Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and St. Julians

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $2,257 in St. Julians, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in St. Julians
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St. Julians Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

St. Julians

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,257

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in St. Julians

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $2,257 in St. Julians, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
St. Julians $2,257

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $3,588 in St. Julians, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
St. Julians $3,588

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $4,919 in St. Julians, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
St. Julians $4,919

Istanbul is about 32% cheaper than St. Julians, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Istanbul and St. Julians sit above the global median – Istanbul by 13%, St. Julians by 67%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$20.12 €17.90

-40.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$99.0 €88.1

-42.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$11.09 €9.87

-14.25%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.27 €2.91

34.56%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$3.06 €2.72

-42.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$1.90 €1.69

-70.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$4.57 €4.06

3.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$4.56 €4.06

34.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.24 €1.10

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$1.75 €1.56

-45.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$3.38 €3.00

-32.54%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$4.54 €4.04

-46.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$18.83 €16.75

-43.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$10.64 €9.46

-48.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$17.95 €15.97

20.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$3.03 €2.70

-39.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.05 €1.83

11.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$2.88 €2.56

-55.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$3.99 €3.55

-54.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$2.43 €2.16

-72.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$2.39 €2.12

-73.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.91 €1.70

-33.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.89 €0.79

-37.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$6.77 €6.02

-65.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$7.21 €6.42

80.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$1.62 €1.44

53.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$2.35 €2.09

48.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$2.55 €2.27

-67.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$4.59 €4.09

-71.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$1.65 €1.47

-45.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$39.13 €34.80

-72.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$1.54 €1.37

-7.14%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$27.5K €24.5K

80.19%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$39.5K €35.2K

9.25%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$76.7 €68.2

15.81%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$35.28 €31.38

-66.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$35.16 €31.27

-54.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$94.5 €84.1

-19.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

$39.97 €35.56

-43.16%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$11.39 €10.13

-27.48%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$618 €550

64.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$13.9K €12.4K

85.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$146 €130

-63.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$55.1 €49.02

-26.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$121 €108

-17.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$164 €146

-42.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$1,391 €1,237

-29.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$1,124 €999

-44.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$2,555 €2,273

-22.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$2,042 €1,816

-43.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$5,727 €5,094

-45.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$3,143 €2,796

-43.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$2,426 €2,158

-50.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

3.22

1163.66%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for St. Julians: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

St. Julians

$1.1K 49.8% 79.2% $497

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

St. Julians

$342 15.1% 30.1% $79

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

St. Julians

$285 12.6% 28.4% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

St. Julians

$219 9.7% 69.1% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

St. Julians

$147 6.5% 26.2% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

St. Julians

$117 5.2% 26.4% $25

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

St. Julians

$23 * 1% 69% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $1,391 in St. Julians. 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 100% higher in St. Julians, 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 $57.0 in Istanbul versus $99.0 in St. Julians. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $342 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇹 St. Julians

🕒 Local time

20:55 8:55 PM

19:55 7:55 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

13,792

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 St. Julians 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
St. Julians

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 St. Julians: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – St. Julians is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $3,385 in St. Julians. 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 $57.0 in Istanbul and $99.0 in St. Julians. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in St. Julians, 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 Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,525, than in St. Julians at $2,257. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Julians 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, St. Julians makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.