Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Abingdon-on-Thames

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,186 in Abingdon-on-Thames, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Abingdon-on-Thames
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Abingdon-on-Thames Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Abingdon-on-Thames

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,186

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Abingdon-on-Thames

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 Abingdon-on-Thames actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,186 in Abingdon-on-Thames.

Istanbul $1,550
Abingdon-on-Thames $2,186

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $3,306 in Abingdon-on-Thames.

Istanbul $2,415
Abingdon-on-Thames $3,306

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $4,425 in Abingdon-on-Thames.

Istanbul $3,281
Abingdon-on-Thames $4,425

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 29% less than in Abingdon-on-Thames, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Abingdon-on-Thames 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$19.52 £14.64

-36.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$79.8 £59.9

-31.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.52 £7.89

-12.36%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.85 £2.89

14.29%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.41 £1.81

-30.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$2.01 £1.51

-70.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$5.53 £4.15

-15.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$5.50 £4.13

7.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.46 £1.10

-17.12%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.90 £1.43

-53.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.76 £2.07

-20.65%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$4.11 £3.08

-42.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$9.15 £6.86

13.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$7.86 £5.90

-28.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$16.70 £12.53

25.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.99 £2.24

-36.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.61 £1.21

43.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.62 £1.96

-51.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.51 £2.64

-48.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.20 £0.90

-45.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.81 £1.36

-64.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.31 £0.98

-4.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.25 £0.94

-55.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$23.63 £17.73

-89.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$10.05 £7.54

33.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.96 £1.47

22.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.02 £2.26

15.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.47 £2.61

-74.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$94.8 £71.1

-28.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$4.03 £3.02

-67.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$4.04 £3.03

-77.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$31.99 £24.00

-65.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.85 £1.39

-20.54%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$37.3K £27.9K

36.33%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$40.5K £30.4K

9.85%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$196 £147

-54.75%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$17.42 £13.07

-33.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$43.90 £32.94

-63.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$45.48 £34.12

69.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$13.37 £10.03

-39.12%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$1,810 £1,358

-44.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$22.3K £16.8K

14.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$73.1 £54.8

-26.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$32.61 £24.47

25.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$72.2 £54.2

36.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$111 £83.1

-12.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,196 £897

-17.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$1,009 £757

-35.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$2,121 £1,591

-6.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,773 £1,330

-33.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$5,081 £3,812

-38.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$3,846 £2,886

-53.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$3,596 £2,698

-66.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

5.21

685.41%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Abingdon-on-Thames: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Abingdon-on-Thames

$1K 46.2% 55.3% $360

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Abingdon-on-Thames

$294 13.5% 13.2% $34

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Abingdon-on-Thames

$290 13.3% 30% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Abingdon-on-Thames

$130 5.9% 0.6% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Abingdon-on-Thames

$257 11.8% 122% $141

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Abingdon-on-Thames

$72 3.3% 22.7% $21

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Abingdon-on-Thames

$133 6.1% 72.9% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $1,196 in Abingdon-on-Thames. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Abingdon-on-Thames pays 198% 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: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $80.0 in Abingdon-on-Thames for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $294 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇧 Abingdon-on-Thames

🕒 Local time

11:28 11:28 AM

09:28 9:28 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

38,676

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Abingdon-on-Thames 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Abingdon-on-Thames

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 Abingdon-on-Thames: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul wins on cost – living expenses run 41% lower than in Abingdon-on-Thames. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Istanbul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 198% lower in Abingdon-on-Thames. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $1,196 in Abingdon-on-Thames. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Abingdon-on-Thames. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $80.0 in Abingdon-on-Thames. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,186 in Abingdon-on-Thames, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Abingdon-on-Thames. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Istanbul delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,550 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Istanbul hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Abingdon-on-Thames 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 41% less than in Abingdon-on-Thames. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.