Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $30,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London 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 London and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

London $4,086
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $5,816 per month in London vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

London $5,816
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $7,546 per month in London vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

London $7,546
Istanbul $3,272

London costs about 168% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Istanbul sit above the global median – London by 205%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.62 £20.12

$11.88 ₺585

124.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$55.1 ₺2,715

95.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.86

$9.14 ₺450

13.68%

Cappuccino

$5.79 £4.38

$4.24 ₺209

36.56%

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

$3.01 £2.27

$1.75 ₺86.0

72.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.63

$0.54 ₺26.84

298.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.35 £7.07

$4.69 ₺231

99.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 £5.93

$5.97 ₺294

31.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.26 ₺62.1

42.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.56

$0.95 ₺46.82

116.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.74

$2.31 ₺114

Eggs

$5.05 £3.82

$2.47 ₺122

104.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 £9.50

$10.55 ₺520

19.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 £8.05

$5.60 ₺276

90.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.95

$21.21 ₺1,045

-19.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$1.93 ₺95.1

56.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.07

$2.29 ₺113

-38.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.31

$1.28 ₺63.1

138.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.56

$1.84 ₺90.8

83.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$0.67 ₺32.87

149.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.31

$0.59 ₺29.31

193.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.07

$1.33 ₺65.4

6.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$0.59 ₺29.11

203.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.22 £17.55

$2.36 ₺116

883.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 £9.82

$13.47 ₺664

-3.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 £2.41

$2.42 ₺119

31.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.34

$3.54 ₺174

24.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.93

$0.83 ₺40.65

366.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £189

$66.5 ₺3,274

276.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 £4.31

$1.35 ₺66.6

322.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.51

$0.85 ₺42.06

291.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.9 £43.77

$10.86 ₺535

433.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.54

$1.47 ₺72.3

38.78%

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

$37.5K £28.4K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-27.27%

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

$40.9K £30.9K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-7.99%

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

$376 £284

$89.2 ₺4,396

321.53%

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

$17.88 £13.51

$11.60 ₺572

54.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.01 £30.25

$16.10 ₺793

148.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 £46.23

$77.3 ₺3,806

-20.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 £15.93

$22.66 ₺1,116

-7.02%

Cinema Ticket

$17.95 £13.57

$8.34 ₺411

115.23%

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

$2,865 £2,166

$974 ₺48.0K

194.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.7K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

37.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.7

$52.7 ₺2,597

120.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 £40.88

$39.16 ₺1,930

38.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 £95.7

$103 ₺5,084

22.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 £120

$96.6 ₺4,760

64.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,853 £2,157

$994 ₺49.0K

187.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 £1,740

$629 ₺31.0K

265.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,201 £3,932

$2,024 ₺99.7K

156.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,723 £2,814

$1,155 ₺56.9K

222.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.0K £14.4K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

501.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,881 £5,957

$1,838 ₺90.5K

328.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,818 £3,642

$1,203 ₺59.3K

300.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

41.09

-88.68%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56.5%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 72.7% $1.7K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$434 10.7%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 73.1% $317

Eating Out

London

$397 9.7%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 45.1% $179

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.6%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 24.4% $85

Getting Around

London

$288 7.1%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 73.8% $213

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 36% $74

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 3.2% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $994 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 300% higher in London, 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 $108 in London versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

01:33 1:33 AM

03:33 3:33 AM

2 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

15,701,602

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.27 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.26 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Istanbul 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

London
Istanbul

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

London vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – London is pricier by about 168%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $2,289 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 $2,865 per month in London and $974 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in London, 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 $1,526, than in London at $4,086. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in London 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, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.