Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Glenrothes

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,407 in Glenrothes, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
118

Cost of Living Index in Glenrothes
Learn more

Glenrothes Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Glenrothes

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,407

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Glenrothes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,407 in Glenrothes.

Istanbul $1,550
Glenrothes $2,407

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $3,428 in Glenrothes.

Istanbul $2,415
Glenrothes $3,428

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $4,449 in Glenrothes.

Istanbul $3,281
Glenrothes $4,449

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 36% less than in Glenrothes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Glenrothes 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$15.27 £11.46

-19.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$61.7 £46.31

-11.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.39 £7.80

-11.26%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.80 £2.85

15.79%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.58 £1.93

-34.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$2.16 £1.62

-72.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$6.77 £5.08

-30.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$5.65 £4.24

4.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.58 £1.18

-23.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.76 £1.32

-49.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.95 £1.46

12.31%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$4.52 £3.39

-48.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$8.83 £6.63

18.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$11.84 £8.88

-52.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$16.43 £12.32

27.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.90 £2.18

-34.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.37 £1.03

68.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.81 £2.11

-54.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.69 £2.77

-51.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.67 £1.25

-61.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.46 £1.09

-56.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.25 £0.94

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.62 £1.21

-65.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$22.44 £16.83

-89.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$10.81 £8.11

24.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.75 £2.06

-12.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.07 £2.31

13.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.35 £2.52

-73.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$96.2 £72.2

-29.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$3.86 £2.90

-66.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.43 £1.82

-62.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$23.74 £17.81

-53.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.90 £1.42

-22.63%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$38.3K £28.7K

32.70%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$41.3K £31.0K

7.93%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$404 £303

-78.04%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$27.14 £20.36

-57.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$42.31 £31.74

-62.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$45.98 £34.50

67.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$11.27 £8.46

-27.77%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$1,797 £1,348

-43.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$22.8K £17.1K

11.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$94.8 £71.1

-43.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$48.40 £36.31

-15.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$102 £76.6

-3.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$114 £85.6

-15.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,198 £899

-17.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$994 £746

-34.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$2,090 £1,568

-5.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,622 £1,217

-27.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$4,949 £3,713

-36.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$3,856 £2,893

-53.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$3,359 £2,520

-64.12%

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 Glenrothes: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Glenrothes

$994 41.3% 53% $344

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Glenrothes

$321 13.3% 23.4% $61

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Glenrothes

$263 10.9% 17.8% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Glenrothes

$162 6.7% 23.9% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Glenrothes

$473 19.7% 308% $357

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Glenrothes

$69 2.9% 26.7% $25

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Glenrothes

$126 5.2% 63.5% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $1,198 in Glenrothes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Glenrothes pays 179% 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 $62.0 in Glenrothes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $321 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇧 Glenrothes

🕒 Local time

20:42 8:42 PM

18:42 6:42 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

39,277

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Istanbul Glenrothes 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

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Istanbul
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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 Glenrothes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 55% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 179% lower in Glenrothes. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $1,198 in Glenrothes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $62.0 in Glenrothes. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,550 per month in Istanbul versus $2,407 in Glenrothes – a 55% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,407 in Glenrothes, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Glenrothes. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Istanbul is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Glenrothes, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Glenrothes are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Istanbul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Glenrothes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.