Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Aberdeen

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,287 in Aberdeen, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Aberdeen
Learn more

Aberdeen Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Aberdeen

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,287

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Aberdeen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Istanbul and in Aberdeen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $2,287 in Aberdeen, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Aberdeen $2,287

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

Istanbul $2,399
Aberdeen $3,604

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $4,921 in Aberdeen, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Aberdeen $4,921

Istanbul is about 33% cheaper than Aberdeen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Aberdeen sit above the global median – Istanbul by 14%, Aberdeen by 71%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$19.91 £15.05

-40.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$96.7 £73.1

-43.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$10.74 £8.12

-14.90%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$4.62 £3.49

-8.23%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$2.78 £2.10

-37.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$2.11 £1.59

-74.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$7.08 £5.35

-33.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$7.48 £5.65

-20.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.56 £1.18

-19.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.73 £1.31

-45.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.92 £1.45

20.31%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$4.41 £3.33

-43.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$8.45 £6.38

24.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$11.82 £8.93

-52.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$16.02 £12.10

32.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.90 £2.19

-33.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.38 £1.05

65.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.81 £2.12

-54.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$3.72 £2.81

-50.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.76 £1.33

-61.93%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.45 £1.10

-59.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.21 £0.91

9.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$1.61 £1.21

-63.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$21.79 £16.47

-89.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$11.22 £8.48

20.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$2.70 £2.04

-10.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.92 £2.21

21.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$2.76 £2.08

-69.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$121 £91.7

-45.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$3.89 £2.94

-65.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$2.31 £1.75

-63.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$23.43 £17.71

-53.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$2.09 £1.58

-29.67%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$38.6K £29.2K

33.79%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$40.7K £30.7K

9.33%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$410 £310

-78.25%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$28.17 £21.29

-58.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$41.97 £31.71

-61.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$53.9 £40.71

43.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$22.01 £16.64

2.95%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$11.46 £8.66

-27.23%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$1,785 £1,349

-45.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$23.3K £17.6K

10.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$96.5 £72.9

-45.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$47.34 £35.77

-17.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$103 £78.0

-0.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$116 £87.3

-16.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$814 £615

22.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$777 £588

-19.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$1,557 £1,177

29.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$1,658 £1,253

-30.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$2,260 £1,708

39.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$3,444 £2,603

-46.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$3,606 £2,725

-66.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

5.11

704.11%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Aberdeen: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Aberdeen

$777 34.1% 23.5% $148

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Aberdeen

$317 13.9% 20.3% $53

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Aberdeen

$317 13.9% 45.4% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Aberdeen

$163 7.2% 24.3% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Aberdeen

$480 21.1% 311% $363

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Aberdeen

$77 3.4% 18.2% $17

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Aberdeen

$148 6.5% 96.1% $72

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $814 in Aberdeen. 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 200% higher in Aberdeen, 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $97.0 in Aberdeen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $317 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇧 Aberdeen

🕒 Local time

14:50 2:50 PM

12:50 12:50 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

229,060

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.847 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Aberdeen 2,850 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Aberdeen

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

Istanbul vs Aberdeen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aberdeen costs about 50% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $3,430 in Aberdeen. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,526 in Istanbul and $2,287 in Aberdeen. That's a gap of about 50%.

Public transport costs about 83% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Aberdeen at $2,287. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aberdeen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Istanbul costs $1,526 versus $2,287 in Aberdeen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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