Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Stockton-on-Tees

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $1,692 in Stockton-on-Tees, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
82

Cost of Living Index in Stockton-on-Tees
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Stockton-on-Tees Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Stockton-on-Tees

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Stockton-on-Tees

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 Stockton-on-Tees actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $1,692 in Stockton-on-Tees, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Stockton-on-Tees $1,692

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $2,431 in Stockton-on-Tees, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Stockton-on-Tees $2,431

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $3,170 in Stockton-on-Tees, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Stockton-on-Tees $3,170

Istanbul is about 10% cheaper than Stockton-on-Tees, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Istanbul and Stockton-on-Tees sit above the global median – Istanbul by 13%, Stockton-on-Tees by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$13.37 £10.03

-10.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$68.7 £51.5

-16.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$10.50 £7.88

-9.43%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.39 £2.54

29.79%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$2.38 £1.78

-26.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$2.03 £1.52

-72.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$4.60 £3.45

2.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$4.13 £3.10

48.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.23 £0.92

0.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$1.05 £0.79

-9.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$1.38 £1.04

65.22%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$3.57 £2.68

-31.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$7.63 £5.72

38.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$7.06 £5.29

-22.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$13.99 £10.49

54.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$2.47 £1.85

-25.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.60 £1.20

43.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$2.24 £1.68

-42.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$1.82 £1.37

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$1.72 £1.29

-61.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$1.28 £0.96

-50.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.15 £0.87

10.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$1.57 £1.18

-64.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$23.04 £17.29

-89.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$8.02 £6.02

61.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$3.01 £2.25

-17.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$3.75 £2.81

-6.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$3.94 £2.96

-79.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$62.7 £47.01

4.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$4.45 £3.34

-70.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$33.23 £24.93

-67.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$1.99 £1.49

-28.14%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$38.9K £29.2K

27.46%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$40.2K £30.2K

7.32%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$354 £265

-74.90%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$25.85 £19.39

-54.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$45.40 £34.06

-64.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$17.10 £12.83

-51.70%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$799 £599

27.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$108 £81.3

-50.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$55.4 £41.55

-26.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$113 £84.5

-11.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$114 £85.2

-17.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$594 £446

64.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$494 £370

26.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$809 £607

144.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$711 £533

61.30%

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

$2,020 £1,515

-39.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

5.53

635.80%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Stockton-on-Tees: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Stockton-on-Tees

$494 29.2% 21.2% $133

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Stockton-on-Tees

$252 14.9% 3.9% $10

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Stockton-on-Tees

$228 13.5% 2.7% $6

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Stockton-on-Tees

$175 10.4% 35.6% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Stockton-on-Tees

$425 25.1% 265% $308

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Stockton-on-Tees

$34 * 2% 63.1% $59

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Stockton-on-Tees

$83 * 4.9% 11.5% $8.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $594 in Stockton-on-Tees. 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 66% higher in Stockton-on-Tees, 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 $69.0 in Stockton-on-Tees. Groceries tell a different story – $263 in Istanbul vs $252 in Stockton-on-Tees – so Stockton-on-Tees wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇧 Stockton-on-Tees

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

11:47 11:47 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

82,729

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Stockton-on-Tees 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Stockton-on-Tees

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 Stockton-on-Tees: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Stockton-on-Tees is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $2,537 in Stockton-on-Tees. 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 $799 in Stockton-on-Tees. 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 Stockton-on-Tees – 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 Stockton-on-Tees at $1,692. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stockton-on-Tees 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, Stockton-on-Tees makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.