Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Hulhumale

For one person, living is cheaper in Hulhumale: $1,428 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Istanbul despite lower rent and utilities.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Hulhumale
Learn more

Hulhumale Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Hulhumale

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Hulhumale

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $1,428 in Hulhumale.

Istanbul $1,519
Hulhumale $1,428

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $2,571 in Hulhumale.

Istanbul $2,365
Hulhumale $2,571

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $3,713 in Hulhumale.

Istanbul $3,212
Hulhumale $3,713

Living in Istanbul is roughly 6% more expensive than in Hulhumale, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 12% above, Hulhumale 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺591

$5.82 MVR 89.8

102.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,748

$39.15 MVR 604

40.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺463

$9.45 MVR 146

-2.01%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.79 MVR 73.9

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 MVR 112

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺215

$3.47 MVR 53.5

23.92%

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

$1.77 ₺88.8

$1.65 MVR 25.38

7.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.26

$0.31 MVR 4.85

80.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺234

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺356

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.6

$1.61 MVR 24.88

-22.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.70 MVR 26.18

-48.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺110

$0.33 MVR 5.11

566.67%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.77 MVR 27.32

37.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺524

$3.19 MVR 49.17

228.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺266

$5.95 MVR 91.8

-10.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,056

$9.30 MVR 143

126.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺92.9

$3.97 MVR 61.2

-53.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.82 MVR 43.52

-18.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$2.85 MVR 43.97

-57.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.0

$2.50 MVR 38.48

-28.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.75

$1.28 MVR 19.70

-46.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.09

$1.11 MVR 17.09

-42.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺67.8

$2.18 MVR 33.59

-37.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.88

$0.57 MVR 8.80

1.75%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.29 MVR 189

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 MVR 42.48

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 MVR 30.89

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$12.78 MVR 197

-81.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺652

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺43.97

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,309

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.3

$1.96 MVR 30.19

-34.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.70

$1.95 MVR 30.10

-56.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺555

$10.06 MVR 155

10.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺73.9

$1.04 MVR 16.07

42.31%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$25.7K MVR 396.6K

89.13%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$28.0K MVR 432.0K

49.82%

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

$92.7 ₺4,639

$102 MVR 1,576

-9.27%

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

$11.20 ₺560

$28.89 MVR 446

-61.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺795

$73.7 MVR 1,136

-78.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,737

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,149

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺403

$9.94 MVR 153

-19.01%

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

$948 ₺47.5K

$185 MVR 2,854

412.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.8M

$4,873 MVR 75.1K

657.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,696

$39.33 MVR 606

36.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,076

$49.95 MVR 770

-16.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,049

$87.8 MVR 1,354

14.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,570

$53.2 MVR 821

71.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.7K

$1,134 MVR 17.5K

-10.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$773 MVR 11.9K

-19.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.4K

$2,283 MVR 35.2K

-12.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.3K

$2,274 MVR 35.1K

-50.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.5K

$5,431 MVR 83.7K

-44.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.6K

$509 MVR 7,846

240.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺56.9K

$719 MVR 11.1K

57.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

188.71%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hulhumale: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Hulhumale

$773 54.1% 23.7% $148

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Hulhumale

$191 13.4% 26% $67

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Hulhumale

$124 8.7% 43.7% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Hulhumale

$104 7.3% 19.9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Hulhumale

$205 14.3% 70.9% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Hulhumale

$20 * 1.4% 78.1% $71

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Hulhumale

$12 * 0.8% 84.4% $63

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 $1,014 in Istanbul and $1,134 in Hulhumale. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 58% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $39 in Hulhumale for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $191 per month, with Hulhumale cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇻 Hulhumale

🕒 Local time

21:28 9:28 PM

23:28 11:28 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

5,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MVR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.23 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.33 MVR (100 MVR = 5.77 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Hulhumale 6,030 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Hulhumale

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 Hulhumale: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hulhumale wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Hulhumale the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 58% higher in Istanbul, 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: $1,014 in Istanbul versus $1,134 in Hulhumale. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $948 in Istanbul versus $185 in Hulhumale. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Hulhumale – a meal for two runs $39 versus $55 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Hulhumale is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Hulhumale are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Hulhumale wins on affordability, Istanbul on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.