Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glasgow and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,386 in Glasgow, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
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Glasgow Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,386

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,386 per month in Glasgow vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Glasgow $2,386
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $3,604 per month in Glasgow vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Glasgow $3,604
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $4,823 per month in Glasgow vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Glasgow $4,823
Istanbul $3,272

Glasgow costs about 56% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Glasgow and Istanbul sit above the global median – Glasgow by 78%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.99 £15.87

$11.88 ₺585

76.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.5 £55.6

$55.1 ₺2,715

33.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 £7.98

$9.14 ₺450

15.43%

Cappuccino

$4.87 £3.68

$4.24 ₺209

14.86%

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

$2.13 £1.61

$1.75 ₺86.0

21.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 £1.31

$0.54 ₺26.84

220.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.19 £3.93

$4.69 ₺231

10.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.65 £5.03

$5.97 ₺294

11.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.24

$1.26 ₺62.1

30.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 £1.18

$0.95 ₺46.82

64.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 £1.55

$2.31 ₺114

-11.26%

Eggs

$3.80 £2.88

$2.47 ₺122

53.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.16 £6.93

$10.55 ₺520

-13.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.00 £6.81

$5.60 ₺276

60.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 £12.66

$21.21 ₺1,045

-21.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.26

$1.93 ₺95.1

54.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 £1.18

$2.29 ₺113

-32.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 £2.24

$1.28 ₺63.1

131.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 £2.36

$1.84 ₺90.8

70.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 £1.44

$0.67 ₺32.87

185.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 £1.21

$0.59 ₺29.31

171.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 £0.86

$1.33 ₺65.4

-14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 £1.23

$0.59 ₺29.11

176.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.66 £17.88

$2.36 ₺116

902.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.42

$13.47 ₺664

-17.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.48

$2.42 ₺119

35.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 £2.59

$3.54 ₺174

-3.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.08

$0.83 ₺40.65

390.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 £78.1

$66.5 ₺3,274

55.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.96 £4.51

$1.35 ₺66.6

341.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.17 £0.89

$0.85 ₺42.06

37.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.4 £45.63

$10.86 ₺535

455.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.61

$1.47 ₺72.3

45.58%

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

$38.5K £29.1K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-25.39%

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

$40.4K £30.6K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-9.00%

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

$309 £233

$89.2 ₺4,396

245.97%

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

$20.34 £15.38

$11.60 ₺572

75.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.92 £31.68

$16.10 ₺793

160.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.96 £33.99

$77.3 ₺3,806

-41.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.43 £15.45

$22.66 ₺1,116

-9.84%

Cinema Ticket

$15.90 £12.02

$8.34 ₺411

90.65%

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

$897 £678

$974 ₺48.0K

-7.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.4K £16.2K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-16.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$133 £101

$52.7 ₺2,597

153.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.49 £35.14

$39.16 ₺1,930

18.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £80.5

$103 ₺5,084

3.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.6 £69.3

$96.6 ₺4,760

-5.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,345 £1,016

$994 ₺49.0K

35.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 £795

$629 ₺31.0K

67.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,713 £2,051

$2,024 ₺99.7K

34.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,955 £1,477

$1,155 ₺56.9K

69.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 £3,030

$3,160 ₺155.7K

26.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 £2,302

$1,838 ₺90.5K

65.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,270 £2,472

$1,203 ₺59.3K

171.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.76

41.09

-88.42%

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

Last update for Glasgow: October 5, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Glasgow

$1.1K 43.4%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 40.2% $423

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glasgow

$371 15.3%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 68.5% $254

Eating Out

Glasgow

$313 12.9%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 30.3% $95

Groceries & Markets

Glasgow

$308 12.7%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 14.4% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Glasgow

$170 7%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 22.8% $39

Getting Around

Glasgow

$131 5.4%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 42.7% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Glasgow

$77 3.2%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 22.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,345 in Glasgow versus $994 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 172% higher in Glasgow, 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 $74.0 in Glasgow versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $308 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

01:32 1:32 AM

03:32 3:32 AM

2 h ahead of Glasgow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

606,340

15,701,602

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.27 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.26 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Glasgow Istanbul 2,910 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Glasgow
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

Glasgow vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,386 in Glasgow, $1,526 in Istanbul – roughly 56% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,578 per month in Glasgow and $2,289 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.

Kindergarten costs $897 per month in Glasgow and $974 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Glasgow, 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 $1,526, than in Glasgow at $2,386. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Glasgow it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Glasgow has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,526 in Istanbul to $2,386 in Glasgow. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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