Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Barnet

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,870 in Barnet, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
141

Cost of Living Index in Barnet
Learn more

Barnet Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Barnet

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,870

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Barnet

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $2,870 in Barnet, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Barnet $2,870

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $4,261 in Barnet, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Barnet $4,261

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $5,652 in Barnet, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Barnet $5,652

Istanbul is about 46% cheaper than Barnet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Barnet sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Barnet by 113%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$22.85 £17.14

-46.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$90.7 £68.1

-39.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.61 £7.96

-13.10%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$5.47 £4.11

-19.56%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.90 £2.18

-42.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.93 £1.44

-69.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$7.75 £5.81

-39.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$6.59 £4.95

-10.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.62 £1.22

-25.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.70 £1.28

-47.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.47 £1.85

-11.34%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$4.83 £3.62

-51.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$11.57 £8.68

-9.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$10.56 £7.92

-46.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$16.86 £12.65

24.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.90 £2.17

-34.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.75 £1.31

32.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.05 £2.29

-58.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.53 £2.65

-49.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.83 £1.37

-64.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.85 £1.39

-65.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.22 £0.92

2.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.81 £1.36

-69.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$23.78 £17.84

-90.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$11.66 £8.75

15.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$3.25 £2.44

-26.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$4.52 £3.39

-23.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$2.28 £1.71

-60.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.39 £4.05

-76.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.69 £2.02

-65.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$49.27 £36.96

-77.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.14 £1.60

-31.31%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$37.5K £28.1K

35.59%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$41.0K £30.7K

8.68%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$340 £255

-73.91%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$18.10 £13.58

-35.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$41.24 £30.94

-61.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$17.01 £12.76

-52.15%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$2,583 £1,938

-60.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$34.8K £26.1K

-26.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$89.8 £67.4

-39.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$47.85 £35.90

-14.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$93.3 £70.0

6.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$126 £94.4

-23.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,947 £1,461

-49.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$1,557 £1,168

-58.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$3,311 £2,484

-40.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$2,802 £2,102

-57.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$14.3K £10.7K

-78.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$13.9K £10.5K

-87.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$2,612 £1,959

-53.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.74

763.29%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Barnet: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Barnet

$1.6K 54.3% 140% $907

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Barnet

$340 11.8% 30.9% $80

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Barnet

$352 12.3% 57.5% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Barnet

$161 5.6% 22.9% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Barnet

$399 13.9% 244% $283

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Barnet

$34 * 1.2% 63.6% $59

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Barnet

$28 * 1% 63.6% $49

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $1,947 in Barnet. 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 117% higher in Barnet, 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 $91.0 in Barnet. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $340 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇧 Barnet

🕒 Local time

18:03 6:03 PM

16:03 4:03 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

111,973

💱 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 Barnet 2,510 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Barnet

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 Barnet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Barnet is pricier by about 85%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $4,305 in Barnet. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $91.0 in Barnet. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Barnet, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Barnet at $2,870. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barnet it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Istanbul – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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