Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cascais and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,157 in Cascais, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Cascais
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Cascais Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Cascais

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,157

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,157 in Cascais versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Cascais $2,157
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,481 in Cascais versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Cascais $3,481
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,805 in Cascais versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Cascais $4,805
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Cascais is roughly 39% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cascais 60% above, Istanbul 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.31 €13.62

$12.30 ₺609

24.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.46 €39.55

$54.7 ₺2,708

-18.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 €8.24

$9.22 ₺456

0.43%

Cappuccino

$2.59 €2.30

$4.40 ₺218

-41.14%

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

$2.04 €1.81

$1.68 ₺83.1

21.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.59 ₺29.40

271.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 €2.93

$4.70 ₺233

-29.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.05

$5.91 ₺292

-4.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.21 ₺60.0

8.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 €1.99

$0.89 ₺44.10

150.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 €1.44

$2.19 ₺108

-26.03%

Eggs

$3.44 €3.06

$2.35 ₺116

46.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.70 €9.51

$10.42 ₺516

2.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 €6.10

$5.65 ₺280

21.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.19 €13.51

$20.94 ₺1,037

-27.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.45

$1.90 ₺94.1

44.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.31 ₺114

-36.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$1.28 ₺63.1

91.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.80 ₺89.0

20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$0.65 ₺32.16

147.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$0.64 ₺31.91

268.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.25 ₺62.1

30.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.56 ₺27.58

91.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.71 €5.08

$2.37 ₺118

140.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.58 €6.74

$13.42 ₺664

-43.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.10

$2.40 ₺119

-48.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 €3.90

$3.48 ₺172

26.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 €2.20

$0.89 ₺43.84

177.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.24 €39.35

$67.4 ₺3,338

-34.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.29 ₺64.1

75.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.47 ₺72.9

43.54%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-33.51%

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

$38.0K €33.8K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-14.62%

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

$133 €119

$88.6 ₺4,387

50.43%

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

$24.80 €22.06

$11.59 ₺574

113.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 €49.83

$15.81 ₺783

254.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.8 €59.4

$77.2 ₺3,820

-13.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.32 €10.06

$22.74 ₺1,126

-50.22%

Cinema Ticket

$7.07 €6.29

$8.14 ₺403

-13.14%

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

$719 €639

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-28.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.4K €16.3K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-28.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.9 €70.2

$54.0 ₺2,671

46.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.31 €34.08

$40.83 ₺2,021

-6.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.0

$98.9 ₺4,895

5.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

$96.6 ₺4,783

37.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 €1,568

$985 ₺48.7K

79.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 €1,023

$650 ₺32.2K

76.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,833 €3,409

$1,983 ₺98.2K

93.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,606 €2,318

$1,180 ₺58.4K

120.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,815 €6,062

$3,138 ₺155.4K

117.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,833 €4,299

$1,780 ₺88.1K

171.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,264 €2,014

$1,205 ₺59.7K

87.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

40.92

-91.03%

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

Last update for Cascais: October 13, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cascais

$1.1K 53.3%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 43.5% $500

Groceries & Markets

Cascais

$270 12.5%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 3.8% $10

Eating Out

Cascais

$226 10.5%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 1.2% $2.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cascais

$214 9.9%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 45.8% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Cascais

$160 7.4%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 18.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Cascais

$81 3.8%

Istanbul

$93 6% 15.5% $13

Getting Around

Cascais

$56 * 2.6%

Istanbul

$77 5% 36.3% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Cascais and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cascais pays 88% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $44.00 in Cascais vs $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries flip the comparison at $270 vs $260, with Istanbul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Cascais

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

14:30 2:30 PM

2 h ahead of Cascais

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

214,158

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Cascais Istanbul 3,260 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cascais
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

Cascais vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 88% higher in Cascais, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,763 in Cascais versus $985 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Cascais. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $44.00 in Cascais. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,157 in Cascais, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Cascais. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Istanbul is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cascais, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cascais and Istanbul are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Istanbul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Cascais. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.