Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Lewisham

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $3,053 in Lewisham, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
150

Cost of Living Index in Lewisham
Learn more

Lewisham Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Lewisham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,053

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Lewisham

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $3,053 in Lewisham, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Lewisham $3,053

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $4,886 in Lewisham, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Lewisham $4,886

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $6,719 in Lewisham, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Lewisham $6,719

Istanbul is about 49% cheaper than Lewisham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Lewisham sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Lewisham by 126%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$23.43 £17.58

-47.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$79.9 £60.0

-31.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.40 £7.81

-11.35%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$4.85 £3.64

-9.28%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.04 £1.53

-17.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.73 £1.30

-65.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$6.54 £4.91

-28.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$5.83 £4.37

1.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.68 £1.26

-27.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.87 £1.40

-52.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.06 £1.55

6.31%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$4.36 £3.27

-46.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$6.63 £4.97

57.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$6.23 £4.68

-9.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$11.84 £8.89

76.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$4.30 £3.23

-55.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.42 £1.06

62.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.94 £1.45

-34.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.34 £2.50

-46.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.35 £1.01

-51.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.86 £1.40

-65.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.75 £0.57

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.49 £1.12

-62.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$23.34 £17.51

-89.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$11.44 £8.58

17.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.23 £1.67

7.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.82 £1.36

91.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.05 £2.29

-70.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$156 £117

-56.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$6.46 £4.85

-80.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$30.34 £22.76

-63.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.07 £1.55

-28.99%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$38.3K £28.7K

32.64%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$40.0K £30.0K

11.21%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$390 £292

-77.26%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$24.02 £18.02

-51.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$42.07 £31.56

-62.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$44.31 £33.24

74.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$16.82 £12.62

-51.61%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$804 £603

25.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$80.6K £60.5K

-68.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$153 £115

-64.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$65.7 £49.26

-37.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$136 £102

-27.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$126 £94.6

-23.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$2,218 £1,664

-55.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$1,524 £1,143

-57.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$5,403 £4,053

-63.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$3,541 £2,656

-66.67%

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

$3,136 £2,353

-61.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

5.54

638.63%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lewisham: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Lewisham

$1.5K 49.9% 135% $874

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Lewisham

$268 8.8% 3.4% $8.8

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Lewisham

$336 11% 50.6% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Lewisham

$217 7.1% 65.8% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Lewisham

$456 14.9% 293% $340

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Lewisham

$78 2.6% 16.6% $15

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Lewisham

$174 * 5.7% 127% $97

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $2,218 in Lewisham. 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 160% higher in Lewisham, 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $80.0 in Lewisham. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $268 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇧 Lewisham

🕒 Local time

18:34 6:34 PM

16:34 4:34 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

96,224

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

From you

Istanbul
Lewisham

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 Lewisham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lewisham is pricier by about 97%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $4,580 in Lewisham. 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 $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $804 in Lewisham. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Lewisham, 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 $1,550, than in Lewisham at $3,053. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lewisham 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, Lewisham makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.