Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and the Maldives

Name: Maldives
Address: MV

For one person, living is cheaper in the Maldives: $1,466 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $640 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
71

Cost of Living Index in the Maldives
Learn more

Maldives Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,466

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Istanbul is 19.7% more expensive than the Maldives without rent, and 3.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Istanbul is 19.5% more expensive than the Maldives without rent, and 2.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$6.56 MVR 101

80.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$50.9 MVR 784

7.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$9.80 MVR 151

-5.51%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.81 MVR 74.2

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.45 MVR 146

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.32 MVR 51.1

29.52%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.57 MVR 24.24

12.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.30 MVR 4.62

86.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.82 MVR 28.06

-31.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.60 MVR 24.62

-45.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.27 MVR 19.64

73.23%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.81 MVR 27.98

34.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$6.35 MVR 97.9

65.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$6.48 MVR 99.9

-18.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$10.11 MVR 156

108.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$3.98 MVR 61.3

-53.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.88 MVR 44.39

-20.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$3.83 MVR 59.1

-68.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.50 MVR 38.62

-28.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.97 MVR 30.40

-64.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.88 MVR 28.98

-65.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.99 MVR 30.75

-31.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.65 MVR 9.95

-10.77%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.26 MVR 174

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 MVR 38.02

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.62 MVR 71.3

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$15.08 MVR 233

-84.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

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 ₺44.07

$0.63 MVR 9.66

39.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$28.53 MVR 440

131.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.99 MVR 30.63

-35.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.91 MVR 29.46

-55.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$10.20 MVR 157

8.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.03 MVR 15.87

43.69%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$23.0K MVR 354.7K

111.43%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$26.3K MVR 405.4K

59.65%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$132 MVR 2,029

-29.54%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$28.97 MVR 447

-61.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$68.9 MVR 1,063

-76.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$62.3 MVR 961

19.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$21.33 MVR 329

7.59%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$9.21 MVR 142

-12.60%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$176 MVR 2,716

438.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$4,713 MVR 72.7K

683.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$37.35 MVR 576

44.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$49.01 MVR 756

-15.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$85.3 MVR 1,315

18.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$51.7 MVR 797

76.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$933 MVR 14.4K

8.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$665 MVR 10.2K

-6.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$1,898 MVR 29.3K

5.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$1,488 MVR 22.9K

-24.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,602 MVR 40.1K

14.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$774 MVR 11.9K

123.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$756 MVR 11.7K

50.27%

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 the Maldives: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Maldives

$665 45.4% 6.4% $40

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Maldives

$219 14.9% 15.3% $40

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Maldives

$129 8.8% 41.5% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Maldives

$101 6.9% 22.3% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Maldives

$229 15.7% 91.6% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Maldives

$81 5.5% 11% $10

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Maldives

$43 2.9% 43.4% $33

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇻 Maldives

🕒 Local time

16:14 4:14 PM

18:14 6:14 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

436,330

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.32 MVR (100 MVR = 5.77 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Maldives 6,030 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Maldives

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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