Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dumfries and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,741 in Dumfries, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Dumfries
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Dumfries Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Dumfries

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,741

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,741 in Dumfries versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Dumfries $1,741
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,685 in Dumfries versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Dumfries $2,685
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,629 in Dumfries versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Dumfries $3,629
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Dumfries is roughly 12% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dumfries 29% above, Istanbul 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 £10.85

$12.30 ₺609

17.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.2 £58.7

$54.7 ₺2,708

43.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.04 £6.03

$9.22 ₺456

-12.80%

Cappuccino

$4.37 £3.28

$4.40 ₺218

-0.68%

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

$2.49 £1.87

$1.68 ₺83.1

48.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 £1.02

$0.59 ₺29.40

128.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.65 £4.24

$4.70 ₺233

20.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.98 £4.49

$5.91 ₺292

1.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.21 ₺60.0

24.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 £1.31

$0.89 ₺44.10

96.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.78 £2.08

$2.19 ₺108

26.94%

Eggs

$4.17 £3.13

$2.35 ₺116

77.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.62 £5.72

$10.42 ₺516

-26.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.37 £7.03

$5.65 ₺280

65.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.35 £11.52

$20.94 ₺1,037

-26.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 £1.77

$1.90 ₺94.1

24.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 £1.66

$2.31 ₺114

-3.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 £1.77

$1.28 ₺63.1

84.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.77 £2.08

$1.80 ₺89.0

53.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.16 £2.37

$0.65 ₺32.16

386.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 £1.52

$0.64 ₺31.91

217.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.25 ₺62.1

31.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 £1.45

$0.56 ₺27.58

246.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.25 £17.44

$2.37 ₺118

881.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.03 £9.03

$13.42 ₺664

-10.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 £2.41

$2.40 ₺119

33.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.39

$3.48 ₺172

-8.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.17 £3.13

$0.89 ₺43.84

368.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.5 £71.7

$67.4 ₺3,338

41.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.62 £3.46

$1.29 ₺64.1

258.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 £0.69

$0.92 ₺45.70

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.05 £9.04

$10.96 ₺542

9.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.47 ₺72.9

24.49%

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

$37.6K £28.2K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-26.04%

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

$39.8K £29.9K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-10.52%

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

$236 £177

$88.6 ₺4,387

166.28%

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

$23.09 £17.32

$11.59 ₺574

99.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.52 £31.15

$15.81 ₺783

162.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.30 £36.98

$77.2 ₺3,820

-36.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.14 £19.61

$22.74 ₺1,126

14.95%

Cinema Ticket

$13.37 £10.03

$8.14 ₺403

64.25%

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

$1,920 £1,440

$1,008 ₺49.9K

90.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K £16.7K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-13.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 £60.3

$54.0 ₺2,671

49.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 £40.26

$40.83 ₺2,021

31.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 £90.1

$98.9 ₺4,895

21.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.7 £66.6

$96.6 ₺4,783

-8.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 £468

$985 ₺48.7K

-36.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 £395

$650 ₺32.2K

-18.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$993 £745

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-49.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$929 £697

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-21.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,053 £3,791

$3,138 ₺155.4K

61.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 £2,852

$1,780 ₺88.1K

113.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,393 £2,545

$1,205 ₺59.7K

181.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.41

40.92

-86.78%

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

Last update for Dumfries: 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

Dumfries

$527 30.3%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 23.3% $123

Groceries & Markets

Dumfries

$314 18.1%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 17.4% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dumfries

$301 17.3%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 61.4% $185

Eating Out

Dumfries

$248 14.2%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 9.9% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Dumfries

$154 8.9%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 15.3% $24

Getting Around

Dumfries

$121 7%

Istanbul

$77 5% 36.7% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Dumfries

$76 4.4%

Istanbul

$93 6% 22.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $624 in Dumfries and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dumfries pays 181% 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: $78.0 in Dumfries vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $314 vs $260 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Dumfries

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

20:05 8:05 PM

2 h ahead of Dumfries

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,080

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

Dumfries Istanbul 2,840 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Dumfries
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

Dumfries vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 181% higher in Dumfries, 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: $624 in Dumfries 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 $78.0 in Dumfries. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,741 per month in Dumfries versus $1,550 in Istanbul – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,741 in Dumfries, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Dumfries. 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 Dumfries, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Dumfries 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 12% less than in Dumfries. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.