Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashford and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,427 in Ashford, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Ashford
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Ashford Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Ashford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,427

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,427 in Ashford versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Ashford $2,427
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,351 in Ashford versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Ashford $3,351
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,276 in Ashford versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Ashford $4,276
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Ashford is roughly 57% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ashford 80% above, Istanbul 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.96 £15.73

$12.30 ₺609

70.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.9 £60.0

$54.7 ₺2,708

46.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.49 £7.87

$9.22 ₺456

13.77%

Cappuccino

$5.74 £4.30

$4.40 ₺218

30.45%

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

$2.74 £2.05

$1.68 ₺83.1

63.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 £1.37

$0.59 ₺29.40

208.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 £2.92

$4.70 ₺233

-17.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 £5.32

$5.91 ₺292

19.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 £1.11

$1.21 ₺60.0

22.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 £0.99

$0.89 ₺44.10

48.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 £1.26

$2.19 ₺108

-22.83%

Eggs

$3.00 £2.25

$2.35 ₺116

27.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.22 £3.92

$10.42 ₺516

-49.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.91 £5.18

$5.65 ₺280

22.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.39 £10.79

$20.94 ₺1,037

-31.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 £2.46

$1.90 ₺94.1

72.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 £1.08

$2.31 ₺114

-37.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.67 £2.01

$1.28 ₺63.1

108.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.80 ₺89.0

76.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$0.65 ₺32.16

156.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 £1.09

$0.64 ₺31.91

128.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 £1.08

$1.25 ₺62.1

15.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 £1.07

$0.56 ₺27.58

153.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.83 £14.13

$2.37 ₺118

694.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.24 £6.93

$13.42 ₺664

-31.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 £2.00

$2.40 ₺119

11.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 £2.73

$3.48 ₺172

4.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.89 £2.92

$0.89 ₺43.84

337.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$146 £110

$67.4 ₺3,338

117.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.11 £4.58

$1.29 ₺64.1

373.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 £1.26

$0.92 ₺45.70

82.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.44 £16.08

$10.96 ₺542

95.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.47 ₺72.9

40.82%

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

$35.0K £26.2K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-31.16%

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

$41.1K £30.9K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-7.64%

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

$244 £183

$88.6 ₺4,387

175.08%

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

$24.30 £18.23

$11.59 ₺574

109.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.52 £28.90

$15.81 ₺783

143.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 £45.99

$77.2 ₺3,820

-20.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.74 £14.06

$22.74 ₺1,126

-17.59%

Cinema Ticket

$21.45 £16.10

$8.14 ₺403

163.51%

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

$1,076 £808

$1,008 ₺49.9K

6.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K £14.9K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-22.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.5 £52.1

$54.0 ₺2,671

28.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.50 £23.63

$40.83 ₺2,021

-22.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.7 £57.6

$98.9 ₺4,895

-22.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 £75.1

$96.6 ₺4,783

3.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,115 £836

$985 ₺48.7K

13.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,133 £850

$650 ₺32.2K

74.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 £1,282

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-13.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,425 £1,069

$1,180 ₺58.4K

20.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,328 £4,748

$3,138 ₺155.4K

101.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,671 £3,504

$1,780 ₺88.1K

162.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,452 £1,840

$1,205 ₺59.7K

103.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.91

40.92

-88.00%

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

Last update for Ashford: October 10, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ashford

$1.1K 46.7%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 42.6% $483

Eating Out

Ashford

$320 13.2%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 30.2% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashford

$307 12.6%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 62.2% $191

Groceries & Markets

Ashford

$262 10.8%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 0.7% $1.9

Getting Around

Ashford

$176 7.3%

Istanbul

$77 5% 56.4% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Ashford

$125 5.2%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 4.5% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Ashford

$104 4.3%

Istanbul

$93 6% 10.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,115 in Ashford and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ashford pays 103% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $80.0 in Ashford vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $262 vs $260 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Ashford

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

03:00 3:00 AM

05:00 5:00 AM

2 h ahead of Ashford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,936

15,701,602

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ashford Istanbul 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ashford
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

Ashford vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. The 57% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 103% higher in Ashford, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,115 in Ashford versus $985 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $80.0 in Ashford. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,427 per month in Ashford versus $1,550 in Istanbul – a 57% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,427 in Ashford, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Ashford. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Istanbul is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ashford, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Ashford and Istanbul are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Istanbul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Ashford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.