Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Lerwick

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $2,368 in Lerwick, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
114

Cost of Living Index in Lerwick
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Lerwick Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Lerwick

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Lerwick

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $2,368 in Lerwick, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Lerwick $2,368

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $3,415 in Lerwick, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Lerwick $3,415

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $4,462 in Lerwick, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Lerwick $4,462

Istanbul is about 36% cheaper than Lerwick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Lerwick sit above the global median – Istanbul by 13%, Lerwick by 75%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$20.15 £15.11

-40.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$98.5 £73.9

-41.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$10.35 £7.76

-8.12%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$5.40 £4.05

-18.52%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$2.25 £1.69

-22.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$1.64 £1.23

-65.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$6.45 £4.84

-26.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$5.86 £4.40

4.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.55 £1.16

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$1.69 £1.27

-43.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$2.21 £1.66

3.17%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$4.02 £3.02

-39.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$9.37 £7.03

12.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$8.57 £6.43

-35.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$14.44 £10.84

49.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$3.03 £2.27

-39.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.51 £1.13

51.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$2.76 £2.07

-53.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$3.28 £2.46

-44.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$1.83 £1.37

-63.93%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$1.71 £1.28

-63.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.26 £0.95

0.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$1.55 £1.16

-63.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$24.02 £18.02

-90.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$10.48 £7.86

23.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$3.00 £2.25

-17.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$3.27 £2.46

7.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$3.07 £2.30

-73.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$83.1 £62.3

-21.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$4.23 £3.18

-68.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$2.35 £1.76

-61.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$24.03 £18.03

-54.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$2.34 £1.75

-38.89%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$38.9K £29.2K

27.50%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$34.5K £25.9K

25.30%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$309 £232

-71.32%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$19.33 £14.50

-39.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$45.26 £33.95

-64.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$52.8 £39.61

44.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$13.32 £9.99

-37.99%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$1,392 £1,045

-27.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$24.5K £18.4K

5.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$88.7 £66.5

-39.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$50.6 £37.93

-19.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$89.1 £66.8

12.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$110 £82.8

-15.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$1,112 £834

-12.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$1,036 £777

-39.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$2,395 £1,797

-17.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$1,523 £1,143

-24.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$4,646 £3,486

-33.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$3,438 £2,579

-48.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

5.09

699.41%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lerwick: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Lerwick

$1K 43.7% 65.2% $409

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Lerwick

$298 12.6% 13.6% $36

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Lerwick

$317 13.4% 42.6% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Lerwick

$152 6.4% 17.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Lerwick

$374 15.8% 221% $258

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Lerwick

$79 3.4% 14.4% $13

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Lerwick

$111 4.7% 49.8% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $1,112 in Lerwick. 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 $99.0 in Lerwick. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $298 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇧 Lerwick

🕒 Local time

00:46 12:46 AM

22:46 10:46 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

7,000

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Lerwick 2,960 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Lerwick

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 Lerwick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lerwick is pricier by about 55%, 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 $3,552 in Lerwick. 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 $1,392 in Lerwick. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Lerwick, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,525, than in Lerwick at $2,368. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lerwick 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, Lerwick makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.