10.38 MUR 489

$11.59 ₺574

-10.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.37 MUR 1,383

$15.81 ₺783

85.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.56 MUR 1,910

$77.2 ₺3,820

-47.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$6.24 MUR 294

$8.14 ₺403

-23.34%

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

$124 MUR 5,855

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-87.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,087 MUR 145.3K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-87.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 MUR 3,016

$54.0 ₺2,671

18.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.0 MUR 2,497

$40.83 ₺2,021

29.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.2 MUR 3,916

$98.9 ₺4,895

-15.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.1 MUR 2,736

$96.6 ₺4,783

-39.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$937 MUR 44.1K

$985 ₺48.7K

-4.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 MUR 19.8K

$650 ₺32.2K

-35.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,603 MUR 75.5K

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-19.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$839 MUR 39.5K

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-28.90%

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)

$826 MUR 38.9K

$1,205 ₺59.7K

-31.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

40.92

-83.70%

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

Last update for Tamarin: October 10, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tamarin

$420 41%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 54.9% $230

Groceries & Markets

Tamarin

$200 19.5%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 30% $60

Eating Out

Tamarin

$128 12.5%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 75.1% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Tamarin

$116 11.4%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 12.3% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tamarin

$85 8.3%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 37.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Tamarin

$53 5.2%

Istanbul

$93 6% 76.2% $40

Getting Around

Tamarin

$23 * 2.3%

Istanbul

$77 5% 231% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $937 in Tamarin versus $985 in Istanbul. 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 46% 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 $32.00 in Tamarin versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $200 vs $260 – making Tamarin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇺 Tamarin

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

23:33 11:33 PM

22:33 10:33 PM

1 h behind Tamarin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,371

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to MUR – Mauritian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇺 Mauritian Rupee (₨)

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 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 MUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tamarin Istanbul 7,420 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Tamarin
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

Tamarin vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 51%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,536 per month in Tamarin and $2,325 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tamarin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Tamarin 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 30% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tamarin, where all-in costs run around $1,024, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Tamarin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tamarin – 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 Tamarin. 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.