Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bridgend

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,403 in Bridgend, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
118

Cost of Living Index in Bridgend
Learn more

Bridgend Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Bridgend

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,403

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bridgend

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,403 in Bridgend.

Istanbul $1,550
Bridgend $2,403

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $3,539 in Bridgend.

Istanbul $2,415
Bridgend $3,539

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $4,675 in Bridgend.

Istanbul $3,281
Bridgend $4,675

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 36% less than in Bridgend, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Bridgend 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$20.59 £15.44

-40.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$86.1 £64.6

-36.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.60 £7.95

-13.02%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$4.86 £3.64

-9.47%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.52 £1.89

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.79 £1.34

-67.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$6.75 £5.06

-30.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$6.37 £4.78

-7.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.63 £1.23

-25.77%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.83 £1.37

-51.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.73 £2.05

-19.78%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$6.25 £4.69

-62.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$9.23 £6.93

12.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$11.63 £8.72

-51.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$14.48 £10.87

44.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.95 £2.21

-35.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.55 £1.17

49.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.74 £2.05

-53.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.30 £2.48

-45.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.67 £1.25

-61.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.52 £1.14

-57.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.21 £0.90

3.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.58 £1.19

-64.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$23.75 £17.82

-90.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$10.44 £7.83

28.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.97 £2.23

-19.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.19 £2.40

9.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.40 £2.55

-73.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$97.9 £73.4

-31.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$4.84 £3.63

-73.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.03 £1.52

-54.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$25.85 £19.39

-57.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.02 £1.52

-27.23%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$37.7K £28.3K

34.75%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$50.8K £38.1K

-12.37%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$360 £270

-75.39%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$25.43 £19.08

-54.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$35.20 £26.40

-55.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$47.82 £35.88

61.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$10.51 £7.89

116.37%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$13.12 £9.85

-37.96%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$1,617 £1,213

-37.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$21.9K £16.5K

16.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$87.5 £65.6

-38.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$45.20 £33.91

-9.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$88.1 £66.1

12.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$91.1 £68.3

6.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,219 £914

-19.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$998 £749

-34.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,141 £856

73.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,671 £1,253

-29.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$5,014 £3,761

-37.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$3,851 £2,889

-53.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$2,290 £1,718

-47.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

5.09

703.93%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bridgend: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Bridgend

$998 41.5% 53.6% $348

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Bridgend

$325 13.5% 25.3% $66

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Bridgend

$318 13.3% 42.6% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Bridgend

$140 5.8% 7.4% $9.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Bridgend

$421 17.5% 263% $305

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Bridgend

$74 3.1% 20.7% $19

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Bridgend

$126 5.3% 64.4% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $1,219 in Bridgend. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bridgend pays 90% 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 $86.0 in Bridgend for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $325 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇧 Bridgend

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

20:22 8:22 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

46,757

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Bridgend 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Bridgend

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 Bridgend: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Bridgend differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $2,403 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 90% lower in Bridgend. 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 $1,219 in Bridgend. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $1,617 in Bridgend. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Bridgend. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,403 in Bridgend, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Bridgend. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Bridgend 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 55% less than in Bridgend. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.