Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Retford and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $2,255 in Retford, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Retford
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Retford Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Retford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,255

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,255 per month in Retford vs $1,525 in Istanbul, rent included.

Retford $2,255
Istanbul $1,525

A couple spends around $3,343 per month in Retford vs $2,390 in Istanbul, rent included.

Retford $3,343
Istanbul $2,390

A family of three spends $4,432 per month in Retford vs $3,256 in Istanbul, rent included.

Retford $4,432
Istanbul $3,256

Retford costs about 48% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Retford and Istanbul sit above the global median – Retford by 66%, Istanbul by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.72 £11.04

$11.96 ₺592

23.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 £49.87

$57.2 ₺2,834

16.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.14 £5.36

$9.51 ₺471

-24.92%

Cappuccino

$3.88 £2.91

$4.40 ₺218

-11.82%

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

$1.75 £1.31

$1.75 ₺86.6

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 £1.33

$0.56 ₺27.57

217.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.30 £3.22

$4.71 ₺233

-8.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 £3.26

$6.14 ₺304

-29.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.24 ₺61.6

38.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 £1.38

$0.95 ₺47.25

92.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 £1.23

$2.28 ₺113

-28.07%

Eggs

$4.66 £3.50

$2.45 ₺121

90.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.18 £8.39

$10.56 ₺523

5.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.16 £7.62

$5.50 ₺272

84.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.50 £9.38

$21.65 ₺1,072

-42.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 £1.56

$1.83 ₺90.6

14.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$2.29 ₺113

-21.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 £1.32

$1.28 ₺63.4

37.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.82 ₺90.1

-4.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 £1.11

$0.66 ₺32.74

124.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$0.63 ₺31.14

150.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 £0.31

$1.27 ₺62.8

-66.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 £1.17

$0.56 ₺27.62

178.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.33 £17.50

$2.36 ₺117

888.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 £5.83

$12.98 ₺642

-40.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 £1.27

$2.48 ₺123

-31.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 £1.53

$3.50 ₺174

-41.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.65 £2.74

$0.82 ₺40.77

345.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 £80.7

$65.2 ₺3,228

65.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 £3.70

$1.33 ₺65.7

270.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.91 £2.93

$0.90 ₺44.60

334.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.85 £21.64

$10.91 ₺540

164.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.57

$1.43 ₺70.7

46.15%

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

$40.1K £30.1K

$49.6K ₺2.5M

-19.02%

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

$44.2K £33.2K

$43.2K ₺2.1M

2.35%

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

$342 £257

$88.8 ₺4,395

285.21%

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

$27.87 £20.91

$11.69 ₺579

138.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.53 £34.91

$16.09 ₺797

189.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 £39.53

$76.3 ₺3,776

-30.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$11.50 £8.62

$8.26 ₺409

39.23%

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

$1,926 £1,445

$1,015 ₺50.2K

89.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K £17.9K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-7.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.1 £63.9

$53.3 ₺2,636

59.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.8 £45.59

$40.55 ₺2,008

49.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 £81.4

$100 ₺4,956

8.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 £121

$93.5 ₺4,630

72.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 £1,049

$977 ₺48.4K

43.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$924 £693

$627 ₺31.0K

47.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,099 £1,575

$1,980 ₺98.0K

6.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,675 £1,257

$1,147 ₺56.8K

46.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,059 £3,796

$3,095 ₺153.2K

63.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,851 £2,889

$1,787 ₺88.5K

115.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 £1,283

$1,213 ₺60.1K

41.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.3

40.69

-86.97%

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

Last update for Retford: 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

Retford

$924 41%

Istanbul

$627 41.1% 32.1% $297

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Retford

$416 18.5%

Istanbul

$117 7.6% 72% $300

Groceries & Markets

Retford

$276 12.2%

Istanbul

$263 17.2% 4.8% $13

Eating Out

Retford

$230 10.2%

Istanbul

$222 14.6% 3.5% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

Retford

$187 8.3%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 30.8% $58

Getting Around

Retford

$147 6.5%

Istanbul

$74 4.9% 49.3% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Retford

$76 3.4%

Istanbul

$93 6.1% 22.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,398 in Retford 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 41% higher in Retford, 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 $66.0 in Retford versus $57.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $276 vs $263 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Retford

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

11:46 11:46 AM

13:46 1:46 PM

2 h ahead of Retford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,023

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 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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Retford Istanbul 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Retford
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

Retford vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Retford is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,383 per month in Retford and $2,287 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 $1,926 per month in Retford and $1,015 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Retford, 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 $1,525, than in Retford at $2,255. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Retford 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, Retford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.