Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marsaxlokk and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,977 in Marsaxlokk, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Marsaxlokk
Learn more

Marsaxlokk Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Marsaxlokk

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,977

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Marsaxlokk and in Istanbul

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

A single person spends $1,977 per month in Marsaxlokk vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Marsaxlokk $1,977
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,954 per month in Marsaxlokk vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Marsaxlokk $2,954
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,930 per month in Marsaxlokk vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Marsaxlokk $3,930
Istanbul $3,281

Marsaxlokk costs about 28% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Marsaxlokk and Istanbul sit above the global median – Marsaxlokk by 46%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.90 €17.70

$12.30 ₺609

61.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.5 €77.0

$54.7 ₺2,708

58.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.55 €12.05

$9.22 ₺456

46.96%

Cappuccino

$2.72 €2.42

$4.40 ₺218

-38.18%

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

$3.06 €2.72

$1.68 ₺83.1

82.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.59 ₺29.40

271.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.45 €3.96

$4.70 ₺233

-5.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.26 €4.68

$5.91 ₺292

-11.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.21 ₺60.0

12.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.89 ₺44.10

52.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.26 €3.79

$2.19 ₺108

94.52%

Eggs

$4.35 €3.87

$2.35 ₺116

85.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.98 €7.10

$10.42 ₺516

-23.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.54 €9.38

$5.65 ₺280

86.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.00 €16.01

$20.94 ₺1,037

-14.04%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 €3.60

$1.90 ₺94.1

113.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$2.31 ₺114

22.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 €3.23

$1.28 ₺63.1

183.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.80 ₺89.0

91.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 €2.17

$0.65 ₺32.16

273.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$0.64 ₺31.91

209.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.25 ₺62.1

82.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.18

$0.56 ₺27.58

137.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €6.07

$2.37 ₺118

187.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.00 €7.12

$13.42 ₺664

-40.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.40 ₺119

-28.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.09

$3.48 ₺172

-32.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.09 €1.86

$0.89 ₺43.84

134.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.73 €5.09

$1.29 ₺64.1

344.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.24 €2.00

$0.92 ₺45.70

143.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.37 €23.46

$10.96 ₺542

140.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.47 ₺72.9

4.76%

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

$37.8K €33.6K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-25.58%

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

$38.4K €34.1K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-13.81%

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

$104 €92.6

$88.6 ₺4,387

17.50%

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

$25.79 €22.94

$11.59 ₺574

122.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.59 €38.78

$15.81 ₺783

175.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.4 €61.8

$77.2 ₺3,820

-10.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$10.09 €8.97

$8.14 ₺403

23.96%

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

$368 €327

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-63.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,835

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-56.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.5

$54.0 ₺2,671

63.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.80 €36.29

$40.83 ₺2,021

-0.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.1 €87.2

$98.9 ₺4,895

-0.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.5 €69.0

$96.6 ₺4,783

-19.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 €940

$985 ₺48.7K

7.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$938 €835

$650 ₺32.2K

44.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,937 €1,723

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-2.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,413 €1,257

$1,180 ₺58.4K

19.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,795 €3,376

$3,138 ₺155.4K

20.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,478 €2,204

$1,780 ₺88.1K

39.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

40.92

-92.91%

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

Last update for Marsaxlokk: October 10, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Marsaxlokk

$938 47.5%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 30.8% $289

Groceries & Markets

Marsaxlokk

$327 16.5%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 20.6% $67

Eating Out

Marsaxlokk

$286 14.5%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 22% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marsaxlokk

$174 8.8%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 33.1% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Marsaxlokk

$137 6.9%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 4.7% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

Marsaxlokk

$90 4.5%

Istanbul

$93 6% 4.3% $3.8

Getting Around

Marsaxlokk

$25 * 1.3%

Istanbul

$77 5% 204% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,056 in Marsaxlokk versus $985 in Istanbul. 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 $87.0 in Marsaxlokk versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Marsaxlokk

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

18:43 6:43 PM

19:43 7:43 PM

1 h ahead of Marsaxlokk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,500

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Marsaxlokk Istanbul 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Marsaxlokk
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

Marsaxlokk vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Marsaxlokk is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,966 per month in Marsaxlokk and $2,325 in Istanbul. 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 $87.0 in Marsaxlokk and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Marsaxlokk, 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 $1,550, than in Marsaxlokk at $1,977. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Marsaxlokk 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, Marsaxlokk makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.