Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sunderland and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,841 in Sunderland, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Sunderland
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Sunderland Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Sunderland

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,841

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,841 per month in Sunderland vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sunderland $1,841
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,749 per month in Sunderland vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sunderland $2,749
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,656 per month in Sunderland vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sunderland $3,656
Istanbul $3,281

Sunderland costs about 19% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sunderland and Istanbul sit above the global median – Sunderland by 36%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.40 £13.80

$12.30 ₺609

49.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.3 £52.0

$54.7 ₺2,708

26.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.69 £6.52

$9.22 ₺456

-5.75%

Cappuccino

$5.06 £3.79

$4.40 ₺218

15.00%

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

$2.28 £1.71

$1.68 ₺83.1

35.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 £1.51

$0.59 ₺29.40

242.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.59 £3.44

$4.70 ₺233

-2.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 £3.19

$5.91 ₺292

-28.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 £1.08

$1.21 ₺60.0

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 £1.07

$0.89 ₺44.10

59.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 £1.69

$2.19 ₺108

3.20%

Eggs

$3.53 £2.65

$2.35 ₺116

50.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.64 £7.23

$10.42 ₺516

-7.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.75 £6.56

$5.65 ₺280

54.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.05 £10.54

$20.94 ₺1,037

-32.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 £2.42

$1.90 ₺94.1

69.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 £1.43

$2.31 ₺114

-17.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 £2.09

$1.28 ₺63.1

117.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

$1.80 ₺89.0

103.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 £1.29

$0.65 ₺32.16

163.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 £1.10

$0.64 ₺31.91

129.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 £0.86

$1.25 ₺62.1

-8.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 £1.18

$0.56 ₺27.58

180.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.77 £17.08

$2.37 ₺118

860.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.26 £7.70

$13.42 ₺664

-23.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.59 £2.70

$2.40 ₺119

49.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 £2.65

$3.48 ₺172

1.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.14 £1.60

$0.89 ₺43.84

140.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$119 £89.4

$67.4 ₺3,338

76.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 £3.28

$1.29 ₺64.1

238.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 £1.17

$0.92 ₺45.70

68.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.71 £20.79

$10.96 ₺542

152.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 £1.51

$1.47 ₺72.9

37.41%

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

$38.2K £28.7K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-24.69%

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

$40.4K £30.3K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-9.21%

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

$243 £182

$88.6 ₺4,387

173.98%

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

$16.67 £12.51

$11.59 ₺574

43.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.88 £31.42

$15.81 ₺783

164.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.37 £30.29

$77.2 ₺3,820

-47.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.00 £9.00

$22.74 ₺1,126

-47.23%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 £7.83

$8.14 ₺403

28.13%

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

$798 £598

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-20.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K £13.4K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-30.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 £67.3

$54.0 ₺2,671

66.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.91 £35.19

$40.83 ₺2,021

14.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 £81.5

$98.9 ₺4,895

9.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 £70.7

$96.6 ₺4,783

-2.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$775 £582

$985 ₺48.7K

-21.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$603 £452

$650 ₺32.2K

-7.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 £978

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-34.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$973 £730

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-17.58%

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)

$3,599 £2,700

$1,205 ₺59.7K

198.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.15

40.92

-87.41%

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

Last update for Sunderland: October 10, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sunderland

$603 32.7%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 7.8% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sunderland

$301 16.4%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 61.5% $185

Groceries & Markets

Sunderland

$301 16.3%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 13.6% $41

Eating Out

Sunderland

$283 15.4%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 21% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Sunderland

$153 8.3%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 14.5% $22

Getting Around

Sunderland

$140 7.6%

Istanbul

$77 5% 45% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Sunderland

$61 3.3%

Istanbul

$93 6% 52.6% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $775 in Sunderland 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 199% higher in Sunderland, 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 $69.0 in Sunderland versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $301 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Sunderland

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

09:40 9:40 AM

11:40 11:40 AM

2 h ahead of Sunderland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

275,300

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

Sunderland Istanbul 2,700 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Sunderland
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

Sunderland vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sunderland is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,762 per month in Sunderland 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 $798 per month in Sunderland 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 16% more in Sunderland, 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 Sunderland at $1,841. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sunderland 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, Sunderland makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.