Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Msida and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,778 in Msida, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Msida outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

87

Cost of Living Index in Msida
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Msida Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Msida

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,778

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,778 per month in Msida vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Msida $1,778
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,648 per month in Msida vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Msida $2,648
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,519 per month in Msida vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Msida $3,519
Istanbul $3,281

Msida costs about 15% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Msida and Istanbul sit above the global median – Msida by 32%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.27 €10.03

$12.30 ₺609

-8.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 €43.99

$54.7 ₺2,708

-9.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 €9.72

$9.22 ₺456

18.44%

Cappuccino

$2.19 €1.95

$4.40 ₺218

-50.23%

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

$2.17 €1.93

$1.68 ₺83.1

29.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.59 ₺29.40

84.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.64 €4.13

$4.70 ₺233

-1.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 €2.92

$5.91 ₺292

-44.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.21 ₺60.0

-6.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.89 ₺44.10

52.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.20 €3.74

$2.19 ₺108

91.78%

Eggs

$2.66 €2.36

$2.35 ₺116

13.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.11 €7.21

$10.42 ₺516

-22.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.22 €9.09

$5.65 ₺280

80.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.25 €16.23

$20.94 ₺1,037

-12.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 €3.65

$1.90 ₺94.1

115.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.31 ₺114

21.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 €3.20

$1.28 ₺63.1

181.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 €3.01

$1.80 ₺89.0

87.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$0.65 ₺32.16

287.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$0.64 ₺31.91

212.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.25 ₺62.1

82.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.56 ₺27.58

142.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.63 €5.90

$2.37 ₺118

179.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.16 €7.26

$13.42 ₺664

-39.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.40 ₺119

-27.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 €2.16

$3.48 ₺172

-30.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 €1.95

$0.89 ₺43.84

147.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.67 €5.04

$1.29 ₺64.1

339.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.92 ₺45.70

138.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.74 €23.79

$10.96 ₺542

143.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.31

$1.47 ₺72.9

0.68%

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

$37.2K €33.1K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-26.82%

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

$39.1K €34.8K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-12.25%

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

$83.7 €74.4

$88.6 ₺4,387

-5.60%

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

$25.23 €22.44

$11.59 ₺574

117.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.58 €24.53

$15.81 ₺783

74.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.2 €50.0

$77.2 ₺3,820

-27.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$10.01 €8.91

$8.14 ₺403

22.97%

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

$371 €330

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-63.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K €9,724

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-57.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.9 €76.4

$54.0 ₺2,671

59.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.53 €36.06

$40.83 ₺2,021

-0.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.8 €87.0

$98.9 ₺4,895

-1.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.3 €68.7

$96.6 ₺4,783

-20.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 €919

$985 ₺48.7K

4.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$895 €796

$650 ₺32.2K

37.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,758 €1,564

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-11.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,479 €1,315

$1,180 ₺58.4K

25.32%

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)

$2,714 €2,414

$1,205 ₺59.7K

125.13%

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 Msida: 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

Msida

$895 50.3%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 27.4% $245

Groceries & Markets

Msida

$318 17.9%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 18.3% $58

Eating Out

Msida

$192 10.8%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 16.3% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Msida

$136 7.7%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 15% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Msida

$136 7.6%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 3.7% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Msida

$76 4.3%

Istanbul

$93 6% 22.5% $17

Getting Around

Msida

$25 * 1.4%

Istanbul

$77 5% 203% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,033 in Msida 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 125% higher in Msida, 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 $49.00 in Msida versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $318 in Msida vs $260 in Istanbul – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Msida

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

19:06 7:06 PM

20:06 8:06 PM

1 h ahead of Msida

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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

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

From you

Msida
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

Msida vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Msida is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,668 per month in Msida 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 $49.00 in Msida 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 22% more in Msida, 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 Msida at $1,778. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Msida 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, Msida makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.