Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Folkestone

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,957 in Folkestone, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
95

Cost of Living Index in Folkestone
Learn more

Folkestone Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Folkestone

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,957

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Folkestone

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,957 in Folkestone, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Folkestone $1,957

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $3,010 in Folkestone, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Folkestone $3,010

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $4,063 in Folkestone, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Folkestone $4,063

Istanbul is about 21% cheaper than Folkestone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Folkestone sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Folkestone by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$17.05 £12.79

-27.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$65.1 £48.82

-15.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.41 £7.81

-11.43%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$4.75 £3.56

-7.37%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.71 £2.03

-38.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.85 £1.39

-68.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$7.06 £5.30

-33.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$6.67 £5.00

-11.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.50 £1.13

-19.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.38 £1.04

-35.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.29 £0.97

69.77%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.02 £2.27

-22.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$9.51 £7.13

9.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$7.88 £5.91

-28.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$14.72 £11.04

42.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.26 £2.45

-41.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.44 £1.08

60.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.77 £2.08

-53.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.16 £2.37

-43.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.68 £1.26

-61.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.41 £1.06

-54.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.66 £1.24

-24.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.43 £1.07

-60.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$23.43 £17.58

-89.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$11.06 £8.30

21.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.72 £2.04

-11.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.69 £2.77

-5.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$2.62 £1.96

-66.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$33.05 £24.79

104.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$1.34 £1.01

-3.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.62 £1.21

-43.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$21.08 £15.82

-48.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.99 £1.49

-26.13%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$37.9K £28.4K

33.99%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$40.2K £30.2K

10.65%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$249 £187

-64.48%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$24.71 £18.54

-53.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$41.19 £30.90

-61.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$72.7 £54.5

6.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$9.58 £7.19

137.37%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$21.21 £15.91

-61.62%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$1,047 £786

-3.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$20.1K £15.1K

27.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$68.7 £51.5

-21.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$31.08 £23.32

31.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$78.8 £59.1

25.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$50.4 £37.79

91.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,142 £857

-13.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$794 £596

-18.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,491 £1,119

33.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,582 £1,187

-25.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$3,437 £2,578

-8.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$3,398 £2,549

-47.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.91

733.40%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Folkestone: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Folkestone

$794 40.6% 22.2% $144

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Folkestone

$285 14.6% 9.6% $25

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Folkestone

$291 14.9% 30.5% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Folkestone

$103 5.3% 21.1% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Folkestone

$315 16.1% 172% $199

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Folkestone

$115 5.9% 23.2% $22

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Folkestone

$53 2.7% 31.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $1,142 in Folkestone. 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 $65.0 in Folkestone. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $285 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇧 Folkestone

🕒 Local time

18:11 6:11 PM

16:11 4:11 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

45,273

💱 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 Folkestone 2,400 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Folkestone

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 Folkestone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul, $1,957 in Folkestone – roughly 26% 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 $2,935 in Folkestone. 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 $65.0 in Folkestone. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,550 in Istanbul and $1,957 in Folkestone. That's a gap of about 26%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Folkestone at $1,957. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Folkestone it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Folkestone has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,550 in Istanbul to $1,957 in Folkestone. 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, Folkestone makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.