Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St Helens and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,993 in St Helens, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in St Helens
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St Helens Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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St Helens

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,993

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,993 per month in St Helens vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

St Helens $1,993
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $3,045 per month in St Helens vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

St Helens $3,045
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $4,098 per month in St Helens vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

St Helens $4,098
Istanbul $3,281

St Helens costs about 29% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both St Helens and Istanbul sit above the global median – St Helens by 48%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.90 £20.18

$12.30 ₺609

118.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.6 £59.0

$54.7 ₺2,708

43.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.48 £7.86

$9.22 ₺456

13.67%

Cappuccino

$4.08 £3.06

$4.40 ₺218

-7.27%

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

$2.37 £1.78

$1.68 ₺83.1

41.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 £1.50

$0.59 ₺29.40

237.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.36 £4.02

$4.70 ₺233

14.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 £3.41

$5.91 ₺292

-23.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 £1.01

$1.21 ₺60.0

10.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 £1.33

$0.89 ₺44.10

98.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 £1.46

$2.19 ₺108

-11.42%

Eggs

$4.01 £3.01

$2.35 ₺116

70.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.00 £6.75

$10.42 ₺516

-13.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.28 £6.21

$5.65 ₺280

46.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.66 £7.99

$20.94 ₺1,037

-49.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 £2.44

$1.90 ₺94.1

71.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 £0.97

$2.31 ₺114

-43.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 £2.27

$1.28 ₺63.1

136.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.45 £2.59

$1.80 ₺89.0

91.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 £0.86

$0.65 ₺32.16

76.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$0.64 ₺31.91

185.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.25 ₺62.1

4.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 £0.98

$0.56 ₺27.58

132.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.59 £14.70

$2.37 ₺118

726.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 £7.47

$13.42 ₺664

-25.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 £2.14

$2.40 ₺119

19.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 £1.95

$3.48 ₺172

-25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.65 £1.99

$0.89 ₺43.84

197.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 £75.1

$67.4 ₺3,338

48.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.37 £2.53

$1.29 ₺64.1

161.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 £1.56

$0.92 ₺45.70

125.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.82 £11.87

$10.96 ₺542

44.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 £1.46

$1.47 ₺72.9

31.97%

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

$26.4K £19.8K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-48.00%

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

$33.6K £25.2K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-24.45%

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

$365 £274

$88.6 ₺4,387

311.49%

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

$17.20 £12.91

$11.59 ₺574

48.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.87 £32.91

$15.81 ₺783

177.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.94 £20.21

$77.2 ₺3,820

-65.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.85 £2.89

$22.74 ₺1,126

-83.07%

Cinema Ticket

$13.42 £10.07

$8.14 ₺403

64.86%

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

$805 £604

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-20.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,625 £4,971

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-74.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.0 £48.78

$54.0 ₺2,671

20.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.08 £29.32

$40.83 ₺2,021

-4.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 £54.3

$98.9 ₺4,895

-26.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 £81.7

$96.6 ₺4,783

12.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$797 £598

$985 ₺48.7K

-19.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$636 £477

$650 ₺32.2K

-2.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,503 £1,128

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-24.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 £943

$1,180 ₺58.4K

6.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,315 £2,487

$3,138 ₺155.4K

5.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,308 £1,731

$1,780 ₺88.1K

29.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,863 £1,398

$1,205 ₺59.7K

54.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.21

40.92

-87.27%

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

Last update for St Helens: October 11, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St Helens

$636 31.9%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 2.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St Helens

$426 21.4%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 72.7% $310

Eating Out

St Helens

$349 17.5%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 36% $126

Groceries & Markets

St Helens

$276 13.9%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 5.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

St Helens

$128 6.4%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 1.7% $2.2

Getting Around

St Helens

$124 6.2%

Istanbul

$77 5% 38.2% $48

Sport & Entertainment

St Helens

$54 2.7%

Istanbul

$93 6% 73.8% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $797 in St Helens 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 55% higher in St Helens, 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 $79.0 in St Helens versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $276 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 St Helens

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

14:32 2:32 PM

2 h ahead of St Helens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

183,200

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 →

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Between locations

St Helens Istanbul 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

St Helens
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

St Helens vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – St Helens is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,989 per month in St Helens 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 $805 per month in St Helens 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 6% more in St Helens, 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 St Helens at $1,993. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in St Helens 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, St Helens makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.