Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aberdeen and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,287 in Aberdeen, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Aberdeen
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Aberdeen Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Aberdeen

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,287

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,287 per month in Aberdeen vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Aberdeen $2,287
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $3,604 per month in Aberdeen vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Aberdeen $3,604
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $4,921 per month in Aberdeen vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Aberdeen $4,921
Istanbul $3,272

Aberdeen costs about 50% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Aberdeen and Istanbul sit above the global median – Aberdeen by 71%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.91 £15.05

$11.88 ₺585

67.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.7 £73.1

$55.1 ₺2,714

75.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 £8.12

$9.14 ₺450

17.51%

Cappuccino

$4.62 £3.49

$4.24 ₺209

8.96%

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

$2.78 £2.10

$1.75 ₺86.0

58.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 £1.59

$0.54 ₺26.83

290.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 £5.35

$4.69 ₺231

50.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.48 £5.65

$5.97 ₺294

25.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 £1.18

$1.26 ₺62.1

23.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 £1.31

$0.95 ₺46.81

82.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 £1.45

$2.31 ₺114

-16.88%

Eggs

$4.41 £3.33

$2.47 ₺122

78.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.45 £6.38

$10.55 ₺520

-19.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.82 £8.93

$5.60 ₺276

111.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.02 £12.10

$21.21 ₺1,045

-24.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 £2.19

$1.93 ₺95.1

50.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.05

$2.29 ₺113

-39.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 £2.12

$1.28 ₺63.1

119.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 £2.81

$1.84 ₺90.8

102.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 £1.33

$0.67 ₺32.86

162.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 £1.10

$0.59 ₺29.31

145.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.91

$1.33 ₺65.4

-9.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 £1.21

$0.59 ₺29.10

172.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.79 £16.47

$2.36 ₺116

823.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.22 £8.48

$13.47 ₺664

-16.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 £2.04

$2.42 ₺119

11.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 £2.21

$3.54 ₺174

-17.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 £2.08

$0.83 ₺40.64

232.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$121 £91.7

$66.5 ₺3,273

82.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 £2.94

$1.35 ₺66.6

188.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 £1.75

$0.85 ₺42.05

171.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.43 £17.71

$10.86 ₺535

115.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.58

$1.47 ₺72.3

42.18%

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

$38.6K £29.2K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-25.26%

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

$40.7K £30.7K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-8.53%

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

$410 £310

$89.2 ₺4,395

359.77%

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

$28.17 £21.29

$11.60 ₺572

142.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.97 £31.71

$16.10 ₺793

160.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.9 £40.71

$77.3 ₺3,805

-30.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.01 £16.64

$22.66 ₺1,116

-2.87%

Cinema Ticket

$11.46 £8.66

$8.34 ₺411

37.41%

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

$1,785 £1,349

$974 ₺48.0K

83.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K £17.6K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-9.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.5 £72.9

$52.7 ₺2,597

83.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.34 £35.77

$39.16 ₺1,929

20.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 £78.0

$103 ₺5,083

0.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 £87.3

$96.6 ₺4,759

19.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 £615

$994 ₺49.0K

-18.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$777 £588

$629 ₺31.0K

23.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,557 £1,177

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-23.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,658 £1,253

$1,155 ₺56.9K

43.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,260 £1,708

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-28.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,444 £2,603

$1,838 ₺90.5K

87.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,606 £2,725

$1,203 ₺59.3K

199.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

41.09

-87.56%

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

Last update for Aberdeen: October 6, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aberdeen

$777 34.1%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 19.1% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aberdeen

$480 21.1%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 75.7% $363

Groceries & Markets

Aberdeen

$317 13.9%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 16.8% $53

Eating Out

Aberdeen

$317 13.9%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 31.2% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Aberdeen

$163 7.2%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 19.6% $32

Getting Around

Aberdeen

$148 6.5%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 49% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Aberdeen

$77 3.4%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 22.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $814 in Aberdeen versus $994 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 200% higher in Aberdeen, 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 $97.0 in Aberdeen versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $317 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Aberdeen

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

11:20 11:20 AM

13:20 1:20 PM

2 h ahead of Aberdeen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

229,060

15,701,602

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.847 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Aberdeen Istanbul 2,850 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Aberdeen
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

Aberdeen vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aberdeen costs about 50% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,430 per month in Aberdeen and $2,289 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,287 in Aberdeen and $1,526 in Istanbul. That's a gap of about 50%.

Public transport costs about 83% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Aberdeen at $2,287. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aberdeen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Istanbul costs $1,526 versus $2,287 in Aberdeen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Aberdeen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.