Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and San Pawl Il-bahar

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,697 in San Pawl Il-bahar, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in San Pawl Il-bahar outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in San Pawl Il-bahar
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San Pawl Il-bahar Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

San Pawl Il-bahar

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,697

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in San Pawl Il-bahar

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 San Pawl Il-bahar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,697 in San Pawl Il-bahar, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
San Pawl Il-bahar $1,697

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,593 in San Pawl Il-bahar, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
San Pawl Il-bahar $2,593

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,489 in San Pawl Il-bahar, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
San Pawl Il-bahar $3,489

Istanbul is about 9% cheaper than San Pawl Il-bahar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and San Pawl Il-bahar sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, San Pawl Il-bahar by 26%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$19.75 €17.57

-37.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$82.2 €73.1

-33.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$11.28 €10.03

-18.26%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.58 €2.30

70.54%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.47 €2.20

-31.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.95 €1.74

-69.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$4.50 €4.00

4.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$5.18 €4.60

14.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.31 €1.17

-7.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.16 €1.03

-23.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$3.82 €3.40

-42.67%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.62 €3.22

-35.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$8.44 €7.50

23.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$7.75 €6.89

-27.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$9.41 €8.37

122.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.98 €2.65

-36.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.05 €1.82

12.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.93 €2.60

-56.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.86 €2.54

-37.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.57 €1.40

-58.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.84 €1.64

-65.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.19 €1.06

5.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.20 €1.07

-53.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.33 €5.63

-62.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$8.30 €7.38

61.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.49 €1.32

61.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.00 €1.78

74.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$2.76 €2.46

-67.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.72 €5.09

-77.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.17 €1.93

-57.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$26.51 €23.58

-58.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.47 €1.30

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$38.3K €34.1K

32.59%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$39.6K €35.2K

12.53%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$58.9 €52.4

50.54%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$20.63 €18.35

-43.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$39.96 €35.54

-60.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$49.65 €44.17

55.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$13.51 €12.02

68.32%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$9.96 €8.86

-18.27%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$371 €330

171.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$11.1K €9,915

129.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$22.55 €20.06

139.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$33.53 €29.83

21.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$96.5 €85.8

2.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$75.4 €67.1

28.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$981 €872

0.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$848 €755

-23.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,640 €1,459

20.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,348 €1,199

-12.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$3,441 €3,061

-8.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,867 €2,550

-37.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,670 €1,485

-27.81%

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 San Pawl Il-bahar: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

San Pawl Il-bahar

$848 50% 30.6% $199

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

San Pawl Il-bahar

$256 15.1% 1.6% $4

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

San Pawl Il-bahar

$273 16.1% 22.4% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

San Pawl Il-bahar

$103 6.1% 21.5% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

San Pawl Il-bahar

$119 7% 3% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

San Pawl Il-bahar

$70 4.1% 25.5% $24

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

San Pawl Il-bahar

$28 * 1.6% 64.1% $49

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $981 in San Pawl Il-bahar. 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 39% higher in San Pawl Il-bahar, 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 $82.0 in San Pawl Il-bahar. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Istanbul vs $256 in San Pawl Il-bahar – so San Pawl Il-bahar wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇹 San Pawl Il-bahar

🕒 Local time

19:41 7:41 PM

18:41 6:41 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

21,046

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul San Pawl Il-bahar 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
San Pawl Il-bahar

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 San Pawl Il-bahar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Pawl Il-bahar is pricier by about 9%, 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 $2,545 in San Pawl Il-bahar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $82.0 in San Pawl Il-bahar. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in San Pawl Il-bahar – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in San Pawl Il-bahar at $1,697. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Pawl Il-bahar it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Istanbul – 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 Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Pawl Il-bahar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.