Cost of living Turkey - Comparison between Turkey and the United Kingdom

There are many reasons that make Turkey a popular country to come to when you think about leaving your home country or creating a second home in the sun. Whether it's the food, weather, or the people, you will not regret living in this modern country, which is rich in heritage, history and tradition as well. Turkey offers great quality in terms of life style, food and infrastructure.

Despite all this, the costs of living in the country are economical compared to the USA and most European countries. Below you can find a current price comparison on an aggregated level.

With regards to the below price averages please be aware that there are differences between the main city hubs. Especially Istanbul as one of the largest metropol areas in the world is significantly more expensive than let`s say Antalya or Alanya. In terms of job opportunities, finance, culture, history, night life, events and commerce it has a lot to offer as well.

Restaurants
Turkey
United Kingdom
Meal, normal restaurant
5 € (150.00 TL)
13.71 € (12.00 £)
Meal for 2 people, three courses
10 € (300.00 TL)
57.11 € (50.00 £)
McMeal at McDonalds
4 € (120 TL)
6.85 € (6.00 £)
Domestic beer (0.5l draught)
1.70 € (50.00 TL)
4.34 € (3.80 £)
Imported beer (0.33 liter bottle)
2.85 € (85.00 TL)
4.57 € (4.00 £)
Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle or can)
0.50 € (15.07 TL)
1.52 € (1.33 £)
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
0.19 € (5 TL)
1.12 € (0.98 £)
Markets
Turkey
United Kingdom
Milk (normal), (1 liter)
0.67 € (20.57 TL)
1.05 € (0.92 £)
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
0.50 € (15 TL)
1.11 € (0.98 £)
Loaf of fresh bread (500g)
0.85 € (25 TL)
1.15 € (1.00 £)
Eggs (normal) (12)
1.67 € (50 TL)
2.19 € (1.92 £)
Rice (white), (1kg)
1 € (30 TL)
1.09 € (0.96 £)
Beef round (1kg) (or equivalent)
10.67 € (320 TL)
8.57 € (7.50 £)
Potato (1kg)
0.50 € (15 TL)
1.39 € (1.22 £)
Onion (1kg)
0.85 € (25 TL)
1.16 € (1.02 £)
Tomato (1kg)
1 € (30 TL)
2.05 € (1.80 £)
Apples (1kg)
0.50 € (15 TL)
2.07 € (1.81 £)
Domestic beer (0.5 liter bottle)
2.17 € (65 TL)
1.95 € (1.71 £)
Imported beer (0.33 liter bottle)
1.00 € (30 TL)
2.21 € (1.94 £)

Please note that taxi tariffs can change in some areas and the below values are averages. For example, Alanya as a more touristic city has taxi tariffs that are significantly higher than Istanbul. This is also due to the fact that in Alanya local usage of taxis is not as common as in Istanbul.

Transportation
Turkey
United Kingdom
One-way ticket (local transport)
0.50 € (15 TL)
2.86 € (2.50 £)
Monthly pass public transport (regular price)
26 € (777.00 TL)
74.24 € (65.00 £)
Taxi start (normal tariff)
0.30 € (9.00 TL)
3.43 € (3.00 £)
Taxi 1km (normal tariff)
0.45 € (13.40 TL)
1.42 € (1.24 £)
Gasoline (1 liter)
1.17 € (35.00 TL)
1.46 € (1.28 £)
Utilities (monthly)
Turkey
United Kingdom
Basic (electricity, heating, cooling, water, garbage) for 85 m2 apartment
24.89 € (700.68 TL)
175.31 € (153.49 £)
1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff Local (no discounts or plans)
0.10 € (3 TL)
0.09 € (0.08 £)
Internet (60 Mbps or more, unlimited Data, cable/ADSL)
4 € (120.58 TL)
35.82 € (31.36 £)
Childcare
Turkey
United Kingdom
Preschool (or Kindergarten), all day, private, monthly for 1 child
300 € (9000 TL)
1,058.98 € (927.16 £)
International primary school, yearly for 1 child
3,600.82 € (108,000 TL)
15,577.00 € (13,637.92 £)
Clothing and shoes
Turkey
United Kingdom
1 Summer dress in a chain store (Zara, H&M, ...)
23.77 € (700.50 TL)
33.72 € (29.52 £)
1 Pair of jeans (Diesel or similar)
23.77 € (700.50 TL)
67.33 € (58.95 £)
1 Pair of leather business shoes for men
17.05 € (500.80 TL)
71.17 € (62.31 £)

The rents stated below are averages covering the whole of Turkey. Rents in the city centers of Istanbul, Antalya, Alanya, Kas, or Fethiye can be considerably higher. Averages do not place a greater weight on either newly built constructions or better or premium locations but cover all years of construction and all locations.

In Istanbul in one of the central districts of Besiktas for example one rarely finds a good rental apartment with 1 bedroom at 15,000 TL. If you are looking for something nice with a bit of view it will easily be 20,000 TL or 30,000 TL per month or more.

Rent per month
Turkey
United Kingdom
Apartment (1 bedroom) city center
350.19 € (10,500.33 TL)
851.98 € (745.92 £)
Apartment (1 bedroom) outside city center
266.72 € (8,000 TL)
692.11 € (605.96 £)
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in city center
833.60 € (25,000.00 TL)
1,471.52 € (1,288.34 £)
Apartment (3 bedrooms) outside of city center
500.83 € (15,000.22 TL)
1,123.42 € (983.58 £)
Salaries and financing
Turkey
United Kingdom
Average monthly net salary (after income tax)
467.01 € (14,000.98 TL)
2,140.95 € (1,874.44 £)
Consumer inflation rate in %, per June 2023 (TCMB)
3.92%
1.5%
Mortgage interest rate in percentages (%), yearly, for 10 years fixed-rate
2.19 %
3.28 %

Update 21.07.2023

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