Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Maldives and Turkey

Name: Turkey
Address: TR

For one person, living is cheaper in Turkey: $1,212 a month against $1,476 in the Maldives, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in the Maldives outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

71

Cost of Living Index in the Maldives
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Maldives Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Turkey
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Turkey Living Index

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🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,476

/mo nomad

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the Maldives and in Turkey

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,476 in the Maldives versus $1,212 in Turkey.

Maldives $1,476
Turkey $1,212

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,376 in the Maldives versus $1,844 in Turkey.

Maldives $2,376
Turkey $1,844

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,276 in the Maldives versus $2,475 in Turkey.

Maldives $3,276
Turkey $2,475

Internal cost variation is higher in the Maldives: monthly costs span $45 to $1,503, compared to $656–$1,765 in Turkey. City choice carries more weight in the Maldives.

Living in the Maldives is roughly 22% more expensive than in Turkey on average.

The Maldives (8% above) and Turkey (11% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.31 MVR 97.3

$9.14 ₺455

-30.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.4 MVR 778

$40.12 ₺1,999

25.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 MVR 150

$8.91 ₺444

9.32%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 MVR 76.4

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.89 MVR 153

Cappuccino

$3.31 MVR 51.0

$3.75 ₺187

-11.73%

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

$1.59 MVR 24.46

$1.47 ₺73.3

8.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 MVR 4.44

$0.56 ₺27.66

-48.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ₺192

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 ₺245

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 MVR 28.58

$1.02 ₺51.1

81.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 MVR 24.10

$1.00 ₺49.93

56.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 MVR 16.04

$2.20 ₺110

-52.73%

Eggs

$1.74 MVR 26.81

$2.21 ₺110

-21.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.33 MVR 97.6

$9.72 ₺484

-34.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.49 MVR 100

$4.86 ₺242

33.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.13 MVR 156

$20.09 ₺1,001

-49.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 MVR 61.6

$1.86 ₺92.5

115.05%

Banana (1kg)

$3.00 MVR 46.33

$1.98 ₺98.9

51.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.86 MVR 59.5

$1.06 ₺53.1

264.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 MVR 39.79

$1.36 ₺67.9

89.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 MVR 27.08

$0.54 ₺26.86

225.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 MVR 27.05

$0.45 ₺22.31

288.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 MVR 32.53

$1.00 ₺49.61

111.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 MVR 9.37

$0.69 ₺34.23

-11.59%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.13 MVR 172

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 MVR 38.09

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 MVR 71.4

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.03 MVR 232

$2.26 ₺113

565.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.91 ₺593

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 ₺112

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₺142

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MVR 9.54

$0.76 ₺38.01

-18.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.37 MVR 437

$39.49 ₺1,968

-28.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 MVR 30.35

$1.42 ₺70.9

38.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 MVR 29.24

$0.84 ₺41.65

126.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.30 MVR 128

$7.98 ₺398

4.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 MVR 15.29

$1.38 ₺68.8

-28.26%

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

$31.9K MVR 492.1K

$41.6K ₺2.1M

-23.34%

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

$30.8K MVR 474.3K

$40.3K ₺2.0M

-23.76%

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

$129 MVR 1,993

$75.0 ₺3,736

72.45%

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

$30.04 MVR 463

$10.38 ₺517

189.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.3 MVR 1,054

$15.56 ₺775

339.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.7 MVR 967

$55.2 ₺2,752

13.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.86 MVR 322

$21.01 ₺1,047

-0.71%

Cinema Ticket

$8.98 MVR 139

$6.87 ₺342

30.71%

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

$181 MVR 2,795

$680 ₺33.9K

-73.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,834 MVR 43.7K

$15.9K ₺792.4K

-82.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.11 MVR 588

$54.7 ₺2,724

-30.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 MVR 771

$42.98 ₺2,142

16.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 MVR 1,327

$102 ₺5,074

-15.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 MVR 808

$93.9 ₺4,677

-44.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 MVR 14.3K

$614 ₺30.6K

51.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 MVR 10.5K

$441 ₺22.0K

53.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,939 MVR 29.9K

$1,011 ₺50.4K

91.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 MVR 22.9K

$703 ₺35.0K

111.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,663 MVR 41.1K

$1,710 ₺85.2K

55.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$776 MVR 12.0K

$1,115 ₺55.6K

-30.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$781 MVR 12.0K

$1,061 ₺52.9K

-26.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.67

-66.40%

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

Last update for the Maldives: October 25, 2026

Last update for Turkey: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maldives

$678 46%

Turkey

$441 36.4% 35% $238

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maldives

$228 15.4%

Turkey

$101 8.3% 55.7% $127

Groceries & Markets

Maldives

$218 14.8%

Turkey

$239 19.8% 9.8% $21

Eating Out

Maldives

$127 8.6%

Turkey

$182 15% 43.5% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Maldives

$102 6.9%

Turkey

$132 10.9% 29.5% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Maldives

$81 5.5%

Turkey

$69 5.7% 14.5% $12

Getting Around

Maldives

$42 2.9%

Turkey

$48 4% 13.9% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $805 in the Maldives, $446 in Turkey. Capital cities: $939 in Male vs $765 in Ankara.

National salary averages: $736 in the Maldives, $1,034 in Turkey. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 80% higher in the Maldives.

Dining out costs 15% more in the Maldives.

Public transport is 32% more expensive in Turkey.

Salaries are 40% higher in Turkey, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Turkey.

Good to know

🇲🇻 Maldives

🇹🇷 Turkey

🕒 Local time

01:47 1:47 AM

23:47 11:47 PM

2 h behind the Maldives

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

436,330

85,372,377

💱 Currency

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.83 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.17 MVR (100 MVR = 5.83 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to MVR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Maldives Turkey 5,690 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Maldives
Turkey

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 Turkey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,476 per month in the Maldives and $1,212 in Turkey, Turkey comes out about 18% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $805 in the Maldives and $446 in Turkey. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Turkey wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.