Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Maldives and Istanbul

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.

71

Cost of Living Index in the Maldives
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Maldives Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,466

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: The Maldives is 16.5% cheaper than Istanbul without rent, and 3.5% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: The Maldives is 16.3% cheaper than Istanbul without rent, and 2.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.56 MVR 101

$11.81 ₺592

-44.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.9 MVR 784

$54.9 ₺2,754

-7.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 MVR 151

$9.26 ₺465

5.83%

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

$3.32 MVR 51.1

$4.30 ₺216

-22.79%

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

$1.57 MVR 24.24

$1.77 ₺89.0

-11.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 MVR 4.62

$0.56 ₺28.32

-46.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MVR 28.06

$1.25 ₺62.7

45.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 MVR 24.62

$0.88 ₺44.17

81.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 MVR 19.64

$2.20 ₺111

-42.27%

Eggs

$1.81 MVR 27.98

$2.43 ₺122

-25.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.35 MVR 97.9

$10.48 ₺526

-39.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.48 MVR 99.9

$5.31 ₺267

22.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.11 MVR 156

$21.10 ₺1,058

-52.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 MVR 61.3

$1.86 ₺93.1

113.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.88 MVR 44.39

$2.30 ₺115

25.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 MVR 59.1

$1.22 ₺61.0

213.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 MVR 38.62

$1.80 ₺90.2

38.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 MVR 30.40

$0.69 ₺34.83

185.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MVR 28.98

$0.64 ₺32.16

193.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 MVR 30.75

$1.36 ₺68.0

46.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 MVR 9.95

$0.58 ₺28.94

12.07%

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)

$15.08 MVR 233

$2.34 ₺117

544.44%

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)

$0.63 MVR 9.66

$0.88 ₺44.07

-28.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 MVR 440

$66.1 ₺3,316

-56.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 MVR 30.63

$1.28 ₺64.4

55.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 MVR 29.46

$0.85 ₺42.80

124.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.20 MVR 157

$11.09 ₺556

-8.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 MVR 15.87

$1.48 ₺74.0

-30.41%

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

$23.0K MVR 354.7K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-52.70%

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

$26.3K MVR 405.4K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-37.36%

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

$132 MVR 2,029

$92.7 ₺4,650

41.92%

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

$28.97 MVR 447

$11.20 ₺562

158.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.9 MVR 1,063

$15.89 ₺797

333.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.3 MVR 961

$74.7 ₺3,745

-16.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.33 MVR 329

$22.95 ₺1,151

-7.06%

Cinema Ticket

$9.21 MVR 142

$8.05 ₺404

14.41%

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

$176 MVR 2,716

$948 ₺47.6K

-81.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,713 MVR 72.7K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-87.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.35 MVR 576

$53.9 ₺2,702

-30.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.01 MVR 756

$41.49 ₺2,081

18.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 MVR 1,315

$101 ₺5,060

-15.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.7 MVR 797

$91.3 ₺4,580

-43.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 MVR 14.4K

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-7.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MVR 10.2K

$625 ₺31.3K

6.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,898 MVR 29.3K

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-5.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 MVR 22.9K

$1,126 ₺56.5K

32.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,602 MVR 40.1K

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-12.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$774 MVR 11.9K

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-55.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$756 MVR 11.7K

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-33.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

-65.36%

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

Last update for the Maldives: November 2, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maldives

$665 45.4%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 6% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maldives

$229 15.7%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 47.8% $110

Groceries & Markets

Maldives

$219 14.9%

Istanbul

$258 17% 18.1% $40

Eating Out

Maldives

$129 8.8%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 71% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Maldives

$101 6.9%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 28.8% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Maldives

$81 5.5%

Istanbul

$91 6% 12.4% $10

Getting Around

Maldives

$43 2.9%

Istanbul

$75 5% 76.6% $33

Good to know

🇲🇻 Maldives

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

14:33 2:33 PM

12:33 12:33 PM

2 h behind the Maldives

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

436,330

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.77 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to MVR – Maldivian Rufiyaa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇻 Maldivian Rufiyaa (Rf)

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).

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).

USD to MVR in detail →

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Between locations

Maldives Istanbul 6,030 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Maldives
Istanbul

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

Maldives vs other spots: cost of living compared

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Maldives and Istanbul

TRY, USD, EUR to MVR – Maldivian Rufiyaa Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Maldives

Istanbul

Maldives

Istanbul

Maldives vs other spots: cost of living compared

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