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.

Turkey
Maldives
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,212
/mo nomad
🇲🇻 Maldives
$1,476
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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
🍽 Eating Out
Turkey
Maldives
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.14 ₺455
$6.31 MVR 97.3
44.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.12 ₺1,999
$50.4 MVR 778
-20.46%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.91 ₺444
$9.74 MVR 150
-8.52%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$4.95 MVR 76.4
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$9.89 MVR 153
-
Cappuccino
$3.75 ₺187
$3.31 MVR 51.0
13.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.47 ₺73.3
$1.59 MVR 24.46
-7.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺27.66
$0.29 MVR 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
$1.85 MVR 28.58
-44.86%
White Bread (500g)
$1.00 ₺49.93
$1.56 MVR 24.10
-35.90%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 ₺110
$1.04 MVR 16.04
111.54%
Eggs
$2.21 ₺110
$1.74 MVR 26.81
27.01%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.72 ₺484
$6.33 MVR 97.6
53.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.86 ₺242
$6.49 MVR 100
-25.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.09 ₺1,001
$10.13 MVR 156
98.32%
Apples (1kg)
$1.86 ₺92.5
$4.00 MVR 61.6
-53.50%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 ₺98.9
$3.00 MVR 46.33
-34.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.06 ₺53.1
$3.86 MVR 59.5
-72.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.36 ₺67.9
$2.58 MVR 39.79
-47.29%
Potato (1kg)
$0.54 ₺26.86
$1.76 MVR 27.08
-69.32%
Onion (1kg)
$0.45 ₺22.31
$1.75 MVR 27.05
-74.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.00 ₺49.61
$2.11 MVR 32.53
-52.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.69 ₺34.23
$0.61 MVR 9.37
13.11%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$11.13 MVR 172
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$2.47 MVR 38.09
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.63 MVR 71.4
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.26 ₺113
$15.03 MVR 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
$0.62 MVR 9.54
22.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$39.49 ₺1,968
$28.37 MVR 437
39.20%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.42 ₺70.9
$1.97 MVR 30.35
-27.92%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.84 ₺41.65
$1.90 MVR 29.24
-55.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.98 ₺398
$8.30 MVR 128
-3.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.38 ₺68.8
$0.99 MVR 15.29
39.39%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$41.6K ₺2.1M
$31.9K MVR 492.1K
30.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.3K ₺2.0M
$30.8K MVR 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
$129 MVR 1,993
-42.01%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.38 ₺517
$30.04 MVR 463
-65.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.56 ₺775
$68.3 MVR 1,054
-77.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Turkey
Maldives
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.2 ₺2,752
$62.7 MVR 967
-11.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.01 ₺1,047
$20.86 MVR 322
0.72%
Cinema Ticket
$6.87 ₺342
$8.98 MVR 139
-23.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Turkey
Maldives
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$680 ₺33.9K
$181 MVR 2,795
275.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.9K ₺792.4K
$2,834 MVR 43.7K
461.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Turkey
Maldives
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.7 ₺2,724
$38.11 MVR 588
43.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.98 ₺2,142
$50.0 MVR 771
-14.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 ₺5,074
$86.1 MVR 1,327
18.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.9 ₺4,677
$52.4 MVR 808
79.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Turkey
Maldives
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$614 ₺30.6K
$930 MVR 14.3K
-33.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$441 ₺22.0K
$678 MVR 10.5K
-35.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,011 ₺50.4K
$1,939 MVR 29.9K
-47.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$703 ₺35.0K
$1,484 MVR 22.9K
-52.65%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,710 ₺85.2K
$2,663 MVR 41.1K
-35.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,115 ₺55.6K
$776 MVR 12.0K
43.72%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Turkey
Maldives
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,061 ₺52.9K
$781 MVR 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.
Accommodation & Living
Turkey
$441
Maldives
$678 54% $238
Groceries & Markets
Turkey
$239
Maldives
$218 8.9% $21
Eating Out
Turkey
$182
Maldives
$127 30.3% $55
Clothing & Footwear
Turkey
$132
Maldives
$102 22.8% $30
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Turkey
$101
Maldives
$228 126% $127
Sport & Entertainment
Turkey
$69
Maldives
$81 17% $12
Getting Around
Turkey
$48
Maldives
$42 12.2% $5.9

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.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Turkey
🇲🇻 Maldives
🕒 Local time
00:34 12:34 AM
02:34 2:34 AM
2 h ahead of Turkey
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
85,372,377
436,330
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MVR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.17 MVR (100 MVR = 5.83 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Turkey Maldives 5,690 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Turkey
  • Maldives

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.

Turkey vs other spots: cost of living compared

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