Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maltepe and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Maltepe: $988 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Maltepe, Turkey
Phuket, Thailand
Maltepe
🇹🇷 Turkey
$988
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Maltepe and in Phuket

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

A single person spends $988 per month in Maltepe vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Maltepe $988
  • Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,541 per month in Maltepe vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Maltepe $1,541
  • Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $2,094 per month in Maltepe vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Maltepe $2,094
  • Phuket $3,154

Maltepe is about 23% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Maltepe and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Maltepe 27% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Maltepe
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.86 ₺491
$4.47 ฿151
120.58%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.96 ₺1,493
$32.41 ฿1,094
-7.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.43 ₺370
$8.81 ฿297
-15.66%
Cappuccino
$3.72 ₺186
$2.83 ฿95.5
31.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.05 ₺52.3
$0.87 ฿29.43
20.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 ₺18.62
$0.49 ฿16.67
-24.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.27 ₺113
$2.56 ฿86.4
-11.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.94 ₺147
$3.68 ฿124
-20.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Maltepe
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.99 ₺49.35
$1.66 ฿56.0
-40.36%
White Bread (500g)
$0.75 ₺37.46
$1.46 ฿49.35
-48.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.28 ₺114
$1.50 ฿50.6
52.00%
Eggs
$2.33 ₺116
$2.09 ฿70.5
11.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.23 ₺510
$19.07 ฿644
-46.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.05 ₺251
$3.30 ฿111
53.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.97 ₺946
$10.91 ฿368
73.88%
Apples (1kg)
$1.66 ₺82.9
$2.93 ฿99.0
-43.34%
Banana (1kg)
$1.90 ₺94.9
$1.69 ฿57.1
12.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.05 ₺52.5
$2.25 ฿75.8
-53.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.25 ₺62.1
$2.08 ฿70.1
-39.90%
Potato (1kg)
$0.62 ₺30.73
$1.51 ฿51.0
-58.94%
Onion (1kg)
$0.39 ₺19.49
$1.38 ฿46.56
-71.74%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.76 ₺37.70
$1.07 ฿35.99
-28.97%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.59 ₺29.37
$0.52 ฿17.52
13.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.09 ₺104
$4.20 ฿142
-50.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.94 ₺645
$18.79 ฿634
-31.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.99 ₺99.3
$1.82 ฿61.5
9.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 ₺109
$2.84 ฿95.9
-23.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Maltepe
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.69 ₺34.38
$1.45 ฿49.03
-52.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$56.7 ฿1,913
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.03 ₺51.2
$3.02 ฿102
-65.89%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.89 ₺44.44
$1.02 ฿34.36
-12.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.78 ₺338
$3.69 ฿125
83.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 ₺67.0
$1.47 ฿49.81
-8.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$44.4K ₺2.2M
$26.8K ฿904.3K
65.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.3K ₺2.0M
$26.7K ฿901.3K
51.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Maltepe
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$75.1 ₺3,744
$96.4 ฿3,254
-22.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.92 ₺544
$11.26 ฿380
-3.02%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$14.44 ₺720
$16.85 ฿569
-14.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Maltepe
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.2 ₺2,652
$67.2 ฿2,270
-20.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$10.73 ฿362
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.08 ₺303
$7.50 ฿253
-18.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Maltepe
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$619 ₺30.8K
$476 ฿16.1K
30.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.1K ₺551.0K
$11.3K ฿380.4K
-1.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Maltepe
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.01 ₺2,193
$62.4 ฿2,106
-29.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.48 ₺1,718
$28.41 ฿959
21.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.8 ₺4,027
$94.3 ฿3,184
-14.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.9 ₺4,532
$85.8 ฿2,898
5.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Maltepe
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$412 ₺20.5K
$716 ฿24.2K
-42.47%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$301 ₺15.0K
$491 ฿16.6K
-38.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$780 ₺38.9K
$1,927 ฿65.1K
-59.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$560 ₺27.9K
$1,431 ฿48.3K
-60.88%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,408 ₺70.2K
$4,175 ฿141.0K
-66.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,009 ₺50.3K
$3,045 ฿102.8K
-66.85%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Maltepe
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$502 ฿17.0K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
40.69
5.57
630.52%

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

Last update for Maltepe: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Maltepe
$301
Phuket
$491 63.3% $190
Groceries & Markets
Maltepe
$232
Phuket
$266 14.8% $34
Eating Out
Maltepe
$169
Phuket
$122 27.9% $47
Clothing & Footwear
Maltepe
$113
Phuket
$122 8.3% $9.3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Maltepe
$100
Phuket
$124 23.9% $24
Sport & Entertainment
Maltepe
$65
Phuket
$82 25.8% $17
Getting Around
Maltepe
$8.3 *
Phuket
$71 756% $62

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $412 in Maltepe versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Maltepe versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $232 vs $266 – making Maltepe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Maltepe
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
17:02 5:02 PM
21:02 9:02 PM
4 h ahead of Maltepe
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
523,137
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.46 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Maltepe Phuket 7,700 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Maltepe
  • Phuket

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
Maltepe vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Maltepe cheaper than Phuket?
Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,482 per month in Maltepe and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Maltepe, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $412 there versus $716 in Phuket.
Is eating out cheaper in Maltepe or in Phuket?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Maltepe and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Maltepe and in Phuket?
Groceries cost about 15% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is it better to live in Maltepe or in Phuket?
It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $988 in Maltepe to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is safer, Maltepe or Phuket?
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.

Maltepe vs other spots: cost of living compared

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