Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Chatham

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,956 in Chatham, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 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
144

Cost of Living Index in Chatham
Learn more

Chatham Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Chatham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Chatham

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $2,956 in Chatham, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Chatham $2,956

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $4,000 in Chatham, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Chatham $4,000

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $5,044 in Chatham, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Chatham $5,044

Istanbul is about 48% cheaper than Chatham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Istanbul and Chatham sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Chatham by 119%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$13.44 £10.08

-8.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$93.5 £70.2

-41.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$9.77 £7.33

-5.63%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.58 £2.69

22.91%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.95 £2.22

-43.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.60 £1.20

-63.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$6.26 £4.70

-24.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$6.63 £4.97

-10.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.87 £1.40

-35.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.05 £1.54

-56.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.13 £1.60

2.82%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.90 £2.93

-39.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$10.54 £7.90

-1.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$9.20 £6.90

-38.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$15.27 £11.46

37.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.93 £2.20

-35.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.95 £1.46

18.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.61 £1.96

-50.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.60 £2.70

-50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.97 £1.48

-67.01%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.88 £1.41

-65.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.18 £0.88

5.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.63 £1.22

-65.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$21.41 £16.06

-88.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$11.05 £8.29

21.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$3.03 £2.27

-20.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.40 £1.80

45.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$4.02 £3.02

-77.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$112 £84.3

-39.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$4.88 £3.66

-73.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.72 £2.04

-66.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$19.84 £14.88

-44.76%

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

$38.6K £29.0K

31.43%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$36.7K £27.5K

21.34%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$279 £209

-68.19%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$16.97 £12.73

-31.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$26.03 £19.53

-39.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$113 £85.1

-32.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$9.15 £6.87

148.52%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$17.64 £13.24

-53.85%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$2,046 £1,535

-50.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$30.6K £22.9K

-16.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$90.0 £67.5

-40.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$45.39 £34.06

-10.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$102 £76.8

-3.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$89.1 £66.8

8.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$2,044 £1,534

-51.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$1,632 £1,224

-60.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$2,470 £1,853

-19.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$2,092 £1,569

-43.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$7,902 £5,928

-60.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$7,319 £5,491

-75.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$2,938 £2,204

-58.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

5.12

699.22%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chatham: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Chatham

$1.6K 55.2% 151% $982

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Chatham

$318 10.7% 22.3% $58

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Chatham

$243 8.2% 8.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Chatham

$147 5% 12.6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Chatham

$322 10.9% 177% $206

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Chatham

$149 5% 59.2% $55

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Chatham

$147 5% 91% $70

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $2,044 in Chatham. 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 144% higher in Chatham, 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 $94.0 in Chatham. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $318 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇧 Chatham

🕒 Local time

15:14 3:14 PM

13:14 1:14 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

76,792

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Chatham 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Chatham

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 Chatham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chatham costs about 91% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $4,434 in Chatham. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,550 in Istanbul and $2,956 in Chatham. That's a gap of about 91%.

Public transport costs about 67% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Chatham at $2,956. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chatham it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Istanbul costs $1,550 versus $2,956 in Chatham. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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