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Grocery costs for basic nutrition needs in Istanbul have climbed far past those in London, one of the world’s most expensive cities, a comparison of online supermarket baskets by a British journalist showed.
According to research by British journalist Lizzie Porter, who compared baskets containing 19 essential products from online supermarkets in both cities, a basket prepared from an upper-segment supermarket in Istanbul totaled ₺4,425 ($97.2), while the same category of basket in London came to £44.53 ($59.35).
A second basket created from a more expensive British supermarket still remained lower at £55.81.
According to Porter’s comparison, red meat and instant coffee pushed prices up the most in Türkiye. She also noted that some products, including olive oil, were sold at levels close to those in the United Kingdom.
Not every item was more expensive in Istanbul, however. Porter found that eggs, milk, and onions still cost less in Türkiye than in Britain.
Sharing the findings in a post on X, Porter’s comparison quickly drew attention online, with many users pointing to the growing gap between wages and living costs in Türkiye amid years of elevated inflation.
The gap is largely tied to Türkiye’s prolonged food inflation, which has remained far above European levels for years, driven by rising production, transportation, and import costs alongside the sharp decline in the Turkish lira’s domestic purchasing power.
While prices in lira continue to rise rapidly, the currency has weakened at a slower pace than other major currencies in recent months, leading to a real appreciation of the lira as the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye (CBRT) continues intervening in markets to limit depreciation and prevent a fresh currency shock from feeding further into inflation.
According to CBRT data, the Turkish lira’s real effective exchange rate climbed to 106.3 in April, marking a 5.8% annual real appreciation and highlighting the widening gap between domestic inflation and the pace of currency depreciation.
That trend has pushed prices higher not only for local consumers but also in foreign-currency terms, making everyday goods in Türkiye increasingly more expensive compared to many countries abroad.
Türkiye’s annual inflation climbed to 32.4% in April, while monthly consumer prices rose 4.2%, driven largely by a sharp jump in energy costs linked to rising global prices amid the Iran war.
Food inflation also accelerated during the month, with prices increasing 3.7% month-over-month and pushing the annual rate to 34.6%.
In its second inflation report of the year, released this week, the CBRT revised its year-end inflation forecast upward to 26% from 18%, citing the impact of elevated oil prices.
CBRT Governor Fatih Karahan also reaffirmed that the bank would maintain its tight monetary stance and signaled no change in exchange-rate policy.
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