Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Inverness

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,329 in Inverness, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Inverness
Learn more

Inverness Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Inverness

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,329

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Inverness

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,329 in Inverness.

Istanbul $1,550
Inverness $2,329

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $3,283 in Inverness.

Istanbul $2,415
Inverness $3,283

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $4,237 in Inverness.

Istanbul $3,281
Inverness $4,237

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Inverness 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$21.50 £16.13

-42.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$72.6 £54.4

-24.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.62 £7.97

-13.18%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$4.11 £3.09

7.06%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.03 £1.52

-17.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.29 £0.97

-54.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$5.20 £3.90

-9.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$6.71 £5.04

-11.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.57 £1.17

-22.93%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.61 £1.21

-44.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.93 £1.45

13.47%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.94 £2.95

-40.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$8.91 £6.69

16.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$8.70 £6.53

-35.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$16.00 £12.00

30.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.23 £1.67

-14.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.50 £1.12

54.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.57 £1.17

-18.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.33 £1.00

35.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.10 £0.82

-40.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.03 £0.77

-37.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.19 £0.89

5.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.55 £1.17

-63.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$21.23 £15.93

-88.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$11.19 £8.39

19.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$3.37 £2.53

-28.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.88 £2.16

20.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.21 £2.41

-72.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$60.2 £45.16

12.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.23 £3.92

-75.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.13 £0.84

-18.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$23.95 £17.97

-54.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.98 £1.48

-25.76%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$38.3K £28.7K

32.71%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$40.4K £30.3K

10.20%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$311 £233

-71.52%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$20.53 £15.40

-43.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$42.58 £31.94

-62.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$42.19 £31.65

82.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$7.85 £5.89

189.68%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$14.43 £10.83

-43.59%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$928 £696

8.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$21.3K £16.0K

19.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$90.0 £67.5

-40.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$43.32 £32.50

-5.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$91.8 £68.8

7.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$92.1 £69.1

4.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,290 £968

-23.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$1,071 £803

-39.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$2,271 £1,704

-12.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,573 £1,180

-25.00%

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

$3,229 £2,422

-62.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.79

754.28%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Inverness: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Inverness

$1.1K 46% 64.8% $421

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Inverness

$280 12% 7.9% $21

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Inverness

$306 13.1% 37% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Inverness

$143 6.1% 9.3% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Inverness

$374 16.1% 223% $258

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Inverness

$71 3.1% 24% $22

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Inverness

$84 3.6% 9.1% $7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $1,290 in Inverness. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Inverness pays 168% 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 $73.0 in Inverness for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $280 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇧 Inverness

🕒 Local time

17:44 5:44 PM

15:44 3:44 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

47,060

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Inverness 2,980 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Inverness

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 Inverness: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Inverness. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Istanbul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 168% lower in Inverness. 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 $1,290 in Inverness. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Istanbul runs roughly 12% less than in Inverness. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $928 in Inverness. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,329 in Inverness, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Inverness. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Istanbul delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,550 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Istanbul hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Inverness 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 Inverness. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.