Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Exeter and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,396 in Exeter, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Exeter
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Exeter Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Exeter

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,396

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,396 in Exeter versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Exeter $2,396
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,801 in Exeter versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Exeter $3,801
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,206 in Exeter versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Exeter $5,206
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Exeter is roughly 55% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Exeter 78% above, Istanbul 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.02 £15.02

$12.30 ₺609

62.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.9 £74.2

$54.7 ₺2,708

80.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 £6.84

$9.22 ₺456

-1.08%

Cappuccino

$4.73 £3.55

$4.40 ₺218

7.50%

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

$3.12 £2.34

$1.68 ₺83.1

85.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 £1.80

$0.59 ₺29.40

306.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 £5.35

$4.70 ₺233

51.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.20 £4.65

$5.91 ₺292

4.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 £1.13

$1.21 ₺60.0

23.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 £1.20

$0.89 ₺44.10

79.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 £1.33

$2.19 ₺108

-18.72%

Eggs

$4.31 £3.23

$2.35 ₺116

83.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.95 £6.72

$10.42 ₺516

-14.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.41 £6.31

$5.65 ₺280

48.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.94 £17.21

$20.94 ₺1,037

9.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$1.90 ₺94.1

58.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 £1.07

$2.31 ₺114

-38.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 £1.72

$1.28 ₺63.1

78.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 £2.30

$1.80 ₺89.0

70.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 £1.70

$0.65 ₺32.16

249.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 £1.52

$0.64 ₺31.91

215.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 £1.12

$1.25 ₺62.1

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.42

$0.56 ₺27.58

237.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.33 £17.51

$2.37 ₺118

884.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.21 £6.91

$13.42 ₺664

-31.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.52 £2.64

$2.40 ₺119

46.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.31

$3.48 ₺172

26.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.00 £3.00

$0.89 ₺43.84

349.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 £78.2

$67.4 ₺3,338

54.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.96 £4.47

$1.29 ₺64.1

362.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 £1.83

$0.92 ₺45.70

164.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.16 £18.12

$10.96 ₺542

120.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 £1.46

$1.47 ₺72.9

31.97%

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

$38.8K £29.1K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-23.58%

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

$40.2K £30.2K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-9.67%

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

$469 £352

$88.6 ₺4,387

429.83%

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

$15.80 £11.85

$11.59 ₺574

36.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.56 £34.93

$15.81 ₺783

194.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.93 £32.96

$77.2 ₺3,820

-43.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.13 £9.85

$22.74 ₺1,126

-42.26%

Cinema Ticket

$12.73 £9.55

$8.14 ₺403

56.39%

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

$1,413 £1,060

$1,008 ₺49.9K

40.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K £13.1K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-31.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.1 £50.3

$54.0 ₺2,671

24.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.64 £23.74

$40.83 ₺2,021

-22.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.6

$98.9 ₺4,895

3.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.1 £56.3

$96.6 ₺4,783

-22.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,137 £853

$985 ₺48.7K

15.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$893 £670

$650 ₺32.2K

37.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,384 £1,788

$1,983 ₺98.2K

20.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,063 £1,547

$1,180 ₺58.4K

74.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,317 £3,989

$3,138 ₺155.4K

69.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,618 £4,965

$1,780 ₺88.1K

271.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,096 £2,323

$1,205 ₺59.7K

156.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

40.92

-87.51%

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

Last update for Exeter: 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

Exeter

$893 37.3%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 27.2% $243

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Exeter

$532 22.2%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 78.2% $416

Groceries & Markets

Exeter

$326 13.6%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 20.2% $66

Eating Out

Exeter

$314 13.1%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 29% $91

Getting Around

Exeter

$138 5.8%

Istanbul

$77 5% 44.4% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Exeter

$124 5.2%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 5.2% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

Exeter

$69 2.9%

Istanbul

$93 6% 34.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,137 in Exeter and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Exeter pays 157% 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: $99.0 in Exeter vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $260 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Exeter

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

21:13 9:13 PM

23:13 11:13 PM

2 h ahead of Exeter

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

130,800

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 18, 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 18, 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 →

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Between locations

Exeter Istanbul 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Exeter
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

Exeter vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Exeter and Istanbul differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($2,396 vs $1,550 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 157% higher in Exeter, 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: $1,137 in Exeter 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 $99.0 in Exeter. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,396 per month in Exeter versus $1,550 in Istanbul – a 55% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,396 in Exeter, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Exeter. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Exeter 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 55% less than in Exeter. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.