Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and East London

For one person, living is cheaper in East London: $1,001 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
49

Cost of Living Index in East London
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East London Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

East London

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,001

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in East London

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,001 in East London, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
East London $1,001

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,632 in East London, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
East London $1,632

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $2,262 in East London, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
East London $2,262

Istanbul costs about 55% more than East London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while East London is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$9.27 R 153

32.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$38.10 R 628

43.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$5.73 R 94.4

60.91%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.07 R 34.16

112.56%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.02 R 16.79

64.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.78 R 12.92

-24.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.71 R 44.62

73.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.16 R 52.1

87.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.17 R 19.32

3.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.94 R 15.51

-5.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.52 R 24.99

44.08%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.29 R 37.81

2.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$8.72 R 144

19.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$5.36 R 88.3

5.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$6.64 R 109

215.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.55 R 25.49

22.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.55 R 25.62

49.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.68 R 27.68

-23.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.51 R 24.83

19.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.67 R 27.53

-61.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.42 R 23.45

-54.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.12 R 18.49

11.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.92 R 15.19

-39.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$2.85 R 47.01

-16.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$4.90 R 80.7

173.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.14 R 18.79

110.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$0.91 R 15.04

282.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.54 R 25.40

-42.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$46.97 R 774

43.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$1.19 R 19.60

8.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.49 R 8.11

87.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$8.55 R 141

28.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.35 R 22.30

8.89%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$35.4K R 582.9K

43.55%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$30.1K R 495.4K

48.07%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$121 R 1,994

-26.78%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$32.82 R 541

-64.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$44.33 R 730

-64.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$39.22 R 646

96.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$4.81 R 79.3

69.23%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$176 R 2,896

473.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$5,405 R 89.1K

372.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$57.3 R 944

-5.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$33.61 R 554

21.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$73.7 R 1,214

34.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$95.2 R 1,568

1.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$289 R 4,760

240.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$256 R 4,219

153.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$547 R 9,017

262.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$655 R 10.8K

80.30%

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

$1,657 R 27.3K

-27.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

272.00%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for East London: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

East London

$256 25.6% 60.6% $394

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

East London

$181 18.1% 30.2% $78

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

East London

$143 14.3% 35.8% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

East London

$117 11.7% 10.5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

East London

$198 19.8% 70.8% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

East London

$49 4.9% 47.7% $45

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

East London

$57 5.7% 26.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $289 in East London. 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 37% higher in East London, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $38.00 in East London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $181 – making East London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇿🇦 East London

🕒 Local time

14:07 2:07 PM

13:07 1:07 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

267,007

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul East London 8,230 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
East London

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 East London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul, $1,001 in East London – roughly 55% 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 $1,502 in East London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in East London, 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 $176 in East London. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 43% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in East London, where all-in costs run around $1,001, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In East London it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,001 in East London to $1,550 in Istanbul. 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 East London. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.