Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Derry

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,739 in Derry, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Derry
Learn more

Derry Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Derry

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Derry

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,739 in Derry, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Derry $1,739

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,589 in Derry, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Derry $2,589

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,439 in Derry, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Derry $3,439

Istanbul is about 11% cheaper than Derry, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Derry sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Derry by 29%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$18.87 £14.16

-34.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$73.9 £55.5

-26.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.38 £7.79

-11.18%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.88 £2.91

13.40%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.13 £1.60

-21.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.67 £1.25

-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

$5.88 £4.41

0.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.71 £1.28

-29.24%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.33 £1.00

-33.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.01 £1.51

8.96%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.30 £2.47

-28.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$7.44 £5.58

40.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$8.85 £6.64

-36.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$16.69 £12.52

25.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.69 £2.02

-29.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.28 £0.96

80.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.78 £2.08

-53.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.31 £2.48

-45.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.28 £0.96

-49.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.35 £1.01

-52.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.93 £0.70

34.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.52 £1.14

-63.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$21.22 £15.92

-88.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$10.54 £7.91

27.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.44 £1.83

-1.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.41 £2.56

2.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.67 £2.75

-75.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$94.8 £71.1

-28.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.38 £4.04

-76.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.14 £0.85

-19.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$34.36 £25.77

-68.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.83 £1.37

-19.67%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$38.2K £28.7K

32.84%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$40.0K £30.0K

11.21%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$132 £98.9

-32.78%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$15.52 £11.64

-25.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$42.42 £31.82

-62.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$34.68 £26.02

122.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$13.42 £10.07

69.45%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$10.42 £7.82

-21.88%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$932 £699

8.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$22.1K £16.6K

15.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$97.0 £72.8

-44.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$39.08 £29.32

4.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$103 £77.2

-3.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$63.8 £47.83

51.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$821 £616

19.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$669 £502

-2.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,277 £958

55.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$956 £717

23.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$4,964 £3,724

-36.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$3,785 £2,839

-52.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.76

759.66%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Derry: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Derry

$669 38.5% 2.9% $19

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Derry

$286 16.4% 10% $26

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Derry

$283 16.3% 26.6% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Derry

$136 7.8% 4.3% $5.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Derry

$190 10.9% 63.6% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Derry

$56 3.2% 40.6% $38

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Derry

$121 6.9% 56.8% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $821 in Derry. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $74.0 in Derry. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $286 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇧 Derry

🕒 Local time

19:38 7:38 PM

17:38 5:38 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

85,016

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 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 Derry 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Derry

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 Derry: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul, $1,739 in Derry – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $2,609 in Derry. 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.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $932 in Derry. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Derry, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Derry at $1,739. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Derry it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Derry has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,550 in Istanbul to $1,739 in Derry. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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