Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston upon Thames and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $3,276 in Kingston upon Thames, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

161

Cost of Living Index in Kingston upon Thames
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Kingston upon Thames Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Kingston upon Thames

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,276

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kingston upon Thames and in Istanbul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kingston upon Thames and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,276 per month in Kingston upon Thames vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kingston upon Thames $3,276
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $4,746 per month in Kingston upon Thames vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kingston upon Thames $4,746
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $6,216 per month in Kingston upon Thames vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kingston upon Thames $6,216
Istanbul $3,281

Kingston upon Thames costs about 111% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kingston upon Thames and Istanbul sit above the global median – Kingston upon Thames by 143%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 £16.58

$12.30 ₺609

79.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.6 £65.0

$54.7 ₺2,708

58.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.42 £7.82

$9.22 ₺456

13.02%

Cappuccino

$5.46 £4.09

$4.40 ₺218

24.09%

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

$3.00 £2.25

$1.68 ₺83.1

78.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.59 ₺29.40

205.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.20 £6.91

$4.70 ₺233

95.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 £5.93

$5.91 ₺292

33.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.21 ₺60.0

38.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 £1.30

$0.89 ₺44.10

94.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.84

$2.19 ₺108

11.87%

Eggs

$4.91 £3.68

$2.35 ₺116

108.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.46 £6.35

$10.42 ₺516

-18.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.72 £6.54

$5.65 ₺280

54.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 £9.74

$20.94 ₺1,037

-37.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 £2.35

$1.90 ₺94.1

64.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$2.31 ₺114

-41.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 £1.96

$1.28 ₺63.1

103.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 £2.18

$1.80 ₺89.0

61.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$0.65 ₺32.16

156.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 £1.28

$0.64 ₺31.91

167.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$1.25 ₺62.1

-0.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.56 ₺27.58

221.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$2.37 ₺118

882.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.31 £6.99

$13.42 ₺664

-30.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 £2.32

$2.40 ₺119

28.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 £3.34

$3.48 ₺172

27.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 £1.78

$0.89 ₺43.84

166.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.49 £31.88

$67.4 ₺3,338

-36.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 £3.69

$1.29 ₺64.1

280.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 £1.07

$0.92 ₺45.70

55.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.70 £17.78

$10.96 ₺542

116.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 £1.49

$1.47 ₺72.9

34.69%

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

$37.7K £28.3K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-25.79%

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

$39.8K £29.9K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-10.58%

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

$371 £278

$88.6 ₺4,387

318.19%

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

$15.63 £11.73

$11.59 ₺574

34.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.78 £30.60

$15.81 ₺783

157.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 £76.8

$77.2 ₺3,820

32.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.49 £7.87

$22.74 ₺1,126

-53.87%

Cinema Ticket

$19.46 £14.60

$8.14 ₺403

139.07%

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

$2,594 £1,946

$1,008 ₺49.9K

157.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K £16.6K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-13.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.7

$54.0 ₺2,671

111.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.6 £40.19

$40.83 ₺2,021

31.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.1 £58.6

$98.9 ₺4,895

-21.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 £79.7

$96.6 ₺4,783

9.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,035 £1,527

$985 ₺48.7K

106.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,832 £1,374

$650 ₺32.2K

181.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,567 £2,676

$1,983 ₺98.2K

79.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,164 £2,374

$1,180 ₺58.4K

168.13%

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)

$5,303 £3,978

$1,205 ₺59.7K

339.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

40.92

-88.42%

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

Last update for Kingston upon Thames: October 13, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston upon Thames

$1.8K 55.9%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 64.5% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston upon Thames

$427 13%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 72.8% $311

Eating Out

Kingston upon Thames

$355 10.8%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 37% $131

Groceries & Markets

Kingston upon Thames

$298 9.1%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 12.9% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston upon Thames

$158 4.8%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 17.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston upon Thames

$141 4.3%

Istanbul

$93 6% 33.9% $48

Getting Around

Kingston upon Thames

$64 2%

Istanbul

$77 5% 20.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,035 in Kingston upon Thames versus $985 in Istanbul. 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 340% higher in Kingston upon Thames, 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 $87.0 in Kingston upon Thames versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Kingston upon Thames

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

05:13 5:13 AM

07:13 7:13 AM

2 h ahead of Kingston upon Thames

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,013

15,701,602

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

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).

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).

USD to GBP in detail →

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Between locations

Kingston upon Thames Istanbul 2,510 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kingston upon Thames
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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

Kingston upon Thames vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kingston upon Thames is pricier by about 111%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,913 per month in Kingston upon Thames and $2,325 in Istanbul. 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 $2,594 per month in Kingston upon Thames and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Kingston upon Thames, 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 Kingston upon Thames at $3,276. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kingston upon Thames 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, Kingston upon Thames makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.