Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Cambridge

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $3,193 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Cambridge

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,193

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Cambridge

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $3,193 in Cambridge, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Cambridge $3,193

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $4,497 in Cambridge, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Cambridge $4,497

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $5,801 in Cambridge, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Cambridge $5,801

Istanbul is about 52% cheaper than Cambridge, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Cambridge sit above the global median – Istanbul by 14%, Cambridge by 138%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$21.44 £16.20

-44.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$89.5 £67.6

-38.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$10.39 £7.85

-12.03%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$4.65 £3.51

-8.82%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$2.82 £2.13

-37.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$1.89 £1.43

-71.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$7.64 £5.77

-38.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$6.53 £4.93

-8.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.57 £1.19

-19.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.81 £1.37

-47.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.48 £1.88

-6.85%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$4.56 £3.44

-45.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$9.59 £7.25

10.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$9.25 £6.99

-39.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$15.41 £11.65

37.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.90 £2.20

-33.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.72 £1.30

33.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.66 £2.77

-65.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$3.43 £2.59

-46.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.75 £1.33

-61.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.84 £1.39

-67.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.30 £0.98

2.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$1.96 £1.48

-69.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$22.60 £17.07

-89.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$11.17 £8.44

20.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$3.28 £2.48

-26.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$4.12 £3.11

-14.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$3.89 £2.94

-78.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$93.4 £70.6

-28.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$8.05 £6.09

-83.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$2.57 £1.94

-66.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$50.3 £38.03

-78.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$2.09 £1.58

-29.67%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$38.2K £28.9K

35.06%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$40.8K £30.8K

8.95%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$336 £254

-73.45%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$18.66 £14.10

-37.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$42.12 £31.83

-61.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$64.6 £48.79

19.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$20.61 £15.57

9.95%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$17.06 £12.89

-51.11%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$2,538 £1,918

-61.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$35.2K £26.6K

-26.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$88.2 £66.6

-40.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$47.02 £35.54

-16.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$93.3 £70.5

10.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$129 £97.2

-24.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$2,080 £1,572

-52.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$1,717 £1,297

-63.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$3,168 £2,394

-36.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$2,686 £2,030

-57.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$9,021 £6,817

-64.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$5,852 £4,422

-68.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$4,402 £3,327

-72.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

5.04

715.28%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cambridge: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Cambridge

$1.7K 54.4% 173% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Cambridge

$325 10.3% 23% $61

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Cambridge

$329 10.4% 50.8% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Cambridge

$161 5.1% 22.4% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Cambridge

$397 12.6% 239% $280

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Cambridge

$99 3.1% 5.1% $4.8

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Cambridge

$130 4.1% 72.3% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $2,080 in Cambridge. 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 266% higher in Cambridge, 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 $89.0 in Cambridge. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $325 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇧 Cambridge

🕒 Local time

09:26 9:26 AM

07:26 7:26 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

145,818

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Cambridge 2,510 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Cambridge

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 Cambridge: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cambridge is pricier by about 109%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $4,790 in Cambridge. 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 $89.0 in Cambridge. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,526 in Istanbul and $3,193 in Cambridge. That's a gap of about 109%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Cambridge at $3,193. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cambridge 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, Cambridge makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.