Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Greenwich

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $2,237 in Greenwich, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Greenwich
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Greenwich Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Greenwich

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,237

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Greenwich

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $2,237 in Greenwich, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Greenwich $2,237

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $3,322 in Greenwich, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Greenwich $3,322

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $4,408 in Greenwich, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Greenwich $4,408

Istanbul is about 32% cheaper than Greenwich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Greenwich sit above the global median – Istanbul by 13%, Greenwich by 65%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$24.39 £18.30

-50.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$81.4 £61.1

-29.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$13.29 £9.97

-28.44%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.95 £2.96

11.39%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$2.58 £1.93

-32.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$2.06 £1.54

-72.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$6.35 £4.76

-25.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$6.03 £4.52

1.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.66 £1.25

-25.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$1.72 £1.29

-44.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$2.06 £1.54

10.68%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$3.68 £2.76

-33.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$8.94 £6.71

18.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$7.48 £5.61

-26.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$20.05 £15.04

7.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$2.70 £2.03

-32.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.30 £0.97

76.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$1.88 £1.41

-31.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$1.35 £1.01

34.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$1.37 £1.02

-51.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$1.31 £0.98

-51.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.56 £1.17

-18.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$1.42 £1.06

-60.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$23.34 £17.51

-89.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$11.28 £8.46

15.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$1.92 £1.44

29.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$2.94 £2.21

19.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$4.03 £3.02

-79.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$90.6 £68.0

-28.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$5.20 £3.90

-74.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$2.05 £1.53

-56.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$29.37 £22.03

-62.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$2.03 £1.52

-29.56%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$39.2K £29.4K

26.37%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$40.7K £30.5K

6.12%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$300 £225

-70.39%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$15.50 £11.63

-24.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$46.60 £34.96

-65.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$46.79 £35.10

62.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$17.92 £13.45

-53.91%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$1,309 £982

-22.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$24.6K £18.4K

5.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$65.7 £49.28

-18.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$47.31 £35.49

-14.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$74.1 £55.6

35.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$80.5 £60.4

16.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$1,206 £905

-19.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$920 £690

-31.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$2,306 £1,730

-14.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$1,576 £1,182

-27.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$5,586 £4,190

-44.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$3,853 £2,891

-53.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

5.54

634.48%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Greenwich: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Greenwich

$920 41.2% 46.8% $293

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Greenwich

$285 12.7% 8.4% $22

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Greenwich

$345 15.4% 55.2% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Greenwich

$120 5.4% 6.9% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Greenwich

$362 16.2% 211% $245

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Greenwich

$83 3.7% 10.9% $10

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Greenwich

$122 5.5% 64.4% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $1,206 in Greenwich. 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 $57.0 in Istanbul versus $81.0 in Greenwich. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $285 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇧 Greenwich

🕒 Local time

01:06 1:06 AM

23:06 11:06 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

285,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Greenwich 2,490 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Greenwich

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 Greenwich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Greenwich is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $3,355 in Greenwich. 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.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Greenwich, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Istanbul and $81.0 in Greenwich. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,525, than in Greenwich at $2,237. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Greenwich 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, Greenwich makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.