Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Wigan

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,964 in Wigan, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Wigan
Learn more

Wigan Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Wigan

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,964

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Wigan

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,964 in Wigan, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Wigan $1,964

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,893 in Wigan, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Wigan $2,893

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,823 in Wigan, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Wigan $3,823

Istanbul is about 21% cheaper than Wigan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Istanbul and Wigan sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Wigan by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$19.72 £14.80

-37.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$68.3 £51.2

-19.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$9.87 £7.40

-6.59%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.39 £2.54

29.79%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.37 £1.77

-29.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.53 £1.15

-61.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$4.54 £3.40

3.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$4.21 £3.16

40.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.27 £0.95

-4.72%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.36 £1.02

-34.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.29 £0.97

69.77%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.54 £2.66

-33.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$5.43 £4.08

91.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$5.56 £4.17

1.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$7.80 £5.85

168.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.51 £1.13

25.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.67 £1.25

38.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.53 £2.65

-63.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.82 £2.87

-52.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.79 £1.34

-63.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.71 £1.29

-62.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.20 £0.90

4.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.91 £1.43

-70.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$22.51 £16.89

-89.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$8.98 £6.74

49.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$4.39 £3.30

-45.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.26 £2.45

6.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$2.70 £2.02

-67.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$4.33 £3.25

-70.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$33.05 £24.79

-66.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.91 £1.44

-23.04%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$38.1K £28.6K

33.19%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$40.5K £30.4K

9.85%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$343 £258

-74.20%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$16.01 £12.01

-27.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$38.96 £29.23

-59.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$59.0 £44.26

30.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$17.13 £12.85

-52.48%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$797 £598

26.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$110 £82.4

-50.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$55.9 £41.97

-27.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$110 £82.8

-10.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$114 £85.3

-15.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$975 £732

0.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$760 £570

-14.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,593 £1,195

24.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,343 £1,008

-12.16%

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

$2,670 £2,003

-54.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

6.4

539.38%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Wigan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Wigan

$760 38.7% 16.9% $110

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Wigan

$247 12.6% 4.9% $13

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Wigan

$275 14% 23% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Wigan

$175 8.9% 34.3% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Wigan

$398 20.3% 243% $282

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Wigan

$93 4.8% 0.2% $0.2

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Wigan

$15 * 0.8% 80.3% $62

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 $975 in Wigan. 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 122% higher in Wigan, 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 $68.0 in Wigan. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Istanbul vs $247 in Wigan – so Wigan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇧 Wigan

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

04:26 4:26 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

81,203

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Wigan 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Wigan

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 Wigan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Wigan is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $2,946 in Wigan. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $68.0 in Wigan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Wigan – 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 $1,550, than in Wigan at $1,964. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wigan 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, Wigan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.