Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bournemouth and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,509 in Bournemouth, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bournemouth
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,509
/mo nomad
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,550
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,509 per month in Bournemouth vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Bournemouth $2,509
  • Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $3,689 per month in Bournemouth vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Bournemouth $3,689
  • Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $4,870 per month in Bournemouth vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Bournemouth $4,870
  • Istanbul $3,281

Bournemouth costs about 62% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bournemouth and Istanbul sit above the global median – Bournemouth by 86%, Istanbul by 15%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bournemouth
Istanbul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.33 £15.25
$12.30 ₺609
65.28%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$101 £75.6
$54.7 ₺2,708
84.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.68 £8.76
$9.22 ₺456
26.68%
Cappuccino
$4.76 £3.57
$4.40 ₺218
8.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.21 £2.41
$1.68 ₺83.1
91.07%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 £1.53
$0.59 ₺29.40
244.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.78 £5.09
$4.70 ₺233
44.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.19 £5.39
$5.91 ₺292
21.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bournemouth
Istanbul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.61 £1.21
$1.21 ₺60.0
33.06%
White Bread (500g)
$1.54 £1.16
$0.89 ₺44.10
73.03%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.80 £1.35
$2.19 ₺108
-17.81%
Eggs
$4.32 £3.24
$2.35 ₺116
83.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.23 £4.68
$10.42 ₺516
-40.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.28 £6.96
$5.65 ₺280
64.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.68 £9.51
$20.94 ₺1,037
-39.45%
Apples (1kg)
$2.22 £1.67
$1.90 ₺94.1
16.84%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 £1.32
$2.31 ₺114
-24.24%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 £1.46
$1.28 ₺63.1
51.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.11 £1.58
$1.80 ₺89.0
17.22%
Potato (1kg)
$2.03 £1.52
$0.65 ₺32.16
212.31%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 £0.95
$0.64 ₺31.91
96.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.89 £1.42
$1.25 ₺62.1
51.20%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 £1.27
$0.56 ₺27.58
201.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.60 £17.71
$2.37 ₺118
895.78%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.36 £7.02
$13.42 ₺664
-30.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.80 £2.10
$2.40 ₺119
16.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.49 £1.87
$3.48 ₺172
-28.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Bournemouth
Istanbul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.64 £2.73
$0.89 ₺43.84
308.99%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$90.8 £68.1
$67.4 ₺3,338
34.63%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.23 £2.42
$1.29 ₺64.1
150.39%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.29 £1.72
$0.92 ₺45.70
148.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.25 £24.20
$10.96 ₺542
194.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.99 £1.49
$1.47 ₺72.9
35.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.6K
$50.8K ₺2.5M
-24.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.0K £30.0K
$44.5K ₺2.2M
-10.27%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bournemouth
Istanbul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$353 £265
$88.6 ₺4,387
298.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.19 £12.14
$11.59 ₺574
39.69%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.90 £32.18
$15.81 ₺783
171.35%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bournemouth
Istanbul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.33 £28.00
$77.2 ₺3,820
-51.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.71 £8.78
$22.74 ₺1,126
-48.50%
Cinema Ticket
$17.19 £12.90
$8.14 ₺403
111.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bournemouth
Istanbul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,218 £1,664
$1,008 ₺49.9K
120.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$33.8K £25.4K
$25.6K ₺1.3M
32.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bournemouth
Istanbul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.8 £66.6
$54.0 ₺2,671
64.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.86 £32.90
$40.83 ₺2,021
7.42%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82.6 £62.0
$98.9 ₺4,895
-16.48%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$143 £107
$96.6 ₺4,783
48.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bournemouth
Istanbul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,258 £944
$985 ₺48.7K
27.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,146 £860
$650 ₺32.2K
76.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,670 £2,003
$1,983 ₺98.2K
34.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,898 £1,424
$1,180 ₺58.4K
60.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,662 £4,998
$3,138 ₺155.4K
112.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,474 £4,107
$1,780 ₺88.1K
207.57%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bournemouth
Istanbul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,920 £2,191
$1,205 ₺59.7K
142.24%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.96
40.92
-87.88%

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

Last update for Bournemouth: October 11, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bournemouth
$1.1K
Istanbul
$650 43.3% $497
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bournemouth
$412
Istanbul
$116 71.8% $296
Eating Out
Bournemouth
$324
Istanbul
$223 31.1% $101
Groceries & Markets
Bournemouth
$273
Istanbul
$260 5% $14
Clothing & Footwear
Bournemouth
$161
Istanbul
$131 19% $31
Getting Around
Bournemouth
$120
Istanbul
$77 36% $43
Sport & Entertainment
Bournemouth
$72
Istanbul
$93 30.3% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,258 in Bournemouth 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 142% higher in Bournemouth, 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 $101 in Bournemouth versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Bournemouth
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🕒 Local time
08:36 8:36 AM
10:36 10:36 AM
2 h ahead of Bournemouth
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
183,491
15,701,602
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bournemouth Istanbul 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bournemouth
  • 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
Bournemouth vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bournemouth or Istanbul?
Bournemouth costs about 62% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Bournemouth and in Istanbul?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,763 per month in Bournemouth and $2,325 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Bournemouth or Istanbul?
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.
Are groceries more expensive in Bournemouth or in Istanbul?
Groceries cost about 5% more in Bournemouth, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
How do dining costs compare in Bournemouth and in Istanbul?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Bournemouth and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Bournemouth or in Istanbul?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Bournemouth at $2,509. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bournemouth it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Bournemouth or Istanbul?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Istanbul costs $1,550 versus $2,509 in Bournemouth. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Bournemouth compared to Istanbul?
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.
Should I move to Bournemouth or to Istanbul?
If budget matters most, go with Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bournemouth makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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