Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Mahdia

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahdia: $557 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Mahdia
Learn more

Mahdia Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Mahdia

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$557

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Mahdia

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $557 in Mahdia, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Mahdia $557

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $881 in Mahdia, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Mahdia $881

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,206 in Mahdia, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Mahdia $1,206

Istanbul costs about 178% more than Mahdia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Mahdia is 59% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$2.48 TND 7.44

395.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$20.01 TND 59.9

173.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$4.84 TND 14.49

90.50%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$0.96 TND 2.89

358.33%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.57 TND 1.72

194.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.19 TND 0.56

210.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.03 TND 3.07

356.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$1.51 TND 4.52

291.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.43 TND 1.30

181.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.26 TND 0.78

242.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.38 TND 4.13

58.70%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.53 TND 4.58

53.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$11.75 TND 35.19

-11.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$4.96 TND 14.87

13.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$14.46 TND 43.29

44.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.86 TND 8.56

-33.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.86 TND 8.55

-19.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.44 TND 4.32

-11.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.72 TND 2.15

150.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.65 TND 1.94

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.34 TND 1.03

88.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.43 TND 1.29

190.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.31 TND 0.94

80.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.53 TND 10.56

-32.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$3.35 TND 10.04

300.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.63 TND 4.88

47.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.25 TND 3.75

178.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.32 TND 0.95

178.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$13.33 TND 39.92

405.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.31 TND 0.93

316.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.26 TND 0.77

253.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$0.88 TND 2.64

67.05%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$40.9K TND 122.5K

24.22%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$40.1K TND 120.0K

11.11%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$56.3 TND 169

57.31%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$7.15 TND 21.41

62.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$20.10 TND 60.2

-21.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$20.52 TND 61.5

276.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$7.69 TND 23.03

195.71%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$6.80 TND 20.36

19.71%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$109 TND 326

826.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$985 TND 2,951

2494.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$37.98 TND 114

42.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$32.80 TND 98.2

24.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$76.9 TND 230

28.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$23.51 TND 70.4

310.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$130 TND 390

655.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$100 TND 301

547.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$292 TND 875

578.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$175 TND 523

575.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$675 TND 2,022

364.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$201 TND 602

785.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$232 TND 695

419.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

10.33

296.13%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Mahdia: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Mahdia

$100 18% 84.6% $549

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Mahdia

$188 33.8% 27.5% $71

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Mahdia

$57 10.3% 74.4% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Mahdia

$77 13.8% 41% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Mahdia

$84 15% 28% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Mahdia

$34 6.1% 63.5% $59

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Mahdia

$16 2.9% 78.9% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $130 in Mahdia. 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 420% 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $20.00 in Mahdia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $188 – making Mahdia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇹🇳 Mahdia

🕒 Local time

01:05 1:05 AM

23:05 11:05 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

79,545

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Mahdia 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Mahdia

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 Mahdia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 178%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $835 in Mahdia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $109 in Mahdia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mahdia, where all-in costs run around $557, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Mahdia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mahdia – 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 Mahdia. 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.