Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kirkwall

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $2,121 in Kirkwall, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
103

Cost of Living Index in Kirkwall
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Kirkwall Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Kirkwall

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,121

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kirkwall

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $2,121 in Kirkwall, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Kirkwall $2,121

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $3,026 in Kirkwall, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Kirkwall $3,026

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $3,931 in Kirkwall, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Kirkwall $3,931

Istanbul is about 28% cheaper than Kirkwall, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Kirkwall sit above the global median – Istanbul by 13%, Kirkwall by 57%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$23.63 £17.73

-49.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$94.8 £71.1

-39.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$10.57 £7.93

-10.03%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.92 £2.94

12.24%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$3.26 £2.44

-46.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$1.31 £0.98

-57.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$6.20 £4.65

-24.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$8.47 £6.36

-27.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$0.79 £0.59

56.96%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$1.58 £1.19

-39.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$2.05 £1.54

11.22%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$3.22 £2.42

-23.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$6.59 £4.95

60.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$8.97 £6.73

-38.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$15.90 £11.92

36.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$2.20 £1.65

-16.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.97 £1.48

16.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$1.57 £1.18

-18.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$1.32 £0.99

37.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$1.11 £0.83

-40.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$1.09 £0.82

-42.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$0.77 £0.58

64.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$1.08 £0.81

-48.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$20.10 £15.08

-88.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$9.18 £6.89

41.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$2.71 £2.03

-8.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$2.88 £2.16

21.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$10.51 £7.89

-92.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$107 £80.4

-39.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$5.19 £3.90

-74.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$2.58 £1.93

-65.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$27.06 £20.30

-59.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$2.05 £1.54

-30.24%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$37.8K £28.4K

30.97%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$41.2K £30.9K

4.95%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$282 £212

-68.57%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$30.12 £22.60

-61.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$33.04 £24.79

-51.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$41.73 £31.31

82.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$11.46 £8.60

-27.92%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$1,237 £928

-17.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$91.5 £68.7

-41.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$43.72 £32.80

-7.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$95.0 £71.3

5.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$138 £103

-31.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$935 £701

4.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$792 £594

-20.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$1,182 £887

67.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$966 £725

18.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$1,914 £1,436

-36.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

5.07

702.56%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kirkwall: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Kirkwall

$792 37.3% 26.3% $165

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Kirkwall

$252 11.9% 4% $10

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Kirkwall

$334 15.8% 50.4% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Kirkwall

$165 7.8% 27.9% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Kirkwall

$346 16.3% 197% $229

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Kirkwall

$65 3.1% 30.3% $28

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Kirkwall

$167 7.9% 125% $93

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $935 in Kirkwall. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 58% higher in Kirkwall, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Istanbul versus $95.0 in Kirkwall. Groceries tell a different story – $263 in Istanbul vs $252 in Kirkwall – so Kirkwall wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇧 Kirkwall

🕒 Local time

22:24 10:24 PM

20:24 8:24 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

7,500

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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 Kirkwall 2,980 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kirkwall

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 Kirkwall: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kirkwall is pricier by about 39%, 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 $3,182 in Kirkwall. 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.

Kindergarten costs $1,015 per month in Istanbul and $1,237 in Kirkwall. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Kirkwall – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,525, than in Kirkwall at $2,121. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kirkwall 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, Kirkwall makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.