Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Gravesend

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,611 in Gravesend, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Gravesend
Learn more

Gravesend Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Gravesend

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Gravesend

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,611 in Gravesend.

Istanbul $1,550
Gravesend $2,611

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $3,686 in Gravesend.

Istanbul $2,415
Gravesend $3,686

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $4,761 in Gravesend.

Istanbul $3,281
Gravesend $4,761

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 41% less than in Gravesend, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Gravesend 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$19.60 £14.70

-37.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$72.6 £54.5

-24.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.39 £7.80

-11.26%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$4.51 £3.39

-2.44%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.96 £1.47

-14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.31 £0.98

-54.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$7.67 £5.76

-38.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$6.45 £4.84

-8.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.30 £0.98

-6.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.34 £1.01

-33.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.56 £1.92

-14.45%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.15 £2.36

-25.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$9.78 £7.33

6.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$9.36 £7.02

-39.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$12.07 £9.06

73.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.37 £1.78

-19.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.31 £0.98

76.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.60 £1.95

-50.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.45 £2.59

-47.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.13 £0.85

-42.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.97 £0.72

-34.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.29 £0.97

-3.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.82 £0.62

-31.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$22.79 £17.10

-89.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$11.14 £8.36

20.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.59 £1.95

-7.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$4.14 £3.11

-15.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.18 £2.39

-72.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$72.6 £54.4

-7.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$6.39 £4.79

-79.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.70 £2.02

-65.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$26.22 £19.67

-58.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.11 £1.59

-30.33%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$32.8K £24.6K

55.03%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$40.4K £30.3K

10.28%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$339 £254

-73.85%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$18.29 £13.72

-36.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$33.09 £24.82

-52.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$52.7 £39.51

46.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$14.71 £11.03

54.59%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$13.32 £9.99

-38.89%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$2,131 £1,599

-52.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$35.3K £26.5K

-27.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$90.9 £68.2

-40.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$26.25 £19.69

55.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$91.6 £68.7

7.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$126 £94.6

-23.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,508 £1,131

-34.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$1,306 £980

-50.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$2,620 £1,966

-24.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$2,023 £1,518

-41.68%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

5.04

711.90%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Gravesend: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Gravesend

$1.3K 50% 101% $656

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Gravesend

$273 10.5% 5.1% $13

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Gravesend

$306 11.7% 37.2% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Gravesend

$151 5.8% 15.4% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Gravesend

$390 15% 236% $274

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Gravesend

$79 3% 15.1% $14

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Gravesend

$105 4% 36.8% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $1,508 in Gravesend. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $73.0 in Gravesend for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $273 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇧 Gravesend

🕒 Local time

09:44 9:44 AM

07:44 7:44 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

54,263

💱 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 Gravesend 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Gravesend

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 Gravesend: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Gravesend differ by about 68% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $2,611 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,325 in Istanbul and $3,916 in Gravesend to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $1,508 in Gravesend. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Gravesend. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $73.0 in Gravesend. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,611 in Gravesend, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Gravesend. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Gravesend 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 68% less than in Gravesend. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.