Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malatya and Ankara

For one person, living is cheaper in Malatya: $690 a month against $1,397 in Ankara, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Malatya
🇹🇷 Turkey
$690
/mo nomad
Ankara
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,397
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malatya and in Ankara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Malatya and in Ankara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $690 per month in Malatya vs $1,397 in Ankara, rent included.

  • Malatya $690
  • Ankara $1,397

A couple spends around $1,039 per month in Malatya vs $2,075 in Ankara, rent included.

  • Malatya $1,039
  • Ankara $2,075

A family of three spends $1,389 per month in Malatya vs $2,753 in Ankara, rent included.

  • Malatya $1,389
  • Ankara $2,753

Malatya is about 51% cheaper than Ankara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Malatya sits 49% below the global median, while Ankara is 4% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Malatya
Ankara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.67 ₺231
$10.10 ₺500
-53.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$25.82 ₺1,278
$43.03 ₺2,130
-40.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.96 ₺345
$9.87 ₺489
-29.48%
Cappuccino
$1.64 ₺81.1
$4.17 ₺206
-60.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.92 ₺45.75
$1.74 ₺86.2
-47.13%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.29 ₺14.35
$0.77 ₺38.35
-62.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.30 ₺114
$5.12 ₺254
-55.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.49 ₺173
$6.21 ₺308
-43.80%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Malatya
Ankara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.80 ₺39.72
$1.16 ₺57.2
-31.03%
White Bread (500g)
$0.78 ₺38.78
$0.93 ₺46.15
-16.13%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.68 ₺133
$2.30 ₺114
16.52%
Eggs
$1.77 ₺87.4
$2.66 ₺132
-33.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.94 ₺393
$10.07 ₺499
-21.15%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.41 ₺119
$5.53 ₺274
-56.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.71 ₺827
$20.03 ₺992
-16.58%
Apples (1kg)
$1.59 ₺78.8
$1.97 ₺97.7
-19.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 ₺75.8
$2.16 ₺107
-29.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.84 ₺41.57
$1.33 ₺65.6
-36.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.76 ₺37.60
$1.68 ₺83.0
-54.76%
Potato (1kg)
$0.44 ₺21.62
$0.63 ₺31.18
-30.16%
Onion (1kg)
$0.34 ₺17.02
$0.54 ₺26.73
-37.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.53 ₺26.06
$1.01 ₺49.86
-47.52%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.45 ₺22.26
$0.69 ₺34.25
-34.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.99 ₺98.6
$2.16 ₺107
-7.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.97 ₺592
$12.54 ₺621
-4.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 ₺97.8
$2.26 ₺112
-12.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 ₺112
$3.23 ₺160
-30.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Malatya
Ankara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.27 ₺13.26
$0.70 ₺34.62
-61.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$12.35 ₺611
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.89 ₺44.07
$1.29 ₺64.1
-31.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.45 ₺22.51
$0.80 ₺39.43
-43.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$6.79 ₺336
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 ₺66.8
$1.44 ₺71.4
-6.25%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.8K ₺1.9M
$48.0K ₺2.4M
-21.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.8K ₺1.8M
$41.7K ₺2.1M
-11.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Malatya
Ankara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$30.31 ₺1,501
$92.9 ₺4,600
-67.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.97 ₺494
$10.81 ₺535
-7.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$14.28 ₺707
$17.73 ₺878
-19.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Malatya
Ankara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.88 ₺1,727
$72.5 ₺3,589
-51.88%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$15.27 ₺756
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.29 ₺262
$8.09 ₺400
-34.61%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Malatya
Ankara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$1,038 ₺51.4K
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$19.5K ₺966.2K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Malatya
Ankara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$15.28 ₺756
$53.7 ₺2,656
-71.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$71.1 ₺3,520
$48.13 ₺2,383
47.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$50.7 ₺2,512
$104 ₺5,149
-51.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$30.33 ₺1,502
$97.3 ₺4,815
-68.81%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Malatya
Ankara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$317 ₺15.7K
$747 ₺37.0K
-57.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$217 ₺10.7K
$569 ₺28.2K
-61.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$430 ₺21.3K
$1,140 ₺56.5K
-62.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$296 ₺14.7K
$873 ₺43.2K
-66.06%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$1,674 ₺82.9K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,174 ₺58.1K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Malatya
Ankara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$921 ₺45.6K
$1,068 ₺52.9K
-13.81%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
43
43.57
-1.31%

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

Last update for Malatya: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ankara: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Malatya
$217
Ankara
$569 162% $352
Groceries & Markets
Malatya
$192
Ankara
$253 32.1% $62
Eating Out
Malatya
$101
Ankara
$209 106% $107
Clothing & Footwear
Malatya
$75
Ankara
$136 81% $61
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Malatya
$55
Ankara
$121 123% $67
Sport & Entertainment
Malatya
$45
Ankara
$89 95% $43
Getting Around
Malatya
$4.2 *
Ankara
$20 383% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $317 in Malatya versus $747 in Ankara. 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 16% higher in Ankara, 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 $26.00 in Malatya versus $43.00 in Ankara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $253 – making Malatya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Malatya
🇹🇷 Ankara
🕒 Local time
18:53 6:53 PM
18:53 6:53 PM
Same time as Malatya
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
781,305
5,864,049 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Malatya Ankara 500 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Malatya
  • Ankara

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
Malatya vs Ankara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Malatya or Ankara?
Ankara costs about 103% more than Malatya, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Malatya and in Ankara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,035 per month in Malatya and $2,096 in Ankara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Malatya or Ankara?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Malatya, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Malatya compared to Ankara?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $690 in Malatya and $1,397 in Ankara. That's a gap of about 103%.
Are groceries more expensive in Malatya or in Ankara?
Groceries cost about 32% more in Ankara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Malatya or in Ankara?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Malatya, where all-in costs run around $690, than in Ankara at $1,397. In Malatya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ankara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Malatya or Ankara?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Malatya costs $690 versus $1,397 in Ankara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Malatya compared to Ankara?
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.
Should I move to Malatya or to Ankara?
If budget matters most, go with Malatya. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ankara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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