Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Azores and Istanbul

For one person, living costs are similar in the Azores and in Istanbul: $1,594 and $1,526 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in the Azores
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Azores Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Azores

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,594

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in the Azores vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Azores $1,594
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $2,371 per month in the Azores vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Azores $2,371
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $3,148 per month in the Azores vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Azores $3,148
Istanbul $3,272

Azores costs about 4% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Azores and Istanbul sit above the global median – Azores by 19%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.37 €10.14

$11.88 ₺585

-4.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.10 €41.99

$55.1 ₺2,715

-14.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.20 €8.20

$9.14 ₺450

0.66%

Cappuccino

$2.16 €1.93

$4.24 ₺209

-49.06%

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

$1.92 €1.71

$1.75 ₺86.0

9.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.54 ₺26.84

153.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 €2.02

$4.69 ₺231

-51.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €3.08

$5.97 ₺294

-42.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.26 ₺62.1

-15.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 €1.42

$0.95 ₺46.82

67.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 €1.44

$2.31 ₺114

-30.30%

Eggs

$3.12 €2.78

$2.47 ₺122

26.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.26 €10.04

$10.55 ₺520

6.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 €7.04

$5.60 ₺276

40.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.31 €12.75

$21.21 ₺1,045

-32.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 €2.10

$1.93 ₺95.1

21.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.29 ₺113

-37.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.28 ₺63.1

44.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$1.84 ₺90.8

34.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$0.67 ₺32.87

128.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$0.59 ₺29.31

210.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.33 ₺65.4

22.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 €0.71

$0.59 ₺29.11

33.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.21 €5.54

$2.36 ₺116

163.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.10 €4.55

$13.47 ₺664

-62.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.11

$2.42 ₺119

-48.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.11

$3.54 ₺174

-33.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 €2.04

$0.83 ₺40.65

174.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.69 €37.17

$66.5 ₺3,274

-37.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 €3.64

$1.35 ₺66.6

202.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.85 ₺42.06

-3.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.02 €15.18

$10.86 ₺535

56.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.47 ₺72.3

35.37%

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

$34.5K €30.8K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-33.09%

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

$40.1K €35.7K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-9.88%

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

$135 €120

$89.2 ₺4,396

50.82%

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

$21.16 €18.87

$11.60 ₺572

82.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.52 €37.91

$16.10 ₺793

164.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.82 €39.96

$77.3 ₺3,806

-41.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.33 €15.45

$22.66 ₺1,116

-23.52%

Cinema Ticket

$8.36 €7.45

$8.34 ₺411

0.24%

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

$462 €412

$974 ₺48.0K

-52.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,431 €7,517

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-67.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.2 €65.2

$52.7 ₺2,597

38.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.09 €33.96

$39.16 ₺1,930

-2.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 €82.0

$103 ₺5,084

-10.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.7 €83.5

$96.6 ₺4,760

-3.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$918 €818

$994 ₺49.0K

-7.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 €663

$629 ₺31.0K

18.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,498 €1,336

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-25.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 €1,019

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-0.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,018 €2,691

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-4.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,307 €2,057

$1,838 ₺90.5K

25.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.01

41.09

-87.81%

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

Last update for the Azores: October 4, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Azores

$744 46%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 15.4% $115

Groceries & Markets

Azores

$247 15.3%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 6.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Azores

$198 12.2%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 41% $81

Eating Out

Azores

$176 10.9%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 23.9% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Azores

$134 8.3%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 1.8% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Azores

$62 3.8%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 52.6% $32

Getting Around

Azores

$59 3.6%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 27.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $918 in the Azores 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in the Azores versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $247 vs $264 – making Azores the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Azores

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

10:36 10:36 AM

13:36 1:36 PM

3 h ahead of the Azores

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

236,657

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.27 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.21 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Azores Istanbul 4,630 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Azores
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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

Azores vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Azores is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in the Azores 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.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in the Azores – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in the Azores and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in the Azores at $1,594. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in the Azores 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, Azores makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.