Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plymouth and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $2,602 in Plymouth, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Plymouth
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,602
/mo nomad
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,525
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,602 per month in Plymouth vs $1,525 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Plymouth $2,602
  • Istanbul $1,525

A couple spends around $3,589 per month in Plymouth vs $2,390 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Plymouth $3,589
  • Istanbul $2,390

A family of three spends $4,576 per month in Plymouth vs $3,256 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Plymouth $4,576
  • Istanbul $3,256

Plymouth costs about 71% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Plymouth and Istanbul sit above the global median – Plymouth by 92%, Istanbul by 13%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Plymouth
Istanbul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.12 £16.59
$11.96 ₺592
84.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$82.4 £61.8
$57.2 ₺2,834
43.95%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 £8.06
$9.51 ₺471
13.04%
Cappuccino
$5.02 £3.77
$4.40 ₺218
14.09%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.10 £1.57
$1.75 ₺86.6
20.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.71 £1.28
$0.56 ₺27.57
205.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.28 £4.71
$4.71 ₺233
33.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.09 £4.57
$6.14 ₺304
-0.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Plymouth
Istanbul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 £1.10
$1.24 ₺61.6
18.55%
White Bread (500g)
$1.23 £0.92
$0.95 ₺47.25
29.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.02 £2.26
$2.28 ₺113
32.46%
Eggs
$3.88 £2.91
$2.45 ₺121
58.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.24 £7.68
$10.56 ₺523
-3.03%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.51 £6.39
$5.50 ₺272
54.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.56 £10.18
$21.65 ₺1,072
-37.37%
Apples (1kg)
$2.04 £1.53
$1.83 ₺90.6
11.48%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 £1.08
$2.29 ₺113
-37.12%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.06 £3.05
$1.28 ₺63.4
217.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.96 £2.97
$1.82 ₺90.1
117.58%
Potato (1kg)
$1.90 £1.42
$0.66 ₺32.74
187.88%
Onion (1kg)
$1.41 £1.06
$0.63 ₺31.14
123.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.75 £1.31
$1.27 ₺62.8
37.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.47 £1.10
$0.56 ₺27.62
162.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$24.20 £18.15
$2.36 ₺117
925.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.19 £5.39
$12.98 ₺642
-44.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.08 £2.31
$2.48 ₺123
24.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.69 £3.52
$3.50 ₺174
34.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Plymouth
Istanbul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.88 £2.91
$0.82 ₺40.77
373.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$134 £100
$65.2 ₺3,228
104.77%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.57 £4.93
$1.33 ₺65.7
393.98%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.47 £1.85
$0.90 ₺44.60
174.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$10.91 ₺540
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.01 £1.51
$1.43 ₺70.7
40.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.7K £29.0K
$49.6K ₺2.5M
-21.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.6K £30.4K
$43.2K ₺2.1M
-6.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Plymouth
Istanbul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$463 £347
$88.8 ₺4,395
421.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.48 £24.37
$11.69 ₺579
177.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$63.2 £47.39
$16.09 ₺797
292.60%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Plymouth
Istanbul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.55 £32.68
$76.3 ₺3,776
-42.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.83 £13.37
$22.72 ₺1,125
-21.52%
Cinema Ticket
$11.52 £8.64
$8.26 ₺409
39.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Plymouth
Istanbul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,692 £2,019
$1,015 ₺50.2K
165.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$28.1K £21.1K
$25.8K ₺1.3M
8.69%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Plymouth
Istanbul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.1 £63.1
$53.3 ₺2,636
57.95%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.1 £42.86
$40.55 ₺2,008
40.89%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.6 £70.2
$100 ₺4,956
-6.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$80.7 £60.5
$93.5 ₺4,630
-13.73%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Plymouth
Istanbul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,044 £783
$977 ₺48.4K
6.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,043 £782
$627 ₺31.0K
66.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,243 £1,683
$1,980 ₺98.0K
13.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,415 £1,062
$1,147 ₺56.8K
23.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,882 £3,662
$3,095 ₺153.2K
57.71%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,369 £2,528
$1,787 ₺88.5K
88.53%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Plymouth
Istanbul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,046 £2,285
$1,213 ₺60.1K
151.09%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.64
40.69
-86.14%

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

Last update for Plymouth: October 18, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Plymouth
$1K
Istanbul
$627 39.9% $416
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Plymouth
$558
Istanbul
$117 79.1% $442
Eating Out
Plymouth
$328
Istanbul
$222 32.3% $106
Groceries & Markets
Plymouth
$296
Istanbul
$263 11.2% $33
Getting Around
Plymouth
$168
Istanbul
$74 55.7% $94
Clothing & Footwear
Plymouth
$142
Istanbul
$129 8.9% $13
Sport & Entertainment
Plymouth
$67
Istanbul
$93 39.3% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,044 in Plymouth versus $977 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 151% higher in Plymouth, 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 $82.0 in Plymouth versus $57.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $296 vs $263 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Plymouth
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🕒 Local time
16:35 4:35 PM
18:35 6:35 PM
2 h ahead of Plymouth
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
264,695
15,701,602
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Plymouth Istanbul 2,750 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Plymouth
  • 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
Plymouth vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Istanbul cheaper than Plymouth?
Yes – Plymouth is pricier by about 71%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,903 per month in Plymouth and $2,287 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $2,692 per month in Plymouth and $1,015 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Plymouth and in Istanbul?
Groceries cost about 13% more in Plymouth, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Plymouth or in Istanbul?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,525, than in Plymouth at $2,602. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Plymouth it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Plymouth or Istanbul more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Plymouth or Istanbul?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Plymouth makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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