Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mdina and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,080 in Mdina, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Mdina
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Mdina Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Mdina

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,080

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mdina 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 Mdina and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,080 per month in Mdina vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Mdina $2,080
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $3,064 per month in Mdina vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Mdina $3,064
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $4,048 per month in Mdina vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Mdina $4,048
Istanbul $3,281

Mdina costs about 34% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mdina and Istanbul sit above the global median – Mdina by 54%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.17 €17.05

$12.30 ₺609

55.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.3 €75.9

$54.7 ₺2,708

55.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.90

$9.22 ₺456

45.12%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.47

$4.40 ₺218

-36.82%

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

$3.15 €2.80

$1.68 ₺83.1

87.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.94

$0.59 ₺29.40

269.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.42 €3.93

$4.70 ₺233

-5.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 €4.50

$5.91 ₺292

-14.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.21 ₺60.0

9.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.89 ₺44.10

52.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.31 €3.83

$2.19 ₺108

96.80%

Eggs

$4.25 €3.78

$2.35 ₺116

80.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.34 €7.42

$10.42 ₺516

-19.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.26 €9.13

$5.65 ₺280

81.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.48 €16.44

$20.94 ₺1,037

-11.75%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 €3.60

$1.90 ₺94.1

113.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.78 €2.48

$2.31 ₺114

20.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 €3.23

$1.28 ₺63.1

183.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 €3.01

$1.80 ₺89.0

87.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 €2.16

$0.65 ₺32.16

273.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$0.64 ₺31.91

218.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.25 ₺62.1

81.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.19

$0.56 ₺27.58

139.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €6.06

$2.37 ₺118

187.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.23 €7.32

$13.42 ₺664

-38.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.58

$2.40 ₺119

-25.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$3.48 ₺172

-32.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 €2.27

$0.89 ₺43.84

186.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 €4.85

$1.29 ₺64.1

322.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 €1.96

$0.92 ₺45.70

140.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.64 €23.70

$10.96 ₺542

143.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.47 ₺72.9

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

$37.6K €33.4K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-25.99%

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

$38.9K €34.6K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-12.69%

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

$104 €92.5

$88.6 ₺4,387

17.30%

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

$25.81 €22.96

$11.59 ₺574

122.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.04 €37.39

$15.81 ₺783

165.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.5 €62.7

$77.2 ₺3,820

-8.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$9.90 €8.80

$8.14 ₺403

21.62%

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

$370 €329

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-63.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K €9,820

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-56.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.3 €77.6

$54.0 ₺2,671

61.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.22 €35.78

$40.83 ₺2,021

-1.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.4 €87.5

$98.9 ₺4,895

-0.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 €70.4

$96.6 ₺4,783

-18.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 €1,040

$985 ₺48.7K

18.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,045 €930

$650 ₺32.2K

60.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 €1,383

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-21.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,544 €1,374

$1,180 ₺58.4K

30.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,557 €3,164

$3,138 ₺155.4K

13.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,055 €2,717

$1,780 ₺88.1K

71.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,467 €1,305

$1,205 ₺59.7K

21.69%

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 Mdina: October 12, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mdina

$1K 50.3%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 37.9% $396

Groceries & Markets

Mdina

$328 15.8%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 20.8% $68

Eating Out

Mdina

$280 13.5%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 20.4% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mdina

$172 8.3%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 32.5% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Mdina

$137 6.6%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 4.8% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Mdina

$90 4.3%

Istanbul

$93 6% 3.5% $3.1

Getting Around

Mdina

$27 * 1.3%

Istanbul

$77 5% 188% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,170 in Mdina 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.

Salaries run about 22% higher in Mdina, 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 $85.0 in Mdina versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Mdina

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

17:48 5:48 PM

18:48 6:48 PM

1 h ahead of Mdina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

193

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

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Between locations

Mdina Istanbul 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mdina
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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

Mdina vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mdina is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,120 per month in Mdina 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 $85.0 in Mdina 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 Mdina, 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 Mdina at $2,080. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mdina 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, Mdina makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.