Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hertfordshire and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,541 in Hertfordshire, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Hertfordshire
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Hertfordshire Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Hertfordshire

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,541

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,541 in Hertfordshire versus $1,526 in Istanbul.

Hertfordshire $2,541
Istanbul $1,526

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,780 in Hertfordshire versus $2,399 in Istanbul.

Hertfordshire $3,780
Istanbul $2,399

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,020 in Hertfordshire versus $3,272 in Istanbul.

Hertfordshire $5,020
Istanbul $3,272

Living in Hertfordshire is roughly 66% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hertfordshire 90% above, Istanbul 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.32 £19.88

$11.88 ₺586

121.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.8 £60.2

$55.1 ₺2,718

44.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £8.01

$9.14 ₺451

16.08%

Cappuccino

$4.94 £3.73

$4.24 ₺209

16.51%

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

$2.37 £1.79

$1.75 ₺86.1

35.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 £1.51

$0.54 ₺26.87

270.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.56 £4.20

$4.69 ₺231

18.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.38 £4.06

$5.97 ₺295

-9.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 £1.15

$1.26 ₺62.2

20.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 £1.39

$0.95 ₺46.88

92.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 £2.01

$2.31 ₺114

15.15%

Eggs

$3.59 £2.71

$2.47 ₺122

45.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.96 £6.01

$10.55 ₺521

-24.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.27 £5.49

$5.60 ₺276

29.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.30 £12.31

$21.21 ₺1,047

-23.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 £2.50

$1.93 ₺95.2

72.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$2.29 ₺113

-32.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 £2.28

$1.28 ₺63.2

135.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.49 £2.63

$1.84 ₺90.9

89.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 £0.88

$0.67 ₺32.92

73.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.32

$0.59 ₺29.35

194.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$1.33 ₺65.5

-6.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 £1.19

$0.59 ₺29.15

167.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.24 £16.05

$2.36 ₺116

800.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.89 £7.47

$13.47 ₺665

-26.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 £1.51

$2.42 ₺119

-17.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 £1.54

$3.54 ₺174

-42.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.53 £2.67

$0.83 ₺40.70

325.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.2 £65.8

$66.5 ₺3,278

31.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.07 £3.07

$1.35 ₺66.7

201.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.90 £2.95

$0.85 ₺42.11

358.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.65 £23.90

$10.86 ₺536

191.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 £1.50

$1.47 ₺72.4

34.69%

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

$37.8K £28.5K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-26.78%

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

$40.6K £30.7K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-8.70%

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

$161 £121

$89.2 ₺4,402

80.22%

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

$17.68 £13.35

$11.60 ₺572

52.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.41 £33.54

$16.10 ₺794

175.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.26 £34.95

$77.3 ₺3,811

-40.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,118

Cinema Ticket

$13.32 £10.06

$8.34 ₺411

59.71%

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

$1,565 £1,182

$974 ₺48.0K

60.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K £15.3K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-21.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.38 £35.03

$52.7 ₺2,601

-12.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.51 £29.84

$39.16 ₺1,932

0.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.3 £55.4

$103 ₺5,091

-28.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 £82.9

$96.6 ₺4,766

13.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,752 £1,323

$994 ₺49.0K

76.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,334 £1,008

$629 ₺31.0K

112.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 £2,162

$2,024 ₺99.9K

41.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,352 £1,776

$1,155 ₺57.0K

103.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,907 £3,706

$3,160 ₺155.9K

55.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,922 £2,963

$1,838 ₺90.7K

113.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,204 £2,420

$1,203 ₺59.4K

166.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.21

41.09

-87.32%

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

Last update for Hertfordshire: October 4, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hertfordshire

$1.3K 52.9%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 52.8% $705

Eating Out

Hertfordshire

$358 14.2%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 39.1% $140

Groceries & Markets

Hertfordshire

$288 11.4%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 8.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hertfordshire

$223 8.8%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 47.5% $106

Getting Around

Hertfordshire

$125 5%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 39.6% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Hertfordshire

$121 4.8%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 8.5% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Hertfordshire

$73 2.9%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 28.8% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,752 in Hertfordshire and $994 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hertfordshire pays 166% 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: $80.0 in Hertfordshire vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $264 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Hertfordshire

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

17:32 5:32 PM

19:32 7:32 PM

2 h ahead of Hertfordshire

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,990

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 12, 2026: 1 USD = 0.755 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.846 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 49.34 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.29 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Hertfordshire
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

Hertfordshire vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. The 66% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 166% higher in Hertfordshire, 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: $1,752 in Hertfordshire versus $994 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 $80.0 in Hertfordshire. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,541 per month in Hertfordshire versus $1,526 in Istanbul – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,526 in Istanbul versus $2,541 in Hertfordshire, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Hertfordshire. 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 Hertfordshire, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Hertfordshire 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 66% less than in Hertfordshire. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.