Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mosta and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,055 in Mosta, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Mosta
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Mosta Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Mosta

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,055

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,055 per month in Mosta vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Mosta $2,055
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $3,080 per month in Mosta vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Mosta $3,080
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $4,105 per month in Mosta vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Mosta $4,105
Istanbul $3,281

Mosta costs about 33% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Mosta and Istanbul sit above the global median – Mosta by 52%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.94 €15.07

$12.30 ₺609

37.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 €79.6

$54.7 ₺2,708

63.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 €11.08

$9.22 ₺456

35.14%

Cappuccino

$2.37 €2.11

$4.40 ₺218

-46.14%

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

$2.09 €1.86

$1.68 ₺83.1

24.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.59 ₺29.40

94.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 €2.46

$4.70 ₺233

-41.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.00 €4.44

$5.91 ₺292

-15.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.21 ₺60.0

12.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.25

$0.89 ₺44.10

58.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.55 €3.16

$2.19 ₺108

62.10%

Eggs

$3.27 €2.91

$2.35 ₺116

39.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 €9.34

$10.42 ₺516

0.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.17 €10.83

$5.65 ₺280

115.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.33 €10.08

$20.94 ₺1,037

-45.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.87 €3.44

$1.90 ₺94.1

103.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$2.31 ₺114

16.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.28 ₺63.1

56.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.70 €3.29

$1.80 ₺89.0

105.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 €1.44

$0.65 ₺32.16

149.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$0.64 ₺31.91

298.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.25 ₺62.1

80.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 €0.56

$0.56 ₺27.58

10.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.16 €5.48

$2.37 ₺118

159.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.08 €5.41

$13.42 ₺664

-54.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$2.40 ₺119

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 €2.05

$3.48 ₺172

-33.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 €2.44

$0.89 ₺43.84

207.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 €3.53

$1.29 ₺64.1

207.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.92 ₺45.70

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.13 €25.03

$10.96 ₺542

156.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.47 ₺72.9

4.76%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-45.23%

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

$38.3K €34.1K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-13.95%

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

$119 €106

$88.6 ₺4,387

33.95%

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

$25.03 €22.26

$11.59 ₺574

115.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.18 €25.96

$15.81 ₺783

84.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.9 €66.6

$77.2 ₺3,820

-2.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.39 €29.70

$22.74 ₺1,126

46.83%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 €9.91

$8.14 ₺403

36.98%

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

$277 €246

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-72.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K €10.7K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-52.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 €50.7

$54.0 ₺2,671

5.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.3 €60.8

$40.83 ₺2,021

67.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €98.6

$98.9 ₺4,895

12.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €116

$96.6 ₺4,783

35.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 €1,073

$985 ₺48.7K

22.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,064 €947

$650 ₺32.2K

63.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 €1,779

$1,983 ₺98.2K

0.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,635 €1,454

$1,180 ₺58.4K

38.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,767 €1,571

$1,205 ₺59.7K

46.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

40.92

-90.10%

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

Last update for Mosta: 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

Mosta

$1.1K 51.8%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 39% $415

Groceries & Markets

Mosta

$293 14.3%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 11.3% $33

Eating Out

Mosta

$238 11.6%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 6.3% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mosta

$173 8.4%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 32.9% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Mosta

$165 8%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 20.9% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Mosta

$97 4.7%

Istanbul

$93 6% 3.8% $3.7

Getting Around

Mosta

$24 * 1.2%

Istanbul

$77 5% 218% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,206 in Mosta 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 47% higher in Mosta, 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 $90.0 in Mosta versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $293 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Mosta

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

13:00 1:00 PM

14:00 2:00 PM

1 h ahead of Mosta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,241

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

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

From you

Mosta
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

Mosta vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mosta is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,082 per month in Mosta 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 $90.0 in Mosta 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 13% more in Mosta, 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 Mosta at $2,055. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mosta 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, Mosta makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.