Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Fort William

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,446 in Fort William, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,550
/mo nomad
Fort William
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,446
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Fort William

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,446 in Fort William.

  • Istanbul $1,550
  • Fort William $2,446

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $3,571 in Fort William.

  • Istanbul $2,415
  • Fort William $3,571

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $4,696 in Fort William.

  • Istanbul $3,281
  • Fort William $4,696

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 37% less than in Fort William, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Fort William 81% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Fort William
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.30 ₺609
$19.99 £15.00
-38.47%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.7 ₺2,708
$95.5 £71.7
-42.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.22 ₺456
$10.72 £8.04
-13.99%
Cappuccino
$4.40 ₺218
$4.57 £3.43
-3.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 ₺83.1
$2.82 £2.12
-40.43%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 ₺29.40
$2.11 £1.58
-72.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.70 ₺233
$6.99 £5.25
-32.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.91 ₺292
$7.38 £5.53
-19.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Fort William
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.21 ₺60.0
$1.42 £1.07
-14.79%
White Bread (500g)
$0.89 ₺44.10
$1.72 £1.29
-48.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.19 ₺108
$2.01 £1.51
8.96%
Eggs
$2.35 ₺116
$3.54 £2.66
-33.62%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.42 ₺516
$8.50 £6.37
22.59%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.65 ₺280
$10.74 £8.06
-47.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.94 ₺1,037
$15.78 £11.84
32.70%
Apples (1kg)
$1.90 ₺94.1
$2.82 £2.11
-32.62%
Banana (1kg)
$2.31 ₺114
$1.29 £0.97
79.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 ₺63.1
$1.96 £1.47
-34.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 ₺89.0
$3.81 £2.86
-52.76%
Potato (1kg)
$0.65 ₺32.16
$1.09 £0.82
-40.37%
Onion (1kg)
$0.64 ₺31.91
$1.29 £0.97
-50.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 ₺62.1
$1.20 £0.90
4.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺27.58
$1.66 £1.25
-66.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.37 ₺118
$22.41 £16.81
-89.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.42 ₺664
$11.19 £8.39
19.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.40 ₺119
$2.79 £2.09
-13.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.48 ₺172
$3.06 £2.30
13.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Fort William
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.89 ₺43.84
$3.52 £2.64
-74.72%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$67.4 ₺3,338
$97.5 £73.1
-30.81%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.29 ₺64.1
$4.00 £3.00
-67.75%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.92 ₺45.70
$2.36 £1.77
-61.02%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.96 ₺542
$23.90 £17.93
-54.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ₺72.9
$1.99 £1.50
-26.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$50.8K ₺2.5M
$39.0K £29.2K
30.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.5K ₺2.2M
$40.1K £30.1K
11.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Fort William
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.6 ₺4,387
$386 £289
-77.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.59 ₺574
$27.12 £20.34
-57.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.81 ₺783
$42.28 £31.72
-62.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Fort William
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$77.2 ₺3,820
$45.49 £34.12
69.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.74 ₺1,126
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.14 ₺403
$11.15 £8.37
-27.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Fort William
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,008 ₺49.9K
$1,729 £1,297
-41.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.6K ₺1.3M
$22.5K £16.9K
13.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Fort William
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.0 ₺2,671
$94.6 £71.0
-42.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.83 ₺2,021
$48.49 £36.38
-15.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.9 ₺4,895
$103 £76.9
-3.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.6 ₺4,783
$114 £85.8
-15.49%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Fort William
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$985 ₺48.7K
$1,213 £910
-18.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$650 ₺32.2K
$1,015 £762
-35.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,983 ₺98.2K
$2,093 £1,570
-5.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,180 ₺58.4K
$1,649 £1,237
-28.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,138 ₺155.4K
$5,043 £3,784
-37.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,780 ₺88.1K
$3,935 £2,952
-54.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Fort William
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,205 ₺59.7K
$2,003 £1,503
-39.82%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
40.92
5.11
700.78%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Fort William: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$650
Fort William
$1K 56.2% $365
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$260
Fort William
$302 16.2% $42
Eating Out
Istanbul
$223
Fort William
$316 41.7% $93
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$131
Fort William
$162 24% $31
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$116
Fort William
$455 292% $339
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$93
Fort William
$68 27.5% $26
Getting Around
Istanbul
$77
Fort William
$127 65.6% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $1,213 in Fort William. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort William 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 $96.0 in Fort William for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $302 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇬🇧 Fort William
🕒 Local time
20:07 8:07 PM
18:07 6:07 PM
2 h behind Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
10,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Fort William 3,000 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Fort William

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 Fort William: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fort William cheaper than Istanbul?
Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 58% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Istanbul or Fort William?
On paper, salaries run 66% lower in Fort William. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Istanbul and Fort William?
Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $1,213 in Fort William. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Istanbul and in Fort William?
Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Fort William. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is eating out cheaper in Istanbul or in Fort William?
Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $96.0 in Fort William. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Istanbul or in Fort William?
At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,446 in Fort William, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Fort William. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Istanbul or Fort William more family-friendly?
For families, Istanbul is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Fort William, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Istanbul or Fort William?
Safety-wise, Istanbul and Fort William are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Istanbul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Fort William. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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