Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Swansea and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,186 in Swansea, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Swansea
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Swansea Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Swansea

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,186

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,186 per month in Swansea vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Swansea $2,186
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $3,158 per month in Swansea vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Swansea $3,158
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $4,131 per month in Swansea vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Swansea $4,131
Istanbul $3,272

Swansea costs about 43% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Swansea and Istanbul sit above the global median – Swansea by 63%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.61 £14.82

$11.88 ₺585

65.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.6 £46.56

$55.1 ₺2,714

11.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.41 £7.87

$9.14 ₺450

13.89%

Cappuccino

$4.83 £3.65

$4.24 ₺209

13.92%

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

$2.32 £1.76

$1.75 ₺86.0

32.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 £0.92

$0.54 ₺26.83

125.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.91 £4.47

$4.69 ₺231

26.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 £4.78

$5.97 ₺294

6.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 £0.97

$1.26 ₺62.1

1.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 £1.46

$0.95 ₺46.81

103.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 £1.52

$2.31 ₺114

-12.99%

Eggs

$3.52 £2.66

$2.47 ₺122

42.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.46 £5.64

$10.55 ₺520

-29.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.53 £6.45

$5.60 ₺276

52.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.52 £9.46

$21.21 ₺1,045

-40.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 £1.80

$1.93 ₺95.1

23.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 £0.96

$2.29 ₺113

-44.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 £2.10

$1.28 ₺63.1

117.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.63 £2.74

$1.84 ₺90.8

97.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 £1.75

$0.67 ₺32.86

246.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 £2.21

$0.59 ₺29.31

394.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 £0.99

$1.33 ₺65.4

-1.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 £1.75

$0.59 ₺29.10

293.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.24 £17.56

$2.36 ₺116

884.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.43 £7.88

$13.47 ₺664

-22.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.66

$2.42 ₺119

-9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 £2.45

$3.54 ₺174

-8.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.99 £3.02

$0.83 ₺40.64

380.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.0 £72.6

$66.5 ₺3,273

44.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 £2.91

$1.35 ₺66.6

185.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.65 £2.01

$0.85 ₺42.05

211.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.61 £24.64

$10.86 ₺535

200.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.49

$1.47 ₺72.3

34.01%

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

$39.0K £29.4K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-24.55%

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

$41.2K £31.1K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-7.39%

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

$304 £230

$89.2 ₺4,395

240.88%

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

$14.67 £11.08

$11.60 ₺572

26.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.04 £32.52

$16.10 ₺793

167.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.43 £26.02

$77.3 ₺3,805

-55.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.90 £11.26

$22.66 ₺1,116

-34.25%

Cinema Ticket

$10.16 £7.68

$8.34 ₺411

21.82%

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

$1,463 £1,105

$974 ₺48.0K

50.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 £68.4

$52.7 ₺2,597

71.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.37 £36.55

$39.16 ₺1,929

23.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 £89.0

$103 ₺5,083

14.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.4 £63.8

$96.6 ₺4,759

-12.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 £822

$994 ₺49.0K

9.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$844 £638

$629 ₺31.0K

34.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,387 £1,048

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-31.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 £1,064

$1,155 ₺56.9K

21.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,880 £2,932

$3,160 ₺155.7K

22.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,949 £2,228

$1,838 ₺90.5K

60.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,165 £2,392

$1,203 ₺59.3K

162.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.04

41.09

-85.30%

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

Last update for Swansea: October 6, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Swansea

$844 39.5%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 25.4% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Swansea

$362 16.9%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 67.7% $245

Eating Out

Swansea

$303 14.2%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 28% $85

Groceries & Markets

Swansea

$290 13.6%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 8.9% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Swansea

$153 7.2%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 14.5% $22

Getting Around

Swansea

$129 6.1%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 41.6% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Swansea

$55 2.6%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 71.5% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,088 in Swansea 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 163% higher in Swansea, 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 $62.0 in Swansea versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Swansea

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

12:40 12:40 PM

14:40 2:40 PM

2 h ahead of Swansea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

239,000

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 = 0.847 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 = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Swansea Istanbul 2,760 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Swansea
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

Swansea vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Swansea is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,279 per month in Swansea 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 $1,463 per month in Swansea 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 10% more in Swansea, 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 Swansea at $2,186. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Swansea 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, Swansea makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.