Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Swindon and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,391 in Swindon, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Swindon
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Swindon Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Swindon

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,391

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,391 per month in Swindon vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Swindon $2,391
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $3,423 per month in Swindon vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Swindon $3,423
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $4,455 per month in Swindon vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Swindon $4,455
Istanbul $3,272

Swindon costs about 57% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Swindon and Istanbul sit above the global median – Swindon by 78%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.32 £15.36

$11.88 ₺585

71.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 £46.78

$55.1 ₺2,715

12.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.38 £7.85

$9.14 ₺450

13.57%

Cappuccino

$4.60 £3.48

$4.24 ₺209

8.49%

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

$2.67 £2.02

$1.75 ₺86.0

52.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 £1.25

$0.54 ₺26.84

205.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 £4.10

$4.69 ₺231

15.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 £3.40

$5.97 ₺294

-24.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.14

$1.26 ₺62.1

19.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 £1.31

$0.95 ₺46.82

82.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 £1.41

$2.31 ₺114

-19.05%

Eggs

$4.21 £3.18

$2.47 ₺122

70.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.03 £6.07

$10.55 ₺520

-23.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.90 £6.73

$5.60 ₺276

58.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 £9.99

$21.21 ₺1,045

-37.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 £2.32

$1.93 ₺95.1

59.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 £1.37

$2.29 ₺113

-20.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 £1.97

$1.28 ₺63.1

103.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 £3.16

$1.84 ₺90.8

127.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 £1.54

$0.67 ₺32.87

202.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 £1.13

$0.59 ₺29.31

152.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.91

$1.33 ₺65.4

-9.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 £1.33

$0.59 ₺29.11

198.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.94 £17.34

$2.36 ₺116

872.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.70 £8.09

$13.47 ₺664

-20.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 £2.08

$2.42 ₺119

13.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 £2.64

$3.54 ₺174

-1.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 £2.33

$0.83 ₺40.65

271.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.5 £67.6

$66.5 ₺3,274

34.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.39 £2.56

$1.35 ₺66.6

151.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 £1.21

$0.85 ₺42.06

89.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.70 £16.40

$10.86 ₺535

99.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 £1.51

$1.47 ₺72.3

36.05%

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

$37.7K £28.5K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-26.88%

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

$39.8K £30.1K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-10.43%

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

$323 £244

$89.2 ₺4,396

261.65%

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

$15.61 £11.80

$11.60 ₺572

34.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.79 £28.57

$16.10 ₺793

134.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.19 £28.11

$77.3 ₺3,806

-51.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.01 £17.39

$22.66 ₺1,116

1.54%

Cinema Ticket

$13.83 £10.45

$8.34 ₺411

65.83%

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

$1,180 £892

$974 ₺48.0K

21.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,414 £4,092

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-78.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.2 £67.4

$52.7 ₺2,597

69.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.92 £33.20

$39.16 ₺1,930

12.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 £63.2

$103 ₺5,084

-18.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.5 £66.1

$96.6 ₺4,760

-9.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 £919

$994 ₺49.0K

22.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,124 £849

$629 ₺31.0K

78.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,903 £1,438

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-5.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,751 £1,324

$1,155 ₺56.9K

51.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,632 £1,989

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-16.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,012 £2,277

$1,838 ₺90.5K

63.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,941 £2,223

$1,203 ₺59.3K

144.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

41.09

-88.15%

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

Last update for Swindon: 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

Swindon

$1.1K 46.5%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 44% $494

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Swindon

$376 15.6%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 68.9% $259

Eating Out

Swindon

$302 12.5%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 27.9% $84

Groceries & Markets

Swindon

$300 12.4%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 11.9% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Swindon

$137 5.7%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 4.1% $5.7

Getting Around

Swindon

$113 4.7%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 33.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Swindon

$65 2.7%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 44.9% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,215 in Swindon 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 144% higher in Swindon, 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 Swindon versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $300 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Swindon

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

00:48 12:48 AM

02:48 2:48 AM

2 h ahead of Swindon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

183,638

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 9, 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 9, 2026: 1 USD = 49.27 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.26 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Swindon Istanbul 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Swindon
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

Swindon vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Swindon is pricier by about 57%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,586 per month in Swindon 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 $1,180 per month in Swindon 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 14% more in Swindon, 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 Swindon at $2,391. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Swindon 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, Swindon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.