Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Birzebbuga

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,666 in Birzebbuga, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Birzebbuga
Learn more

Birzebbuga Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Birzebbuga

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Birzebbuga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,666 in Birzebbuga.

Istanbul $1,550
Birzebbuga $1,666

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $2,645 in Birzebbuga.

Istanbul $2,415
Birzebbuga $2,645

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $3,625 in Birzebbuga.

Istanbul $3,281
Birzebbuga $3,625

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 7% less than in Birzebbuga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Birzebbuga 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$14.85 €13.21

-17.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$87.8 €78.1

-37.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$11.82 €10.51

-22.00%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.61 €2.32

68.58%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.07 €1.84

-18.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.96 €1.74

-69.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.24 €1.99

109.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.38 €3.01

74.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.24 €1.11

-2.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.32 €1.17

-32.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$3.12 €2.78

-29.81%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.61 €3.21

-34.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$8.45 €7.52

23.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$9.96 €8.86

-43.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$18.08 €16.08

15.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.51 €2.23

-24.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.96 €1.74

17.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.13 €2.79

-59.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.91 €2.59

-38.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.57 €1.40

-58.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.85 €1.65

-65.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.48 €1.31

-15.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.76 €0.67

-26.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.31 €5.61

-62.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$6.49 €5.78

106.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.56 €1.39

53.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.35 €2.09

48.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$2.44 €2.17

-63.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$14.57 €12.96

362.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.51 €4.90

-76.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.17 €1.93

-57.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$26.41 €23.49

-58.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.48 €1.31

-0.68%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$29.8K €26.5K

70.65%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$32.5K €28.9K

37.06%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$95.2 €84.6

-6.87%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$24.84 €22.10

-53.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$41.98 €37.34

-62.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$55.6 €49.45

38.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$22.03 €19.60

3.22%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$9.98 €8.88

-18.44%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$368 €328

173.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$8,911 €7,926

186.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$85.7 €76.2

-37.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$38.86 €34.57

5.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$88.9 €79.1

11.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$77.0 €68.5

25.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,184 €1,053

-16.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$756 €672

-14.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,729 €1,538

14.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,336 €1,189

-11.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$3,932 €3,498

-20.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,809 €2,498

-36.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,771 €1,575

-31.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

2.9

1311.03%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Birzebbuga: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Birzebbuga

$756 45.4% 16.3% $106

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Birzebbuga

$282 16.9% 8.6% $22

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Birzebbuga

$220 13.2% 1.6% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Birzebbuga

$131 7.8% 0.1% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Birzebbuga

$162 9.7% 39.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Birzebbuga

$76 4.5% 19.1% $18

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Birzebbuga

$41 2.4% 47.1% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $1,184 in Birzebbuga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Birzebbuga pays 47% 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: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $88.0 in Birzebbuga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $282 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇹 Birzebbuga

🕒 Local time

19:14 7:14 PM

18:14 6:14 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

10,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Istanbul
Birzebbuga

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 Birzebbuga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 47% lower in Birzebbuga. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $1,184 in Birzebbuga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $88.0 in Birzebbuga. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,550 per month in Istanbul versus $1,666 in Birzebbuga – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,666 in Birzebbuga, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Birzebbuga. 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 Birzebbuga, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Birzebbuga 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 8% less than in Birzebbuga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.