Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Male

For one person, living costs are similar in Istanbul and in Male: $1,519 and $1,505 a month, rent and utilities included.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Male
Learn more

Male Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Male

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,505

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Male

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,505 in Male, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Male $1,505

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,419 in Male, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Male $2,419

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $3,332 in Male, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Male $3,332

Istanbul and Male have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Istanbul and Male sit above the global median – Istanbul by 12%, Male by 11%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$6.03 MVR 93.0

95.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$38.48 MVR 593

42.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$9.86 MVR 152

-6.09%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 MVR 75.6

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 MVR 111

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.49 MVR 53.9

23.21%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.64 MVR 25.25

7.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.31 MVR 4.79

80.65%

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

$1.98 MVR 30.55

-36.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.60 MVR 24.70

-45.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.21 MVR 18.64

81.82%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.88 MVR 28.99

29.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$10.53 MVR 162

-0.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.94 MVR 91.7

-10.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$9.38 MVR 145

124.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$4.04 MVR 62.3

-53.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.85 MVR 43.95

-19.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$4.00 MVR 61.7

-69.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.38 MVR 36.68

-24.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$2.15 MVR 33.08

-67.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.99 MVR 30.67

-67.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$2.16 MVR 33.37

-37.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.58 MVR 9.01

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.50 MVR 193

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 MVR 41.97

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 MVR 30.95

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$14.90 MVR 230

-84.30%

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

$0.66 MVR 10.22

33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$29.48 MVR 455

124.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.90 MVR 29.30

-32.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.95 MVR 30.09

-56.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$10.06 MVR 155

10.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.04 MVR 16.07

42.31%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$25.5K MVR 393.9K

90.43%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$27.9K MVR 430.3K

50.41%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$118 MVR 1,817

-21.34%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$29.90 MVR 461

-62.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$73.6 MVR 1,135

-78.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$71.9 MVR 1,108

3.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$33.66 MVR 519

-31.82%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$9.48 MVR 146

-15.08%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$182 MVR 2,812

420.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$4,813 MVR 74.2K

666.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$38.62 MVR 596

39.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$49.25 MVR 759

-15.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$85.3 MVR 1,315

18.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$52.4 MVR 809

74.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$961 MVR 14.8K

5.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$691 MVR 10.7K

-9.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$2,054 MVR 31.7K

-2.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$1,546 MVR 23.8K

-27.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,234 MVR 34.5K

33.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,402 MVR 21.6K

23.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$830 MVR 12.8K

36.93%

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 Male: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Male

$691 45.9% 10.7% $67

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Male

$229 15.2% 11.4% $29

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Male

$128 8.5% 42.3% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Male

$102 6.7% 21.6% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Male

$221 14.7% 84.8% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Male

$91 6% 0.1% $0

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Male

$44 2.9% 41.8% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $961 in Male. 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 37% higher in Istanbul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $38 in Male. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $229 – making Male the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇻 Male

🕒 Local time

04:57 4:57 AM

06:57 6:57 AM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

103,693 Capital

💱 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 = 5.8 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 7, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.05 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.23 MVR (100 MVR = 5.8 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

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Between locations

Istanbul Male 6,030 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Male

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 Male: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $2,258 in Male. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,014 in Istanbul and $961 in Male. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $38 in Male. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 55% less in Male. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,505 in Male. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Male – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Male. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.