Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barnet and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,870 in Barnet, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

141

Cost of Living Index in Barnet
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Barnet Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Barnet

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,870

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,870 per month in Barnet vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Barnet $2,870
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $4,261 per month in Barnet vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Barnet $4,261
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $5,652 per month in Barnet vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Barnet $5,652
Istanbul $3,281

Barnet costs about 85% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Barnet and Istanbul sit above the global median – Barnet by 113%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.85 £17.14

$12.30 ₺609

85.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 £68.1

$54.7 ₺2,708

65.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.96

$9.22 ₺456

15.08%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$4.40 ₺218

24.32%

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

$2.90 £2.18

$1.68 ₺83.1

72.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.44

$0.59 ₺29.40

227.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.75 £5.81

$4.70 ₺233

64.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 £4.95

$5.91 ₺292

11.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.21 ₺60.0

33.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 £1.28

$0.89 ₺44.10

91.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 £1.85

$2.19 ₺108

12.79%

Eggs

$4.83 £3.62

$2.35 ₺116

105.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.57 £8.68

$10.42 ₺516

11.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.56 £7.92

$5.65 ₺280

86.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.86 £12.65

$20.94 ₺1,037

-19.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 £2.17

$1.90 ₺94.1

52.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 £1.31

$2.31 ₺114

-24.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.29

$1.28 ₺63.1

138.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.53 £2.65

$1.80 ₺89.0

96.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$0.65 ₺32.16

181.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 £1.39

$0.64 ₺31.91

189.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.92

$1.25 ₺62.1

-2.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 £1.36

$0.56 ₺27.58

223.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.78 £17.84

$2.37 ₺118

903.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.66 £8.75

$13.42 ₺664

-13.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 £2.44

$2.40 ₺119

35.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 £3.39

$3.48 ₺172

29.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 £1.71

$0.89 ₺43.84

156.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 £4.05

$1.29 ₺64.1

317.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.69 £2.02

$0.92 ₺45.70

192.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.27 £36.96

$10.96 ₺542

349.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$1.47 ₺72.9

45.58%

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

$37.5K £28.1K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-26.25%

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

$41.0K £30.7K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-7.99%

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

$340 £255

$88.6 ₺4,387

283.35%

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

$18.10 £13.58

$11.59 ₺574

56.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.24 £30.94

$15.81 ₺783

160.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$17.01 £12.76

$8.14 ₺403

108.97%

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

$2,583 £1,938

$1,008 ₺49.9K

156.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.8K £26.1K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

36.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.8 £67.4

$54.0 ₺2,671

66.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.85 £35.90

$40.83 ₺2,021

17.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.3 £70.0

$98.9 ₺4,895

-5.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 £94.4

$96.6 ₺4,783

30.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,947 £1,461

$985 ₺48.7K

97.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,557 £1,168

$650 ₺32.2K

139.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,311 £2,484

$1,983 ₺98.2K

66.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,802 £2,102

$1,180 ₺58.4K

137.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.3K £10.7K

$3,138 ₺155.4K

355.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.9K £10.5K

$1,780 ₺88.1K

683.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,612 £1,959

$1,205 ₺59.7K

116.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

40.92

-88.42%

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

Last update for Barnet: October 13, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barnet

$1.6K 54.3%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 58.3% $907

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barnet

$399 13.9%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 70.9% $283

Eating Out

Barnet

$352 12.3%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 36.5% $128

Groceries & Markets

Barnet

$340 11.8%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 23.6% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Barnet

$161 5.6%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 18.6% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Barnet

$34 * 1.2%

Istanbul

$93 6% 175% $59

Getting Around

Barnet

$28 * 1%

Istanbul

$77 5% 175% $49

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,947 in Barnet versus $985 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 117% higher in Barnet, 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 $91.0 in Barnet versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $340 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Barnet

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

15:28 3:28 PM

17:28 5:28 PM

2 h ahead of Barnet

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

111,973

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 19, 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 19, 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

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Between locations

Barnet Istanbul 2,510 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barnet
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

Barnet vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Barnet is pricier by about 85%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,305 per month in Barnet and $2,325 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Barnet and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Barnet, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Barnet at $2,870. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barnet it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Istanbul – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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