Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Julians and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $2,257 in St. Julians, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in St. Julians
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St. Julians Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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St. Julians

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,257

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,257 per month in St. Julians vs $1,525 in Istanbul, rent included.

St. Julians $2,257
Istanbul $1,525

A couple spends around $3,588 per month in St. Julians vs $2,390 in Istanbul, rent included.

St. Julians $3,588
Istanbul $2,390

A family of three spends $4,919 per month in St. Julians vs $3,256 in Istanbul, rent included.

St. Julians $4,919
Istanbul $3,256

St. Julians costs about 48% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both St. Julians and Istanbul sit above the global median – St. Julians by 67%, Istanbul by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.12 €17.90

$11.96 ₺592

68.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.0 €88.1

$57.2 ₺2,834

72.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 €9.87

$9.51 ₺471

16.61%

Cappuccino

$3.27 €2.91

$4.40 ₺218

-25.68%

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

$3.06 €2.72

$1.75 ₺86.6

74.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.56 ₺27.57

239.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.57 €4.06

$4.71 ₺233

-2.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €4.06

$6.14 ₺304

-25.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.24 ₺61.6

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 €1.56

$0.95 ₺47.25

84.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.38 €3.00

$2.28 ₺113

48.25%

Eggs

$4.54 €4.04

$2.45 ₺121

85.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.83 €16.75

$10.56 ₺523

78.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 €9.46

$5.50 ₺272

93.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.95 €15.97

$21.65 ₺1,072

-17.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$1.83 ₺90.6

65.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$2.29 ₺113

-10.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 €2.56

$1.28 ₺63.4

125.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.82 ₺90.1

119.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 €2.16

$0.66 ₺32.74

268.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$0.63 ₺31.14

279.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.27 ₺62.8

50.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.56 ₺27.62

58.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.77 €6.02

$2.36 ₺117

186.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.21 €6.42

$12.98 ₺642

-44.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.44

$2.48 ₺123

-34.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.09

$3.50 ₺174

-32.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 €2.27

$0.82 ₺40.77

210.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 €4.09

$1.33 ₺65.7

245.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 €1.47

$0.90 ₺44.60

83.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.13 €34.80

$10.91 ₺540

258.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.43 ₺70.7

7.69%

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

$27.5K €24.5K

$49.6K ₺2.5M

-44.50%

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

$39.5K €35.2K

$43.2K ₺2.1M

-8.46%

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

$76.7 €68.2

$88.8 ₺4,395

-13.65%

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

$35.28 €31.38

$11.69 ₺579

201.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.16 €31.27

$16.09 ₺797

118.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.5 €84.1

$76.3 ₺3,776

23.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.97 €35.56

$22.72 ₺1,125

75.92%

Cinema Ticket

$11.39 €10.13

$8.26 ₺409

37.89%

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

$618 €550

$1,015 ₺50.2K

-39.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.9K €12.4K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-46.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$146 €130

$53.3 ₺2,636

174.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 €49.02

$40.55 ₺2,008

35.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 €108

$100 ₺4,956

20.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 €146

$93.5 ₺4,630

75.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 €1,237

$977 ₺48.4K

42.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,124 €999

$627 ₺31.0K

79.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,555 €2,273

$1,980 ₺98.0K

29.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,042 €1,816

$1,147 ₺56.8K

78.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,727 €5,094

$3,095 ₺153.2K

85.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,143 €2,796

$1,787 ₺88.5K

75.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,426 €2,158

$1,213 ₺60.1K

99.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.22

40.69

-92.09%

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

Last update for St. Julians: October 19, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Julians

$1.1K 49.8%

Istanbul

$627 41.1% 44.2% $497

Groceries & Markets

St. Julians

$342 15.1%

Istanbul

$263 17.2% 23.2% $79

Eating Out

St. Julians

$285 12.6%

Istanbul

$222 14.6% 22.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

St. Julians

$219 9.7%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 40.9% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Julians

$147 6.5%

Istanbul

$117 7.6% 20.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

St. Julians

$117 5.2%

Istanbul

$93 6.1% 20.9% $25

Getting Around

St. Julians

$23 * 1%

Istanbul

$74 4.9% 222% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,391 in St. Julians versus $977 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 100% higher in St. Julians, 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 $99.0 in St. Julians versus $57.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $342 vs $263 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 St. Julians

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

16:21 4:21 PM

17:21 5:21 PM

1 h ahead of St. Julians

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,792

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

St. Julians Istanbul 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

St. Julians
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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

St. Julians vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – St. Julians is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,385 per month in St. Julians and $2,287 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 $99.0 in St. Julians and $57.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in St. Julians, 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 $1,525, than in St. Julians at $2,257. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Julians 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, St. Julians makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.