Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Grays

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,369 in Grays, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
116

Cost of Living Index in Grays
Learn more

Grays Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Grays

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,369

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Grays

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $2,369 in Grays, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Grays $2,369

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $3,403 in Grays, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Grays $3,403

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $4,437 in Grays, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Grays $4,437

Istanbul is about 35% cheaper than Grays, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Grays sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Grays by 75%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$24.94 £18.71

-50.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$52.3 £39.24

4.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$9.98 £7.49

-7.62%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$4.64 £3.48

-5.17%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$3.86 £2.90

-56.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$3.32 £2.49

-82.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$5.40 £4.05

-12.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$7.88 £5.91

-25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.55 £1.16

-21.94%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.47 £1.10

-39.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.64 £1.23

33.54%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$4.41 £3.31

-46.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$12.06 £9.05

-13.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$9.17 £6.88

-38.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$15.11 £11.33

38.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.95 £2.21

-35.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.89 £1.42

22.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.82 £2.11

-54.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.77 £2.83

-52.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$2.20 £1.65

-70.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.79 £1.35

-64.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.18 £0.88

5.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.43 £1.07

-60.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$17.07 £12.80

-86.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$10.87 £8.16

23.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$3.04 £2.28

-21.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.23 £2.42

7.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.54 £2.66

-74.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$97.5 £73.1

-30.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$4.88 £3.66

-73.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.69 £2.02

-65.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$39.12 £29.35

-71.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.06 £1.54

-28.64%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$38.6K £29.0K

31.55%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$40.9K £30.7K

8.83%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$280 £210

-68.30%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$16.46 £12.35

-29.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$44.70 £33.53

-64.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$46.48 £34.87

66.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$11.16 £8.37

-27.06%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$2,079 £1,559

-51.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$30.6K £23.0K

-16.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$90.9 £68.2

-40.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$44.44 £33.34

-8.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$105 £78.4

-5.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$88.0 £66.0

9.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,235 £926

-20.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$1,012 £759

-35.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$2,126 £1,595

-6.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,634 £1,226

-27.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$5,052 £3,790

-37.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$3,847 £2,886

-53.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

5.12

699.22%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Grays: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Grays

$1K 42.7% 55.7% $362

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Grays

$313 13.2% 20.7% $54

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Grays

$357 15.1% 59.8% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Grays

$148 6.2% 12.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Grays

$341 14.4% 194% $225

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Grays

$69 2.9% 26.4% $25

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Grays

$130 5.5% 69% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $1,235 in Grays. 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 $52.0 in Grays. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Istanbul vs $313 in Grays – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇧 Grays

🕒 Local time

11:30 11:30 AM

09:30 9:30 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

36,601

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Grays 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Grays

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 Grays: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Grays is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $3,553 in Grays. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,550 in Istanbul and $2,369 in Grays. That's a gap of about 53%.

Public transport costs about 45% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Grays at $2,369. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Grays it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Istanbul – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Grays makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.