Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guimaraes and Istanbul

For one person, living costs are similar in Guimaraes and in Istanbul: $1,592 and $1,550 a month, rent and utilities included.

Guimaraes
🇵🇹 Portugal
$1,592
/mo nomad
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,550
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,592 per month in Guimaraes vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Guimaraes $1,592
  • Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,304 per month in Guimaraes vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Guimaraes $2,304
  • Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,015 per month in Guimaraes vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Guimaraes $3,015
  • Istanbul $3,281

Guimaraes costs about 3% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Guimaraes and Istanbul sit above the global median – Guimaraes by 18%, Istanbul by 15%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Guimaraes
Istanbul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.07 €11.63
$12.30 ₺609
6.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$50.3 €44.72
$54.7 ₺2,708
-8.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.78 €7.81
$9.22 ₺456
-4.77%
Cappuccino
$1.86 €1.66
$4.40 ₺218
-57.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.90 €1.69
$1.68 ₺83.1
13.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 €1.16
$0.59 ₺29.40
122.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.20 €1.95
$4.70 ₺233
-53.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.80 €2.49
$5.91 ₺292
-52.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Guimaraes
Istanbul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.11 €0.99
$1.21 ₺60.0
-8.26%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 €1.64
$0.89 ₺44.10
107.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.73 €1.54
$2.19 ₺108
-21.00%
Eggs
$3.02 €2.68
$2.35 ₺116
28.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.31 €10.95
$10.42 ₺516
18.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.99 €7.10
$5.65 ₺280
41.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.76 €13.13
$20.94 ₺1,037
-29.51%
Apples (1kg)
$1.98 €1.76
$1.90 ₺94.1
4.21%
Banana (1kg)
$1.33 €1.18
$2.31 ₺114
-42.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.85 €1.65
$1.28 ₺63.1
44.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.47 €2.19
$1.80 ₺89.0
37.22%
Potato (1kg)
$1.98 €1.76
$0.65 ₺32.16
204.62%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 €1.62
$0.64 ₺31.91
184.38%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.54 €1.37
$1.25 ₺62.1
23.20%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.95 €0.84
$0.56 ₺27.58
69.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.28 €5.59
$2.37 ₺118
164.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.36 €3.87
$13.42 ₺664
-67.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.34 €1.19
$2.40 ₺119
-44.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 €1.96
$3.48 ₺172
-36.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Guimaraes
Istanbul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.50 €2.23
$0.89 ₺43.84
180.90%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$31.14 €27.70
$67.4 ₺3,338
-53.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.20 €3.74
$1.29 ₺64.1
225.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.46 €1.30
$0.92 ₺45.70
58.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.28 €14.48
$10.96 ₺542
48.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.13 €1.89
$1.47 ₺72.9
44.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.9K €29.2K
$50.8K ₺2.5M
-35.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.6K €34.3K
$44.5K ₺2.2M
-13.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guimaraes
Istanbul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$108 €95.8
$88.6 ₺4,387
21.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.83 €14.97
$11.59 ₺574
45.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$46.56 €41.41
$15.81 ₺783
194.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Guimaraes
Istanbul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.56 €37.86
$77.2 ₺3,820
-44.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.76 €20.25
$22.74 ₺1,126
0.09%
Cinema Ticket
$9.16 €8.14
$8.14 ₺403
12.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Guimaraes
Istanbul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$385 €343
$1,008 ₺49.9K
-61.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,487 €5,770
$25.6K ₺1.3M
-74.62%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Guimaraes
Istanbul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$73.0 €64.9
$54.0 ₺2,671
35.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.68 €32.63
$40.83 ₺2,021
-10.16%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.2 €74.9
$98.9 ₺4,895
-14.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.1 €85.5
$96.6 ₺4,783
-0.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Guimaraes
Istanbul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$932 €829
$985 ₺48.7K
-5.38%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$740 €659
$650 ₺32.2K
13.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,314 €1,169
$1,983 ₺98.2K
-33.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,059 €942
$1,180 ₺58.4K
-10.25%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,768 €2,462
$3,138 ₺155.4K
-11.79%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 €1,993
$1,780 ₺88.1K
25.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Guimaraes
Istanbul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,381 €1,228
$1,205 ₺59.7K
14.53%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.7
40.92
-90.96%

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

Last update for Guimaraes: October 12, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Guimaraes
$740
Istanbul
$650 12.2% $91
Groceries & Markets
Guimaraes
$254
Istanbul
$260 2.1% $5.4
Eating Out
Guimaraes
$183
Istanbul
$223 22.2% $41
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guimaraes
$171
Istanbul
$116 32.2% $55
Clothing & Footwear
Guimaraes
$130
Istanbul
$131 0.1% $0.1
Sport & Entertainment
Guimaraes
$61
Istanbul
$93 53.5% $33
Getting Around
Guimaraes
$53
Istanbul
$77 45.9% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $932 in Guimaraes versus $985 in Istanbul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 15% higher in Guimaraes, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Guimaraes versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $254 vs $260 – making Guimaraes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Guimaraes
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🕒 Local time
00:06 12:06 AM
02:06 2:06 AM
2 h ahead of Guimaraes
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
156,849
15,701,602
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Guimaraes Istanbul 3,090 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Guimaraes
  • 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
Guimaraes vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Guimaraes or Istanbul?
Guimaraes costs about 3% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Guimaraes and in Istanbul?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,389 per month in Guimaraes and $2,325 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Guimaraes or Istanbul?
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.
How do dining costs compare in Guimaraes and in Istanbul?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Guimaraes and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Guimaraes compared to Istanbul?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,592 in Guimaraes and $1,550 in Istanbul. That's a gap of about 3%.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Guimaraes or in Istanbul?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Guimaraes at $1,592. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guimaraes it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Guimaraes or Istanbul?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Istanbul costs $1,550 versus $1,592 in Guimaraes. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Guimaraes compared to Istanbul?
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.
Should I move to Guimaraes or to Istanbul?
If budget matters most, go with Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Guimaraes makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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