Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Southwark and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Southwark: $1,473 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $920 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

72

Cost of Living Index in Southwark
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Southwark Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Southwark

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,473

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,473 per month in Southwark vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Southwark $1,473
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $4,277 per month in Southwark vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Southwark $4,277
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $7,080 per month in Southwark vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Southwark $7,080
Istanbul $3,281

Southwark is about 5% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Southwark and Istanbul sit above the global median – Southwark by 9%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.89 £18.67

$12.30 ₺609

102.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.4 £73.8

$54.7 ₺2,708

79.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 £7.99

$9.22 ₺456

15.51%

Cappuccino

$5.71 £4.28

$4.40 ₺218

29.77%

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

$2.97 £2.22

$1.68 ₺83.1

76.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 £1.87

$0.59 ₺29.40

323.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.43 £7.07

$4.70 ₺233

100.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.01 £6.01

$5.91 ₺292

35.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.21 ₺60.0

61.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 £1.53

$0.89 ₺44.10

129.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 £1.58

$2.19 ₺108

-4.11%

Eggs

$4.40 £3.30

$2.35 ₺116

87.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 £8.74

$10.42 ₺516

11.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.39 £7.04

$5.65 ₺280

66.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.91 £11.19

$20.94 ₺1,037

-28.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 £2.21

$1.90 ₺94.1

55.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 £1.02

$2.31 ₺114

-41.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 £2.15

$1.28 ₺63.1

124.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.53

$1.80 ₺89.0

87.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 £1.24

$0.65 ₺32.16

153.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.30

$0.64 ₺31.91

170.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.25 ₺62.1

4.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 £1.33

$0.56 ₺27.58

217.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.70 £17.78

$2.37 ₺118

900.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.87 £8.91

$13.42 ₺664

-11.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 £2.27

$2.40 ₺119

25.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$3.48 ₺172

-7.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.90 £2.93

$0.89 ₺43.84

338.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$159 £119

$67.4 ₺3,338

136.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 £3.79

$1.29 ₺64.1

291.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 £2.02

$0.92 ₺45.70

193.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.31 £29.49

$10.96 ₺542

258.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$1.47 ₺72.9

45.58%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-24.03%

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

$40.2K £30.2K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-9.62%

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

$329 £247

$88.6 ₺4,387

271.44%

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

$17.85 £13.39

$11.59 ₺574

54.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.79 £30.60

$15.81 ₺783

158.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$17.69 £13.27

$8.14 ₺403

117.32%

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

$2,484 £1,864

$1,008 ₺49.9K

146.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.9K £22.4K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

16.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.9 £68.2

$54.0 ₺2,671

68.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.17 £34.63

$40.83 ₺2,021

13.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 £77.1

$98.9 ₺4,895

3.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.2 £66.9

$96.6 ₺4,783

-7.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,309 £1,732

$985 ₺48.7K

134.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,679 £4,260

$1,983 ₺98.2K

186.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,867 £2,901

$1,180 ₺58.4K

227.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,165 £3,124

$1,205 ₺59.7K

245.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

40.92

-87.49%

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

Last update for Southwark: October 10, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Southwark

$388 26.3%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 70.1% $272

Eating Out

Southwark

$385 26.1%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 41.9% $161

Groceries & Markets

Southwark

$324 22%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 19.9% $64

Getting Around

Southwark

$193 13.1%

Istanbul

$77 5% 60.3% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Southwark

$148 10.1%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 11.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Southwark

$35 * 2.4%

Istanbul

$93 6% 164% $58

Accommodation & Living

Southwark

- * 0%

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,309 in Southwark 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 245% higher in Southwark, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98.0 in Southwark versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Southwark

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

01:07 1:07 AM

03:07 3:07 AM

2 h ahead of Southwark

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,552

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 18, 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 18, 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

Southwark Istanbul 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Southwark
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

Southwark vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,210 per month in Southwark 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 Southwark, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $2,484 per month in Southwark and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 25% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Southwark, where all-in costs run around $1,473, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Southwark it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Southwark – 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 Southwark. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.