Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Harlow

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,320 in Harlow, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Harlow outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Harlow
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Harlow Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Harlow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,320

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Harlow

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,320 in Harlow.

Istanbul $1,550
Harlow $2,320

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $3,416 in Harlow.

Istanbul $2,415
Harlow $3,416

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $4,513 in Harlow.

Istanbul $3,281
Harlow $4,513

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 33% less than in Harlow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Harlow 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$21.12 £15.84

-41.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$93.0 £69.7

-41.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.72 £8.04

-13.99%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$5.71 £4.28

-22.94%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.61 £1.96

-35.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.79 £1.34

-67.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$6.71 £5.03

-29.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$6.81 £5.11

-13.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.35 £1.01

-10.37%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.38 £1.03

-35.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.10 £0.82

99.09%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.35 £1.76

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$6.66 £5.00

56.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$6.12 £4.59

-7.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$6.73 £5.05

211.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.03 £1.52

-6.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.18 £0.88

95.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.15 £0.86

11.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.95 £1.47

-7.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.58 £1.19

-58.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.33 £1.00

-51.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.35 £1.01

-7.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.48 £1.11

-62.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$20.83 £15.63

-88.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$9.04 £6.78

48.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.72 £2.04

-11.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.93 £1.45

80.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$2.63 £1.97

-66.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.84 £4.38

-77.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.62 £1.22

-43.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$21.14 £15.86

-48.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.85 £1.38

-20.54%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$37.4K £28.0K

35.83%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$41.1K £30.8K

8.47%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$220 £165

-59.63%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$11.73 £8.80

-1.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$28.08 £21.07

-43.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$45.62 £34.22

69.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$8.11 £6.09

180.39%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$12.56 £9.43

-35.19%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$1,062 £797

-5.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$20.0K £15.0K

27.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$69.9 £52.4

-22.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$31.69 £23.77

28.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$77.1 £57.8

28.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$37.87 £28.41

155.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,397 £1,048

-29.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$1,324 £993

-50.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$2,253 £1,690

-11.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$2,211 £1,659

-46.63%

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

$2,992 £2,245

-59.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.91

733.40%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Harlow: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Harlow

$1.3K 57.1% 104% $674

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Harlow

$209 9% 19.3% $50

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Harlow

$334 14.4% 49.8% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Harlow

$97 4.2% 25.4% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Harlow

$259 11.2% 124% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Harlow

$71 3.1% 24.3% $23

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Harlow

$24 * 1.1% 68.2% $52

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $1,397 in Harlow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Harlow pays 148% 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 $93.0 in Harlow. Groceries flip the comparison at $260 vs $209, with Harlow cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇧 Harlow

🕒 Local time

01:07 1:07 AM

23:07 11:07 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

86,191

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Harlow 2,490 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Harlow

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 Harlow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Harlow differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $2,320 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 148% lower in Harlow. 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 $1,397 in Harlow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Harlow pay roughly 24% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,550 per month in Istanbul versus $2,320 in Harlow – a 50% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,320 in Harlow, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Harlow. 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 Harlow 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 50% less than in Harlow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.