Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Caernarfon

For one person, living is cheaper in Caernarfon: $1,196 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Caernarfon
Learn more

Caernarfon Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Caernarfon

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,196

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Caernarfon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,196 in Caernarfon.

Istanbul $1,550
Caernarfon $1,196

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $2,704 in Caernarfon.

Istanbul $2,415
Caernarfon $2,704

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $4,212 in Caernarfon.

Istanbul $3,281
Caernarfon $4,212

Living in Istanbul is roughly 30% more expensive than in Caernarfon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, Caernarfon is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$13.08 £9.82

-5.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$90.8 £68.1

-39.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$9.19 £6.90

0.33%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.85 £2.89

14.29%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.59 £1.95

-35.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.96 £1.47

-69.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$4.72 £3.54

-0.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.92 £2.94

50.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.84 £1.38

-34.24%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.68 £1.26

-47.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.20 £1.65

-0.45%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.32 £1.74

1.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$9.01 £6.76

15.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$7.38 £5.53

-23.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$15.08 £11.31

38.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.58 £1.93

-26.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.28 £0.96

80.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.29 £0.97

-0.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.36 £1.02

32.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.64 £1.23

-60.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.74 £1.31

-63.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.36 £1.02

-8.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.56 £1.17

-64.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$22.03 £16.53

-89.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$9.08 £6.81

47.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$3.58 £2.68

-32.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.35 £2.52

3.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$5.60 £4.20

-84.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$67.7 £50.8

-0.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.11 £3.83

-74.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.31 £1.73

-60.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$24.10 £18.08

-54.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.97 £1.48

-25.38%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$38.1K £28.6K

33.35%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$40.3K £30.3K

10.36%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$314 £236

-71.81%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$20.96 £15.72

-44.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$39.31 £29.49

-59.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$29.97 £22.48

157.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$15.92 £11.94

-48.87%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$1,570 £1,178

-35.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$23.6K £17.7K

8.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$107 £80.4

-49.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$49.70 £37.29

-17.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$107 £80.4

-7.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$79.8 £59.9

21.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$662 £497

48.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,604 £1,204

-26.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$3,516 £2,638

-65.72%

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 Caernarfon: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Caernarfon

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Caernarfon

$270 22.6% 4.1% $11

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Caernarfon

$228 19.1% 2.2% $4.9

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Caernarfon

$155 12.9% 18.5% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Caernarfon

$375 31.3% 223% $259

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Caernarfon

$62 5.2% 33.9% $32

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Caernarfon

$107 8.9% 38.8% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $662 in Caernarfon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Caernarfon pays 192% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $91.0 in Caernarfon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $270 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇧 Caernarfon

🕒 Local time

22:50 10:50 PM

20:50 8:50 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

9,500

💱 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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Between locations

Istanbul Caernarfon 2,820 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Caernarfon

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 Caernarfon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caernarfon is cheaper overall, especially in leisure. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 192% lower in Caernarfon. 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 $662 in Caernarfon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Caernarfon – a meal for two runs $91.0 versus $55.0 in Istanbul. 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 $1,196 in Caernarfon – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,196 in Caernarfon versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Caernarfon but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Caernarfon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Caernarfon is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Istanbul, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Caernarfon 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 Caernarfon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.