Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gzira and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,240 in Gzira, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Gzira
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Gzira Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Gzira

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,240

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,240 in Gzira versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Gzira $2,240
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,299 in Gzira versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Gzira $3,299
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,358 in Gzira versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Gzira $4,358
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Gzira is roughly 45% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gzira 66% above, Istanbul 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.08 €19.64

$12.30 ₺609

79.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.8 €63.8

$54.7 ₺2,708

31.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.63 €12.13

$9.22 ₺456

47.83%

Cappuccino

$3.14 €2.79

$4.40 ₺218

-28.64%

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

$2.32 €2.06

$1.68 ₺83.1

38.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.70

$0.59 ₺29.40

223.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.55 €4.05

$4.70 ₺233

-3.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.48 €4.88

$5.91 ₺292

-7.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.21 ₺60.0

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.30

$0.89 ₺44.10

64.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.43 €3.05

$2.19 ₺108

56.62%

Eggs

$4.43 €3.94

$2.35 ₺116

88.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.27 €9.14

$10.42 ₺516

-1.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.00 €9.78

$5.65 ₺280

94.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.83 €15.86

$20.94 ₺1,037

-14.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 €2.79

$1.90 ₺94.1

64.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$2.31 ₺114

16.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 €3.01

$1.28 ₺63.1

164.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 €3.31

$1.80 ₺89.0

106.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$0.65 ₺32.16

187.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 €2.52

$0.64 ₺31.91

342.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.25 ₺62.1

21.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 €0.91

$0.56 ₺27.58

83.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.07 €5.40

$2.37 ₺118

156.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.09 €5.42

$13.42 ₺664

-54.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 €2.16

$2.40 ₺119

1.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.48 ₺172

-36.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 €2.43

$0.89 ₺43.84

206.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.02 €3.58

$1.29 ₺64.1

211.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 €1.56

$0.92 ₺45.70

90.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.42 €28.83

$10.96 ₺542

195.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.47 ₺72.9

0.68%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-45.28%

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

$39.2K €34.8K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-12.08%

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

$137 €122

$88.6 ₺4,387

54.52%

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

$25.54 €22.72

$11.59 ₺574

120.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.74 €26.46

$15.81 ₺783

88.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.7 €72.7

$77.2 ₺3,820

5.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.29 €25.16

$22.74 ₺1,126

24.41%

Cinema Ticket

$11.36 €10.11

$8.14 ₺403

39.56%

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

$280 €249

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-72.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K €11.1K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-51.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 €50.4

$54.0 ₺2,671

5.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 €47.76

$40.83 ₺2,021

31.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €100

$98.9 ₺4,895

14.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.2 €88.2

$96.6 ₺4,783

2.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 €1,236

$985 ₺48.7K

41.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,146 €1,020

$650 ₺32.2K

76.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,081 €1,851

$1,983 ₺98.2K

4.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,782 €1,586

$1,180 ₺58.4K

51.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,226 €5,538

$3,138 ₺155.4K

98.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,453 €3,961

$1,780 ₺88.1K

150.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,418 €2,151

$1,205 ₺59.7K

100.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

40.92

-90.10%

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

Last update for Gzira: October 12, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gzira

$1.1K 51.2%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 43.3% $497

Groceries & Markets

Gzira

$322 14.4%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 19.3% $62

Eating Out

Gzira

$306 13.7%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 27% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gzira

$192 8.6%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 39.6% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Gzira

$145 6.5%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 10% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Gzira

$104 4.7%

Istanbul

$93 6% 10.5% $11

Getting Around

Gzira

$24 * 1.1%

Istanbul

$77 5% 225% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,390 in Gzira and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gzira pays 101% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $72.0 in Gzira vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $260 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Gzira

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

16:50 4:50 PM

17:50 5:50 PM

1 h ahead of Gzira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Gzira Istanbul 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Gzira
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

Gzira vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 45% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 101% higher in Gzira, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,390 in Gzira versus $985 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Gzira. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,240 per month in Gzira versus $1,550 in Istanbul – a 45% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,240 in Gzira, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Gzira. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Istanbul is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Gzira, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Gzira and Istanbul are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Istanbul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Gzira. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.