Measurement units Temperature, distance and clock format
Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Turkey and the Maldives
For one person, living is cheaper in Turkey: $1,212 a month against $1,476 in the Maldives, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in the Maldives outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.
How much you'll spend in Turkey and in the Maldives
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 the Maldives actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,212 in Turkey versus $1,476 in the Maldives.
Turkey $1,212
Maldives $1,476
Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,844 in Turkey versus $2,376 in the Maldives.
Turkey $1,844
Maldives $2,376
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,475 in Turkey versus $3,276 in the Maldives.
Turkey $2,475
Maldives $3,276
📏
Internal cost variation is higher in the Maldives: monthly costs span $45 to $1,503, compared to $656–$1,765 in Turkey. City choice carries more weight in the Maldives.
🌍
Living in Turkey costs about 18% less than in the Maldives on average.
📊
Turkey (11% below) and the Maldives (8% above) straddle the global median.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Turkey
Maldives
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.14₺455
$6.31MVR 97.3
44.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.12₺1,999
$50.4MVR 778
-20.46%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$8.91₺444
$9.74MVR 150
-8.52%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.5 liter draught)
-
$4.95MVR 76.4
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
-
$9.89MVR 153
-
Cappuccino
$3.75₺187
$3.31MVR 51.0
13.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.47₺73.3
$1.59MVR 24.46
-7.55%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56₺27.66
$0.29MVR 4.44
93.10%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$3.84₺192
-
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$4.91₺245
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Turkey
Maldives
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.02₺51.1
$1.85MVR 28.58
-44.86%
White Bread(500g)
$1.00₺49.93
$1.56MVR 24.10
-35.90%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$2.20₺110
$1.04MVR 16.04
111.54%
Eggs
$2.21₺110
$1.74MVR 26.81
27.01%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$9.72₺484
$6.33MVR 97.6
53.55%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$4.86₺242
$6.49MVR 100
-25.12%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$20.09₺1,001
$10.13MVR 156
98.32%
Apples(1kg)
$1.86₺92.5
$4.00MVR 61.6
-53.50%
Banana(1kg)
$1.98₺98.9
$3.00MVR 46.33
-34.00%
Oranges(1kg)
$1.06₺53.1
$3.86MVR 59.5
-72.54%
Tomato(1kg)
$1.36₺67.9
$2.58MVR 39.79
-47.29%
Potato(1kg)
$0.54₺26.86
$1.76MVR 27.08
-69.32%
Onion(1kg)
$0.45₺22.31
$1.75MVR 27.05
-74.29%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.00₺49.61
$2.11MVR 32.53
-52.61%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.69₺34.23
$0.61MVR 9.37
13.11%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine(Mid-Range)
-
$11.13MVR 172
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
-
$2.47MVR 38.09
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.63MVR 71.4
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$2.26₺113
$15.03MVR 232
-84.96%
Wine(Bottle)
$11.91₺593
-
-
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$2.24₺112
-
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85₺142
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Turkey
Maldives
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.76₺38.01
$0.62MVR 9.54
22.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$39.49₺1,968
$28.37MVR 437
39.20%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$1.42₺70.9
$1.97MVR 30.35
-27.92%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.84₺41.65
$1.90MVR 29.24
-55.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$7.98₺398
$8.30MVR 128
-3.86%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.38₺68.8
$0.99MVR 15.29
39.39%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$41.6K₺2.1M
$31.9KMVR 492.1K
30.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.3K₺2.0M
$30.8KMVR 474.3K
31.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Turkey
Maldives
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$75.0₺3,736
$129MVR 1,993
-42.01%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.38₺517
$30.04MVR 463
-65.45%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.56₺775
$68.3MVR 1,054
-77.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Turkey
Maldives
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$55.2₺2,752
$62.7MVR 967
-11.96%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.01₺1,047
$20.86MVR 322
0.72%
Cinema Ticket
$6.87₺342
$8.98MVR 139
-23.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Turkey
Maldives
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$680₺33.9K
$181MVR 2,795
275.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$15.9K₺792.4K
$2,834MVR 43.7K
461.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Turkey
Maldives
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.7₺2,724
$38.11MVR 588
43.43%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.98₺2,142
$50.0MVR 771
-14.04%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$102₺5,074
$86.1MVR 1,327
18.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.9₺4,677
$52.4MVR 808
79.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Turkey
Maldives
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$614₺30.6K
$930MVR 14.3K
-33.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$441₺22.0K
$678MVR 10.5K
-35.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,011₺50.4K
$1,939MVR 29.9K
-47.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$703₺35.0K
$1,484MVR 22.9K
-52.65%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$1,710₺85.2K
$2,663MVR 41.1K
-35.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$1,115₺55.6K
$776MVR 12.0K
43.72%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Turkey
Maldives
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$1,061₺52.9K
$781MVR 12.0K
35.73%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
41.67
14
197.64%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Turkey: October 26, 2026
Last update for the Maldives: October 25, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Turkey
$441 36.4%
Maldives
$678 46% ↑ 54%$238
🛒Groceries & Markets
Turkey
$239 19.8%
Maldives
$218 14.8% ↓ 8.9%$21
🍽Eating Out
Turkey
$182 15%
Maldives
$127 8.6% ↓ 30.3%$55
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Turkey
$132 10.9%
Maldives
$102 6.9% ↓ 22.8%$30
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Turkey
$101 8.3%
Maldives
$228 15.4% ↑ 126%$127
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Turkey
$69 5.7%
Maldives
$81 5.5% ↑ 17%$12
🚌Getting Around
Turkey
$48 4%
Maldives
$42 2.9% ↓ 12.2%$5.9
🏠Accommodation & Living
Turkey
$703 28.4%
Maldives
$1.5K 45.3% ↑ 111%$781
🛒Groceries & Markets
Turkey
$549 22.2%
Maldives
$534 16.3% ↓ 2.7%$15
🍽Eating Out
Turkey
$562 22.7%
Maldives
$505 15.4% ↓ 10.2%$57
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Turkey
$293 11.9%
Maldives
$227 6.9% ↓ 22.8%$67
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Turkey
$111 4.5%
Maldives
$258 7.9% ↑ 132%$146
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Turkey
$159 6.4%
Maldives
$182 5.6% ↑ 14.7%$23
🚌Getting Around
Turkey
$98 4%
Maldives
$86 2.6% ↓ 12.3%$12
Cost Breakdown
🏠National rent averages: $446 in Turkey, $805 in the Maldives. Capital cities: $765 in Ankara vs $939 in Male.
💰National salary averages: $1,034 in Turkey, $736 in the Maldives. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.
Cost Highlights
⭐Rent is 80% higher in the Maldives.
⭐Dining out costs 15% more in the Maldives.
⭐Public transport is 32% more expensive in Turkey.
⭐Salaries are 40% higher in Turkey, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Turkey.
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 Maldives: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which country is more expensive to live in: the Maldives or Turkey?
At $1,476 per month in the Maldives and $1,212 in Turkey, Turkey comes out about 18% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
How do rents compare between the Maldives and Turkey?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $805 in the Maldives and $446 in Turkey. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
How do I choose between living in the Maldives and in Turkey?
It depends on what you’re after: Turkey wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.