Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Alton

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,530 in Alton, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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
124

Cost of Living Index in Alton
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Alton Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Alton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Alton

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 Alton actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $2,530 in Alton, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Alton $2,530

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $3,777 in Alton, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Alton $3,777

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $5,024 in Alton, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Alton $5,024

Istanbul is about 39% cheaper than Alton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Alton sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Alton by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$26.36 £19.78

-53.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$105 £78.8

-47.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.66 £8.00

-13.51%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$5.55 £4.17

-20.72%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$3.00 £2.25

-44.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$2.10 £1.58

-71.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$9.03 £6.77

-47.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$7.83 £5.87

-24.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.88 £1.41

-35.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.09 £1.57

-57.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.37 £1.78

-7.59%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.37 £2.53

-30.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$12.69 £9.52

-17.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$10.83 £8.12

-47.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$17.10 £12.83

22.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.11 £2.33

-38.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.40 £1.05

65.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.00 £2.25

-57.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.33 £2.49

-45.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.67 £1.25

-61.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.81 £1.36

-64.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.45 £1.09

-13.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.87 £1.40

-70.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$23.32 £17.49

-89.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$10.63 £7.98

26.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.34 £1.76

2.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.67 £2.01

30.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.34 £2.51

-73.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$96.8 £72.6

-30.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.49 £4.12

-76.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$3.37 £2.53

-72.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$25.82 £19.37

-57.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.12 £1.59

-30.66%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$38.8K £29.1K

30.89%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$40.6K £30.4K

9.76%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$366 £275

-75.79%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$17.92 £13.44

-35.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$40.71 £30.54

-61.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$45.21 £33.92

70.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$17.61 £13.21

-53.78%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$2,896 £2,173

-65.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$35.1K £26.3K

-27.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$113 £84.6

-52.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$54.4 £40.77

-24.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$125 £94.1

-21.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$97.4 £73.0

-0.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,241 £931

-20.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$992 £744

-34.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$2,118 £1,589

-6.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,668 £1,252

-29.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$5,099 £3,825

-38.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$3,932 £2,950

-54.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.65

780.00%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Alton: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Alton

$992 39.2% 52.7% $342

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Alton

$334 13.2% 28.6% $74

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Alton

$391 15.4% 75% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Alton

$175 6.9% 34.3% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Alton

$425 16.8% 266% $309

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Alton

$80 3.2% 13.9% $13

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Alton

$133 5.2% 72.4% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $1,241 in Alton. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $105 in Alton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $334 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇧 Alton

🕒 Local time

06:34 6:34 AM

04:34 4:34 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

17,816

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Alton 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Alton

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 Alton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul, $2,530 in Alton – roughly 63% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $3,795 in Alton. 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.

Public transport costs about 44% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $2,896 in Alton. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Alton at $2,530. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alton it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,550 in Istanbul to $2,530 in Alton. 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, Alton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.