Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Ashford

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,427 in Ashford, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Ashford
Learn more

Ashford Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Ashford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,427

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Ashford

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,427 in Ashford.

Istanbul $1,550
Ashford $2,427

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $3,351 in Ashford.

Istanbul $2,415
Ashford $3,351

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $4,276 in Ashford.

Istanbul $3,281
Ashford $4,276

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 36% less than in Ashford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Ashford 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$20.96 £15.73

-41.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$79.9 £60.0

-31.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.49 £7.87

-12.11%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$5.74 £4.30

-23.34%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.74 £2.05

-38.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.82 £1.37

-67.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$3.89 £2.92

20.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$7.09 £5.32

-16.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.48 £1.11

-18.24%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.32 £0.99

-32.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.69 £1.26

29.59%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.00 £2.25

-21.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$5.22 £3.92

99.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$6.91 £5.18

-18.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$14.39 £10.79

45.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.28 £2.46

-42.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.44 £1.08

60.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.67 £2.01

-52.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.17 £2.38

-43.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.67 £1.25

-61.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.46 £1.09

-56.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.44 £1.08

-13.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.42 £1.07

-60.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$18.83 £14.13

-87.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$9.24 £6.93

45.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.67 £2.00

-10.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.63 £2.73

-4.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.89 £2.92

-77.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$146 £110

-53.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$6.11 £4.58

-78.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.68 £1.26

-45.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$21.44 £16.08

-48.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.07 £1.55

-28.99%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$35.0K £26.2K

45.26%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$41.1K £30.9K

8.27%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$244 £183

-63.65%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$24.30 £18.23

-52.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$38.52 £28.90

-58.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$61.3 £45.99

25.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$18.74 £14.06

21.34%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$21.45 £16.10

-62.05%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$1,076 £808

-6.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$19.8K £14.9K

28.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$69.5 £52.1

-22.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$31.50 £23.63

29.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$76.7 £57.6

28.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$100 £75.1

-3.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,115 £836

-11.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$1,133 £850

-42.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,708 £1,282

16.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,425 £1,069

-17.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$6,328 £4,748

-50.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$4,671 £3,504

-61.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$2,452 £1,840

-50.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.91

733.40%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ashford: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Ashford

$1.1K 46.7% 74.4% $483

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Ashford

$262 10.8% 0.7% $1.9

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Ashford

$320 13.2% 43.3% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Ashford

$125 5.2% 4.3% $5.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Ashford

$307 12.6% 164% $191

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Ashford

$104 4.3% 11.5% $11

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Ashford

$176 7.3% 130% $100

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $1,115 in Ashford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ashford pays 103% 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 Ashford for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $262 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇧 Ashford

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

03:47 3:47 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

58,936

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Ashford 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Ashford

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 Ashford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 57% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 103% lower in Ashford. 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 $1,115 in Ashford. 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 Ashford. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,550 per month in Istanbul versus $2,427 in Ashford – a 57% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,427 in Ashford, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Ashford. 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 Ashford, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Ashford 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 57% less than in Ashford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.