Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Funchal and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,087 in Funchal, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Funchal outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

103

Cost of Living Index in Funchal
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Funchal Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Funchal

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,087

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,087 in Funchal versus $1,526 in Istanbul.

Funchal $2,087
Istanbul $1,526

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,066 in Funchal versus $2,399 in Istanbul.

Funchal $3,066
Istanbul $2,399

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,046 in Funchal versus $3,272 in Istanbul.

Funchal $4,046
Istanbul $3,272

Living in Funchal is roughly 37% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Funchal 56% above, Istanbul 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.03 €13.41

$11.88 ₺585

26.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.0 €58.0

$55.1 ₺2,714

18.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.30 €11.87

$9.14 ₺450

45.51%

Cappuccino

$1.95 €1.74

$4.24 ₺209

-54.01%

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

$1.67 €1.49

$1.75 ₺86.0

-4.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.25

$0.54 ₺26.83

159.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 €2.46

$4.69 ₺231

-41.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 €3.41

$5.97 ₺294

-36.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.26 ₺62.1

-15.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 €1.57

$0.95 ₺46.81

85.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 €1.44

$2.31 ₺114

-29.87%

Eggs

$3.79 €3.38

$2.47 ₺122

53.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 €9.09

$10.55 ₺520

-3.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.26 €6.48

$5.60 ₺276

29.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.93 €10.64

$21.21 ₺1,045

-43.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.93 ₺95.1

-7.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 €1.60

$2.29 ₺113

-21.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.28 ₺63.1

37.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$1.84 ₺90.8

33.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.72

$0.67 ₺32.86

186.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 €1.78

$0.59 ₺29.31

237.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.33 ₺65.4

23.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$0.59 ₺29.10

37.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.44 €4.86

$2.36 ₺116

130.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.69 €5.97

$13.47 ₺664

-50.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.42 ₺119

-47.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 €2.31

$3.54 ₺174

-26.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 €1.96

$0.83 ₺40.64

163.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.23 €29.66

$66.5 ₺3,273

-49.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.57

$1.35 ₺66.6

196.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.27

$0.85 ₺42.05

67.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.31 €16.34

$10.86 ₺535

68.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.47 ₺72.3

43.54%

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

$33.1K €29.6K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-35.79%

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

$38.9K €34.7K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-12.49%

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

$123 €110

$89.2 ₺4,395

38.34%

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

$17.01 €15.18

$11.60 ₺572

46.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.63 €43.40

$16.10 ₺793

202.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.45 €36.09

$77.3 ₺3,805

-47.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.23 €7.34

$22.66 ₺1,116

-63.68%

Cinema Ticket

$8.61 €7.68

$8.34 ₺411

3.24%

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

$423 €377

$974 ₺48.0K

-56.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,385 €7,483

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-67.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 €56.8

$52.7 ₺2,597

20.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.28 €29.70

$39.16 ₺1,929

-15.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 €79.6

$103 ₺5,083

-13.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.5 €68.3

$96.6 ₺4,759

-20.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,483 €1,323

$994 ₺49.0K

49.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,245 €1,111

$629 ₺31.0K

97.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,516 €2,245

$2,024 ₺99.7K

24.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,964 €1,753

$1,155 ₺56.9K

70.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,842 €4,321

$3,160 ₺155.7K

53.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,344 €2,984

$1,838 ₺90.5K

81.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,427 €1,274

$1,203 ₺59.3K

18.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.59

41.09

-91.26%

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

Last update for Funchal: October 3, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Funchal

$1.2K 58.6%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 49.5% $616

Groceries & Markets

Funchal

$243 11.4%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 8.8% $21

Eating Out

Funchal

$217 10.2%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 0.3% $0.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Funchal

$189 8.9%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 38.2% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Funchal

$118 5.6%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 11.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Funchal

$58 2.7%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 62.9% $36

Getting Around

Funchal

$53 2.5%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 41.9% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,483 in Funchal and $994 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Funchal pays 19% 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: $65.0 in Funchal vs $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries flip the comparison at $243 vs $264, with Funchal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Funchal

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

04:28 4:28 AM

06:28 6:28 AM

2 h ahead of Funchal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,795

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 = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Funchal Istanbul 4,140 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Funchal
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

Funchal vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Funchal and Istanbul differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($2,087 vs $1,526 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 19% higher in Funchal, 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: $1,483 in Funchal versus $994 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,087 per month in Funchal versus $1,526 in Istanbul – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Istanbul runs roughly 100% less than in Funchal. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,526 in Istanbul versus $2,087 in Funchal, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Funchal. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Funchal 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 37% less than in Funchal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.