Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oban and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,110 in Oban, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Oban
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Oban Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Oban

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,110

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,110 per month in Oban vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Oban $2,110
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $3,122 per month in Oban vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Oban $3,122
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $4,134 per month in Oban vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Oban $4,134
Istanbul $3,281

Oban costs about 36% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Oban and Istanbul sit above the global median – Oban by 56%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.10 £12.08

$12.30 ₺609

30.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.5 £64.9

$54.7 ₺2,708

58.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.48 £7.11

$9.22 ₺456

2.82%

Cappuccino

$4.82 £3.62

$4.40 ₺218

9.55%

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

$2.13 £1.60

$1.68 ₺83.1

26.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 £1.57

$0.59 ₺29.40

255.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.89 £4.42

$4.70 ₺233

25.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 £3.66

$5.91 ₺292

-17.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 £1.17

$1.21 ₺60.0

28.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.78 £1.33

$0.89 ₺44.10

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 £1.52

$2.19 ₺108

-7.76%

Eggs

$4.31 £3.23

$2.35 ₺116

83.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.89 £6.67

$10.42 ₺516

-14.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.01 £9.01

$5.65 ₺280

112.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.56 £12.43

$20.94 ₺1,037

-20.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 £2.12

$1.90 ₺94.1

48.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 £1.00

$2.31 ₺114

-42.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 £2.03

$1.28 ₺63.1

110.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 £2.79

$1.80 ₺89.0

106.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 £1.26

$0.65 ₺32.16

160.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 £1.08

$0.64 ₺31.91

125.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$1.25 ₺62.1

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 £1.26

$0.56 ₺27.58

200.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.81 £16.36

$2.37 ₺118

820.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.93 £8.20

$13.42 ₺664

-18.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 £1.97

$2.40 ₺119

9.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 £2.20

$3.48 ₺172

-15.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.36 £2.52

$0.89 ₺43.84

277.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 £77.2

$67.4 ₺3,338

52.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.04 £3.03

$1.29 ₺64.1

213.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 £1.80

$0.92 ₺45.70

160.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.71 £17.78

$10.96 ₺542

116.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 £1.52

$1.47 ₺72.9

38.10%

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

$38.6K £29.0K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-23.98%

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

$39.8K £29.9K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-10.59%

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

$332 £249

$88.6 ₺4,387

274.24%

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

$27.87 £20.91

$11.59 ₺574

140.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.49 £31.88

$15.81 ₺783

168.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.14 £33.86

$77.2 ₺3,820

-41.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.45 £4.84

$22.74 ₺1,126

-71.64%

Cinema Ticket

$11.34 £8.50

$8.14 ₺403

39.31%

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

$1,759 £1,320

$1,008 ₺49.9K

74.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-11.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.0 £73.5

$54.0 ₺2,671

81.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.44 £35.59

$40.83 ₺2,021

16.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 £78.0

$98.9 ₺4,895

5.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 £83.8

$96.6 ₺4,783

15.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 £917

$985 ₺48.7K

24.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$753 £565

$650 ₺32.2K

15.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,088 £1,566

$1,983 ₺98.2K

5.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,212 £909

$1,180 ₺58.4K

2.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,924 £3,694

$3,138 ₺155.4K

56.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,862 £2,897

$1,780 ₺88.1K

116.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,983 £2,238

$1,205 ₺59.7K

147.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

40.92

-87.51%

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

Last update for Oban: October 12, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oban

$753 35.7%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 13.7% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oban

$402 19.1%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 71.1% $286

Groceries & Markets

Oban

$320 15.2%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 19% $61

Eating Out

Oban

$271 12.9%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 17.6% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Oban

$162 7.7%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 19.6% $32

Getting Around

Oban

$132 6.3%

Istanbul

$77 5% 41.9% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Oban

$68 3.2%

Istanbul

$93 6% 37.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,222 in Oban 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 147% higher in Oban, 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 $86.0 in Oban versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Oban

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

19:44 7:44 PM

21:44 9:44 PM

2 h ahead of Oban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,500

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

Oban Istanbul 3,000 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Oban
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

Oban vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Oban is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,164 per month in Oban 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 $1,759 per month in Oban 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 23% more in Oban, 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 Oban at $2,110. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Oban 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, Oban makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.