Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Turkey and Malaysia

Name: Malaysia
Address: MY

For one person, living is cheaper in Malaysia: $932 a month against $1,212 in Turkey, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Turkey
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Turkey Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Malaysia
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Malaysia Living Index

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🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,212

/mo nomad

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$932

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Turkey and in Malaysia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Turkey and in Malaysia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,212 in Turkey versus $932 in Malaysia.

Turkey $1,212
Malaysia $932

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,844 in Turkey versus $1,393 in Malaysia.

Turkey $1,844
Malaysia $1,393

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,475 in Turkey versus $1,855 in Malaysia.

Turkey $2,475
Malaysia $1,855

Internal cost variation is higher in Turkey: monthly costs span $656 to $1,765, compared to $531–$1,288 in Malaysia. City choice carries more weight in Turkey.

Living in Turkey is roughly 30% more expensive than in Malaysia on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Turkey 11% lower, Malaysia 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.14 ₺456

$3.68 MYR 14.95

148.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.12 ₺2,003

$19.24 MYR 78.0

108.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.91 ₺445

$4.96 MYR 20.10

79.64%

Cappuccino

$3.75 ₺187

$2.75 MYR 11.17

36.36%

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

$1.47 ₺73.5

$0.80 MYR 3.25

83.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.71

$0.39 MYR 1.57

43.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ₺192

$3.61 MYR 14.66

6.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 ₺245

$5.01 MYR 20.32

-2.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 ₺51.2

$1.86 MYR 7.53

-45.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 ₺50.0

$1.05 MYR 4.26

-4.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺110

$1.40 MYR 5.67

57.14%

Eggs

$2.21 ₺111

$2.10 MYR 8.53

5.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.72 ₺485

$13.17 MYR 53.4

-26.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.86 ₺243

$4.13 MYR 16.77

17.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.09 ₺1,003

$8.60 MYR 34.87

133.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺92.6

$3.05 MYR 12.37

-39.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 ₺99.1

$1.61 MYR 6.55

22.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.06 ₺53.2

$2.66 MYR 10.79

-60.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.51 MYR 6.14

-9.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 ₺26.91

$1.16 MYR 4.72

-53.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.45 ₺22.35

$1.24 MYR 5.02

-63.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 ₺49.70

$1.18 MYR 4.79

-15.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ₺34.29

$0.58 MYR 2.36

18.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.26 ₺113

$4.44 MYR 18.01

-49.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.91 ₺594

$18.84 MYR 76.4

-36.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 ₺112

$2.99 MYR 12.14

-25.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₺142

$4.08 MYR 16.55

-30.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 ₺38.08

$0.74 MYR 3.01

2.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.49 ₺1,972

$12.23 MYR 49.60

222.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ₺71.1

$1.25 MYR 5.05

13.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 ₺41.73

$0.99 MYR 4.02

-15.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 ₺398

$6.26 MYR 25.41

27.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ₺69.0

$0.71 MYR 2.88

94.37%

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

$41.6K ₺2.1M

$45.8K MYR 185.6K

-9.00%

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

$40.3K ₺2.0M

$35.5K MYR 144.0K

13.66%

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

$75.0 ₺3,743

$55.3 MYR 224

35.60%

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

$10.38 ₺518

$10.01 MYR 40.62

3.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.56 ₺777

$27.24 MYR 111

-42.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 ₺2,758

$36.76 MYR 149

50.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.01 ₺1,049

$6.92 MYR 28.09

203.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.87 ₺343

$4.94 MYR 20.03

39.07%

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

$680 ₺34.0K

$208 MYR 843

227.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K ₺794.0K

$8,229 MYR 33.4K

93.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ₺2,729

$61.7 MYR 250

-11.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.98 ₺2,146

$34.56 MYR 140

24.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 ₺5,084

$77.7 MYR 315

31.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ₺4,686

$73.1 MYR 296

28.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 ₺30.7K

$448 MYR 1,818

37.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 ₺22.0K

$299 MYR 1,213

47.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 ₺50.5K

$785 MYR 3,185

28.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$703 ₺35.1K

$497 MYR 2,017

41.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,710 ₺85.4K

$2,085 MYR 8,459

-17.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,115 ₺55.7K

$1,226 MYR 4,975

-9.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,061 ₺53.0K

$917 MYR 3,721

15.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.67

4.22

887.44%

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

Last update for Turkey: October 26, 2026

Last update for Malaysia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Turkey

$441 36.4%

Malaysia

$299 32.1% 32.1% $142

Groceries & Markets

Turkey

$239 19.8%

Malaysia

$251 26.9% 4.7% $11

Eating Out

Turkey

$182 15%

Malaysia

$110 11.8% 39.4% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Turkey

$132 10.9%

Malaysia

$111 11.9% 15.8% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Turkey

$101 8.3%

Malaysia

$93 9.9% 8.3% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Turkey

$69 5.7%

Malaysia

$47 5% 32.4% $22

Getting Around

Turkey

$48 4%

Malaysia

$21 2.3% 55.6% $27

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $446 in Turkey, $405 in Malaysia. Capital cities: $765 in Ankara vs $685 in Kuala Lumpur.

National salary averages: $1,034 in Turkey, $904 in Malaysia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 10% higher in Turkey.

Dining out costs 70% more in Turkey.

Public transport is 154% more expensive in Turkey.

Salaries are 14% higher in Turkey, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Malaysia.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Turkey

🇲🇾 Malaysia

🕒 Local time

00:00 12:00 AM

05:00 5:00 AM

5 h ahead of Turkey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,372,377

32,447,385

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.79 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 49.93 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 55.75 TRY (100 TRY = 1.79 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4.06 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Turkey Malaysia 7,990 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Turkey
Malaysia

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

Turkey vs Malaysia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $932 per month in Malaysia and $1,212 in Turkey, Malaysia comes out about 23% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $446 in Turkey and $405 in Malaysia. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Malaysia wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.