Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Carmarthen

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,326 in Carmarthen, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
114

Cost of Living Index in Carmarthen
Learn more

Carmarthen Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Carmarthen

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,326

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Carmarthen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,326 in Carmarthen.

Istanbul $1,550
Carmarthen $2,326

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $3,066 in Carmarthen.

Istanbul $2,415
Carmarthen $3,066

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $3,806 in Carmarthen.

Istanbul $3,281
Carmarthen $3,806

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 33% less than in Carmarthen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Carmarthen 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$20.88 £15.66

-41.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$65.2 £48.93

-16.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$9.20 £6.90

0.22%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.56 £2.67

23.60%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.45 £1.84

-31.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.67 £1.26

-64.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$5.41 £4.06

-13.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$4.61 £3.45

28.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.50 £1.12

-19.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.19 £0.89

-25.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.99 £1.49

10.05%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$4.37 £3.28

-46.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$8.13 £6.10

28.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$9.36 £7.02

-39.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$12.99 £9.75

61.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.06 £2.30

-37.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.79 £1.34

29.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.58 £1.93

-50.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$4.19 £3.14

-57.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$2.04 £1.53

-68.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.50 £1.12

-57.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.25 £0.94

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.98 £1.49

-71.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$23.59 £17.70

-89.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$10.63 £7.97

26.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.74 £2.06

-12.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.61 £2.71

-3.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$4.50 £3.38

-80.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$97.2 £72.9

-30.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$3.35 £2.51

-61.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.60 £1.20

-42.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$26.36 £19.78

-58.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.85 £1.39

-20.54%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$38.7K £29.0K

31.18%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$39.7K £29.8K

12.09%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$316 £237

-72.00%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$16.79 £12.60

-30.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$38.88 £29.17

-59.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$46.38 £34.80

66.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$13.66 £10.25

-40.41%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$2,223 £1,668

-54.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$24.8K £18.6K

3.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$98.6 £74.0

-45.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$48.36 £36.28

-15.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$108 £81.3

-8.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$98.0 £73.6

-1.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,200 £900

-17.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$1,004 £753

-35.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,272 £954

55.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,047 £785

12.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$5,108 £3,832

-38.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$3,890 £2,918

-54.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,998 £1,499

-39.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.87

740.25%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Carmarthen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Carmarthen

$1K 43.2% 54.6% $354

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Carmarthen

$300 12.9% 15.5% $40

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Carmarthen

$290 12.5% 29.9% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Carmarthen

$159 6.8% 21.8% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Carmarthen

$372 16% 221% $256

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Carmarthen

$74 3.2% 21.1% $20

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Carmarthen

$127 5.4% 64.7% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $1,200 in Carmarthen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carmarthen pays 66% 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 $65.0 in Carmarthen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $300 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇧 Carmarthen

🕒 Local time

23:23 11:23 PM

21:23 9:23 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

14,185

💱 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 Carmarthen 2,790 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Carmarthen

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 Carmarthen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 50% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 66% lower in Carmarthen. 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 $1,200 in Carmarthen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Carmarthen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $65.0 in Carmarthen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,326 in Carmarthen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Carmarthen. 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 Carmarthen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Carmarthen 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 50% less than in Carmarthen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.