Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Coimbra and Istanbul

For one person, living costs are similar in Coimbra and in Istanbul: $1,540 and $1,526 a month, rent and utilities included.

75

Cost of Living Index in Coimbra
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Coimbra Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Coimbra

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,540

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,540 in Coimbra versus $1,526 in Istanbul.

Coimbra $1,540
Istanbul $1,526

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,306 in Coimbra versus $2,399 in Istanbul.

Coimbra $2,306
Istanbul $2,399

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,073 in Coimbra versus $3,272 in Istanbul.

Coimbra $3,073
Istanbul $3,272

Living in Coimbra is roughly 1% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Coimbra 15% above, Istanbul 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.49 €12.04

$11.88 ₺585

13.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.04 €41.98

$55.1 ₺2,714

-14.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.91 €8.84

$9.14 ₺450

8.42%

Cappuccino

$1.95 €1.74

$4.24 ₺209

-54.01%

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

$1.97 €1.76

$1.75 ₺86.0

12.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.42

$0.54 ₺26.83

194.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 €1.99

$4.69 ₺231

-52.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.07

$5.97 ₺294

-42.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.26 ₺62.1

-18.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 €1.40

$0.95 ₺46.81

65.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 €1.53

$2.31 ₺114

-25.97%

Eggs

$3.26 €2.91

$2.47 ₺122

31.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.90 €10.62

$10.55 ₺520

12.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.58 €6.77

$5.60 ₺276

35.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 €12.71

$21.21 ₺1,045

-32.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.93 ₺95.1

19.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 €1.42

$2.29 ₺113

-30.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.28 ₺63.1

55.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 €2.71

$1.84 ₺90.8

65.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 €1.46

$0.67 ₺32.86

143.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$0.59 ₺29.31

249.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.33 ₺65.4

21.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.59 ₺29.10

22.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 €5.63

$2.36 ₺116

167.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.90 €5.26

$13.47 ₺664

-56.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$2.42 ₺119

-47.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.94

$3.54 ₺174

-38.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.93 €1.73

$0.83 ₺40.64

132.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.99 €30.33

$66.5 ₺3,273

-48.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 €3.96

$1.35 ₺66.6

228.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 €1.25

$0.85 ₺42.05

64.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.25 €12.72

$10.86 ₺535

31.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.47 ₺72.3

52.38%

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

$33.5K €29.9K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-35.10%

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

$38.2K €34.1K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-14.15%

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

$137 €122

$89.2 ₺4,395

53.24%

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

$22.05 €19.68

$11.60 ₺572

90.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.09 €28.63

$16.10 ₺793

99.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.96 €39.23

$77.3 ₺3,805

-43.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.99 €10.70

$22.66 ₺1,116

-47.09%

Cinema Ticket

$8.60 €7.67

$8.34 ₺411

3.12%

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

$721 €643

$974 ₺48.0K

-26.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K €9,570

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-58.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.3 €85.0

$52.7 ₺2,597

80.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.26 €33.25

$39.16 ₺1,929

-4.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.1 €84.0

$103 ₺5,083

-8.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €103

$96.6 ₺4,759

19.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$873 €779

$994 ₺49.0K

-12.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$629 ₺31.0K

3.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 €1,348

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-25.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 €928

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-9.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,737 €2,442

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-13.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,222 €1,091

$1,838 ₺90.5K

-33.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,319 €1,177

$1,203 ₺59.3K

9.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.83

41.09

-90.68%

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

Last update for Coimbra: 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

Coimbra

$652 41.9%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 3.4% $22

Groceries & Markets

Coimbra

$253 16.3%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 4.3% $11

Eating Out

Coimbra

$193 12.4%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 12.7% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Coimbra

$191 12.3%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 38.7% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Coimbra

$154 9.9%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 14.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Coimbra

$61 3.9%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 53.6% $33

Getting Around

Coimbra

$53 3.4%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 41.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $873 in Coimbra and $994 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Coimbra pays 10% 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: $47.00 in Coimbra vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $253 vs $264 per month, with Coimbra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Coimbra

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

14:01 2:01 PM

16:01 4:01 PM

2 h ahead of Coimbra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,838

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

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Coimbra Istanbul 3,130 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Coimbra
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

Coimbra vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and utilities. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 10% higher in Coimbra, 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: $873 in Coimbra versus $994 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Istanbul runs roughly 95% less than in Coimbra. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $721 in Coimbra versus $974 in Istanbul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,526 in Istanbul versus $1,540 in Coimbra, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Coimbra. 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 Coimbra, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Coimbra 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 1% less than in Coimbra. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.