Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qrendi and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,066 in Qrendi, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Qrendi
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Qrendi Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Qrendi

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,066

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,066 per month in Qrendi vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Qrendi $2,066
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,926 per month in Qrendi vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Qrendi $2,926
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,786 per month in Qrendi vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Qrendi $3,786
Istanbul $3,281

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

Both Qrendi and Istanbul sit above the global median – Qrendi by 53%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.42 €17.28

$12.30 ₺609

57.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.3 €75.8

$54.7 ₺2,708

55.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.44 €11.96

$9.22 ₺456

45.77%

Cappuccino

$2.72 €2.42

$4.40 ₺218

-38.18%

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

$3.02 €2.69

$1.68 ₺83.1

79.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 €2.02

$0.59 ₺29.40

284.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.62 €4.11

$4.70 ₺233

-1.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 €4.67

$5.91 ₺292

-11.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.21 ₺60.0

9.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 €1.16

$0.89 ₺44.10

47.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.35 €3.87

$2.19 ₺108

98.63%

Eggs

$4.19 €3.73

$2.35 ₺116

78.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.02 €7.14

$10.42 ₺516

-23.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.22 €9.09

$5.65 ₺280

80.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.25 €16.24

$20.94 ₺1,037

-12.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.09 €3.64

$1.90 ₺94.1

115.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.31 ₺114

16.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.62 €3.22

$1.28 ₺63.1

182.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 €3.01

$1.80 ₺89.0

87.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$0.65 ₺32.16

276.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.64 ₺31.91

215.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.25 ₺62.1

88.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.18

$0.56 ₺27.58

137.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.95 €6.18

$2.37 ₺118

193.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 €7.10

$13.42 ₺664

-40.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.40 ₺119

-26.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 €2.15

$3.48 ₺172

-30.46%

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)

$5.70 €5.07

$1.29 ₺64.1

341.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.18 €1.94

$0.92 ₺45.70

136.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.56 €23.63

$10.96 ₺542

142.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.47 ₺72.9

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

$37.7K €33.6K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-25.72%

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

$39.2K €34.9K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-11.90%

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

$101 €89.8

$88.6 ₺4,387

13.93%

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

$25.17 €22.39

$11.59 ₺574

117.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.45 €37.76

$15.81 ₺783

168.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 €58.9

$77.2 ₺3,820

-14.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 €8.76

$8.14 ₺403

21.01%

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

$371 €330

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-63.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €9,955

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-56.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.5 €77.8

$54.0 ₺2,671

62.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.19

$40.83 ₺2,021

-0.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.5

$98.9 ₺4,895

1.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.6 €69.9

$96.6 ₺4,783

-18.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,282 €1,140

$985 ₺48.7K

30.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 €924

$650 ₺32.2K

59.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 €1,619

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-8.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,295 €1,152

$1,180 ₺58.4K

9.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,216 €3,750

$3,138 ₺155.4K

34.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,595 €2,309

$1,780 ₺88.1K

45.83%

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 Qrendi: 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

Qrendi

$1K 50.3%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 37.5% $389

Groceries & Markets

Qrendi

$325 15.7%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 20% $65

Eating Out

Qrendi

$283 13.7%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 21.1% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Qrendi

$169 8.2%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 31.2% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Qrendi

$138 6.7%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 5.6% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Qrendi

$86 4.2%

Istanbul

$93 6% 8.8% $7.6

Getting Around

Qrendi

$27 * 1.3%

Istanbul

$77 5% 187% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,282 in Qrendi 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 $85.0 in Qrendi versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Qrendi

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

16:56 4:56 PM

17:56 5:56 PM

1 h ahead of Qrendi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,800

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

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

From you

Qrendi
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

Qrendi vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,099 per month in Qrendi 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 Qrendi 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 25% more in Qrendi, 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 Qrendi at $2,066. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Qrendi 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, Qrendi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.