Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Motherwell and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,285 in Motherwell, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Motherwell
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Motherwell Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Motherwell

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,285

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,285 per month in Motherwell vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Motherwell $2,285
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $3,349 per month in Motherwell vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Motherwell $3,349
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $4,414 per month in Motherwell vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Motherwell $4,414
Istanbul $3,281

Motherwell costs about 47% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Motherwell and Istanbul sit above the global median – Motherwell by 69%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.07 £15.06

$12.30 ₺609

63.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 £55.5

$54.7 ₺2,708

35.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.64 £7.98

$9.22 ₺456

15.40%

Cappuccino

$4.69 £3.52

$4.40 ₺218

6.59%

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

$2.15 £1.61

$1.68 ₺83.1

27.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 £1.32

$0.59 ₺29.40

198.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.41 £4.06

$4.70 ₺233

15.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.67 £5.00

$5.91 ₺292

12.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 £1.10

$1.21 ₺60.0

21.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 £1.22

$0.89 ₺44.10

83.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 £1.64

$2.19 ₺108

Eggs

$3.80 £2.85

$2.35 ₺116

61.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.14 £6.86

$10.42 ₺516

-12.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.13 £6.85

$5.65 ₺280

61.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.65 £12.49

$20.94 ₺1,037

-20.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 £2.11

$1.90 ₺94.1

47.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$2.31 ₺114

-34.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 £2.16

$1.28 ₺63.1

125.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.16 £2.37

$1.80 ₺89.0

75.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 £1.48

$0.65 ₺32.16

203.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 £1.07

$0.64 ₺31.91

121.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 £0.90

$1.25 ₺62.1

-4.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 £1.17

$0.56 ₺27.58

178.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.95 £15.71

$2.37 ₺118

783.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.45 £7.84

$13.42 ₺664

-22.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 £2.35

$2.40 ₺119

30.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 £2.56

$3.48 ₺172

-2.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.49 £2.62

$0.89 ₺43.84

292.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.5 £73.1

$67.4 ₺3,338

44.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.98 £4.49

$1.29 ₺64.1

363.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 £0.86

$0.92 ₺45.70

23.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.19 £21.15

$10.96 ₺542

157.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.57

$1.47 ₺72.9

42.18%

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

$38.5K £28.9K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-24.22%

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

$39.9K £30.0K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-10.33%

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

$241 £181

$88.6 ₺4,387

171.88%

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

$19.77 £14.83

$11.59 ₺574

70.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.45 £31.10

$15.81 ₺783

162.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.34 £34.77

$77.2 ₺3,820

-39.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 £4.99

$22.74 ₺1,126

-70.76%

Cinema Ticket

$12.06 £9.05

$8.14 ₺403

48.16%

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

$910 £683

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-9.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K £13.2K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-31.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$117 £87.7

$54.0 ₺2,671

116.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.37 £36.29

$40.83 ₺2,021

18.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 £77.7

$98.9 ₺4,895

4.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.2 £67.6

$96.6 ₺4,783

-6.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,218 £914

$985 ₺48.7K

23.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,019 £765

$650 ₺32.2K

56.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,124 £1,593

$1,983 ₺98.2K

7.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,643 £1,233

$1,180 ₺58.4K

39.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,030 £3,774

$3,138 ₺155.4K

60.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,920 £2,941

$1,780 ₺88.1K

120.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

-87.78%

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

Last update for Motherwell: October 10, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Motherwell

$1K 44.6%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 36.2% $369

Eating Out

Motherwell

$305 13.3%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 26.8% $82

Groceries & Markets

Motherwell

$304 13.3%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 14.6% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Motherwell

$302 13.2%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 61.6% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Motherwell

$162 7.1%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 19.2% $31

Getting Around

Motherwell

$123 5.4%

Istanbul

$77 5% 37.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Motherwell

$70 3.1%

Istanbul

$93 6% 32.6% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,218 in Motherwell 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Motherwell versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $304 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Motherwell

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

18:45 6:45 PM

20:45 8:45 PM

2 h ahead of Motherwell

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,120

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 19, 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 19, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Motherwell Istanbul 2,890 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Motherwell
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

Motherwell vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Motherwell is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,428 per month in Motherwell 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 $910 per month in Motherwell 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 17% more in Motherwell, 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 Motherwell at $2,285. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Motherwell 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, Motherwell makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.