Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Southampton and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,681 in Southampton, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Southampton
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Southampton Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Southampton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,681

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,681 per month in Southampton vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Southampton $2,681
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $3,835 per month in Southampton vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Southampton $3,835
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $4,989 per month in Southampton vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Southampton $4,989
Istanbul $3,272

Southampton costs about 76% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Southampton and Istanbul sit above the global median – Southampton by 100%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.05 £19.68

$11.88 ₺585

119.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 £68.5

$55.1 ₺2,714

64.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.35 £8.57

$9.14 ₺450

24.18%

Cappuccino

$5.14 £3.89

$4.24 ₺209

21.23%

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

$2.97 £2.24

$1.75 ₺86.0

69.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 £1.62

$0.54 ₺26.83

296.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 £5.65

$4.69 ₺231

59.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 £4.94

$5.97 ₺294

9.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.48

$1.26 ₺62.1

55.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 £1.31

$0.95 ₺46.81

82.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 £2.25

$2.31 ₺114

29.00%

Eggs

$4.54 £3.43

$2.47 ₺122

83.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.89 £7.47

$10.55 ₺520

-6.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 £7.12

$5.60 ₺276

68.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.27 £10.78

$21.21 ₺1,045

-32.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.26

$1.93 ₺95.1

54.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 £1.32

$2.29 ₺113

-23.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 £2.18

$1.28 ₺63.1

125.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.55 £2.68

$1.84 ₺90.8

92.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 £1.34

$0.67 ₺32.86

165.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 £1.14

$0.59 ₺29.31

155.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.94

$1.33 ₺65.4

-6.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 £1.32

$0.59 ₺29.10

194.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.37 £16.15

$2.36 ₺116

805.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.85 £8.20

$13.47 ₺664

-19.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 £2.23

$2.42 ₺119

21.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 £2.62

$3.54 ₺174

-2.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.36

$0.83 ₺40.64

277.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.2 £65.1

$66.5 ₺3,273

29.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.27 £3.23

$1.35 ₺66.6

216.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 £1.46

$0.85 ₺42.05

127.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.36 £23.70

$10.86 ₺535

188.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.58

$1.47 ₺72.3

42.18%

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

$37.7K £28.5K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-26.92%

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

$40.2K £30.3K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-9.66%

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

$325 £245

$89.2 ₺4,395

264.04%

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

$29.44 £22.25

$11.60 ₺572

153.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.9 £40.75

$16.10 ₺793

234.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.02 £31.00

$77.3 ₺3,805

-46.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.46 £12.44

$22.66 ₺1,116

-27.36%

Cinema Ticket

$15.69 £11.85

$8.34 ₺411

88.13%

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

$1,560 £1,179

$974 ₺48.0K

60.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K £13.4K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-31.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 £77.8

$52.7 ₺2,597

95.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 £38.49

$39.16 ₺1,929

30.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.4 £75.1

$103 ₺5,083

-3.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 £101

$96.6 ₺4,759

37.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,500 £1,133

$994 ₺49.0K

50.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,192 £901

$629 ₺31.0K

89.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,397 £1,811

$2,024 ₺99.7K

18.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,859 £1,405

$1,155 ₺56.9K

60.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,870 £4,436

$3,160 ₺155.7K

85.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,381 £4,066

$1,838 ₺90.5K

192.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,333 £2,519

$1,203 ₺59.3K

176.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.96

41.09

-87.93%

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

Last update for Southampton: October 5, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Southampton

$1.2K 45%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 47.2% $563

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Southampton

$408 15.4%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 71.4% $291

Eating Out

Southampton

$375 14.1%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 41.9% $157

Groceries & Markets

Southampton

$319 12%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 17.2% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Southampton

$174 6.6%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 24.5% $43

Getting Around

Southampton

$113 4.2%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 33.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Southampton

$72 2.7%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 29.8% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,500 in Southampton 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 177% higher in Southampton, 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 $91.0 in Southampton versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $319 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Southampton

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

02:37 2:37 AM

04:37 4:37 AM

2 h ahead of Southampton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

228,600

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 = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Southampton Istanbul 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Southampton
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

Southampton vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Southampton is pricier by about 76%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,021 per month in Southampton 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 $1,560 per month in Southampton 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 21% more in Southampton, 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 Southampton at $2,681. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Southampton 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, Southampton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.