Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Southwark

For one person, living is cheaper in Southwark: $1,473 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $920 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Southwark
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Southwark Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Southwark

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,473

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Southwark

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,473 in Southwark, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Southwark $1,473

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $4,277 in Southwark, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Southwark $4,277

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $7,080 in Southwark, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Southwark $7,080

Istanbul costs about 5% more than Southwark, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Southwark sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Southwark by 9%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$24.89 £18.67

-50.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$98.4 £73.8

-44.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.65 £7.99

-13.43%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$5.71 £4.28

-22.94%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.97 £2.22

-43.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$2.50 £1.87

-76.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$9.43 £7.07

-50.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$8.01 £6.01

-26.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.95 £1.47

-37.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.04 £1.53

-56.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.10 £1.58

4.29%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$4.40 £3.30

-46.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$11.64 £8.74

-10.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$9.39 £7.04

-39.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$14.91 £11.19

40.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.95 £2.21

-35.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.36 £1.02

69.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.87 £2.15

-55.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.38 £2.53

-46.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.65 £1.24

-60.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.73 £1.30

-63.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.30 £0.98

-3.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.78 £1.33

-68.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$23.70 £17.78

-90.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$11.87 £8.91

13.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$3.02 £2.27

-20.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.23 £2.42

7.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.90 £2.93

-77.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$159 £119

-57.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.05 £3.79

-74.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.70 £2.02

-65.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$39.31 £29.49

-72.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.14 £1.60

-31.31%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$38.6K £28.9K

31.63%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$40.2K £30.2K

10.64%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$329 £247

-73.08%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$17.85 £13.39

-35.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$40.79 £30.60

-61.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$17.69 £13.27

-53.99%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$2,484 £1,864

-59.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$29.9K £22.4K

-14.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$90.9 £68.2

-40.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$46.17 £34.63

-11.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$103 £77.1

-3.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$89.2 £66.9

8.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$2,309 £1,732

-57.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$5,679 £4,260

-65.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$3,867 £2,901

-69.49%

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

$4,165 £3,124

-71.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

5.12

699.22%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Southwark: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Southwark

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Southwark

$324 22% 24.8% $64

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Southwark

$385 26.1% 72.2% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Southwark

$148 10.1% 13.4% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Southwark

$388 26.3% 234% $272

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Southwark

$35 * 2.4% 62.1% $58

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Southwark

$193 13.1% 152% $117

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 $2,309 in Southwark. 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 245% higher in Southwark, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $98.0 in Southwark. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $324 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇧 Southwark

🕒 Local time

05:36 5:36 AM

03:36 3:36 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

71,552

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Southwark 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Southwark

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 Southwark: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 5%, 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 $2,210 in Southwark. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Southwark, 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 $2,484 in Southwark. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 25% cheaper in Istanbul – 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 Southwark, where all-in costs run around $1,473, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Southwark it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Southwark – 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 Southwark. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.