Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guildford and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $3,241 in Guildford, rent and utilities included – about $20,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Guildford
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Guildford Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Guildford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,241

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,241 per month in Guildford vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Guildford $3,241
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $4,573 per month in Guildford vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Guildford $4,573
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $5,905 per month in Guildford vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Guildford $5,905
Istanbul $3,272

Guildford costs about 112% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Guildford and Istanbul sit above the global median – Guildford by 142%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.66 £22.41

$11.88 ₺585

149.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.1 £70.4

$55.1 ₺2,714

69.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 £8.36

$9.14 ₺450

21.01%

Cappuccino

$5.08 £3.84

$4.24 ₺209

19.81%

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

$2.75 £2.08

$1.75 ₺86.0

57.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 £1.16

$0.54 ₺26.83

183.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.37 £6.33

$4.69 ₺231

78.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.77 £5.11

$5.97 ₺294

13.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 £1.17

$1.26 ₺62.1

22.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 £1.01

$0.95 ₺46.81

40.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 £1.43

$2.31 ₺114

-18.18%

Eggs

$4.30 £3.25

$2.47 ₺122

74.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.39 £10.12

$10.55 ₺520

26.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.12 £7.65

$5.60 ₺276

80.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.09 £12.16

$21.21 ₺1,045

-24.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.50 £2.64

$1.93 ₺95.1

81.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 £1.52

$2.29 ₺113

-12.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.71 £2.80

$1.28 ₺63.1

189.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 £3.88

$1.84 ₺90.8

178.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 £1.53

$0.67 ₺32.86

201.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 £1.08

$0.59 ₺29.31

142.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 £0.90

$1.33 ₺65.4

-10.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 £1.07

$0.59 ₺29.10

138.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.48 £17.75

$2.36 ₺116

894.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.07 £9.12

$13.47 ₺664

-10.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 £1.87

$2.42 ₺119

2.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.33

$3.54 ₺174

-12.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 £2.23

$0.83 ₺40.64

255.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 £75.9

$66.5 ₺3,273

51.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.75 £3.59

$1.35 ₺66.6

251.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 £1.51

$0.85 ₺42.05

135.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.95 £30.19

$10.86 ₺535

267.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 £1.53

$1.47 ₺72.3

37.41%

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

$37.5K £28.3K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-27.37%

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

$40.7K £30.8K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-8.39%

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

$398 £300

$89.2 ₺4,395

345.56%

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

$20.68 £15.63

$11.60 ₺572

78.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.33 £34.25

$16.10 ₺793

181.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 £38.83

$77.3 ₺3,805

-33.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.13 £17.48

$22.66 ₺1,116

2.07%

Cinema Ticket

$10.63 £8.03

$8.34 ₺411

27.46%

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

$1,862 £1,407

$974 ₺48.0K

91.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K £18.0K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-7.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 £82.2

$52.7 ₺2,597

106.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.0 £49.85

$39.16 ₺1,929

68.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 £90.5

$103 ₺5,083

16.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 £96.1

$96.6 ₺4,759

31.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 £1,430

$994 ₺49.0K

90.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,605 £1,213

$629 ₺31.0K

155.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,908 £2,198

$2,024 ₺99.7K

43.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,433 £1,838

$1,155 ₺56.9K

110.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,571 £5,721

$3,160 ₺155.7K

139.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,870 £5,191

$1,838 ₺90.5K

273.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,566 £2,695

$1,203 ₺59.3K

196.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.13

41.09

-87.52%

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

Last update for Guildford: 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

Guildford

$1.6K 50.2%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 60.8% $976

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guildford

$464 14.5%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 74.8% $347

Eating Out

Guildford

$404 12.6%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 46% $186

Groceries & Markets

Guildford

$336 10.5%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 21.4% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Guildford

$190 5.9%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 30.8% $58

Getting Around

Guildford

$127 4%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 40.7% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Guildford

$73 2.3%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 29.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,892 in Guildford 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 196% higher in Guildford, 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 $93.0 in Guildford versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Guildford

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

08:15 8:15 AM

10:15 10:15 AM

2 h ahead of Guildford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,773

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 = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Guildford Istanbul 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Guildford
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

Guildford vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Guildford is pricier by about 112%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,861 per month in Guildford 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.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Guildford, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $93.0 in Guildford and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Guildford at $3,241. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guildford 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, Guildford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.