Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and the Azores

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

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in the Azores
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Azores Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Azores

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in the Azores

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Istanbul and in the Azores actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Istanbul $1,526
Azores $1,594

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

Istanbul $2,399
Azores $2,371

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

Istanbul $3,272
Azores $3,148

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$11.37 €10.15

4.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$47.10 €42.03

16.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$9.20 €8.21

-0.65%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$2.16 €1.93

96.30%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$1.92 €1.71

-8.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$1.37 €1.22

-60.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$2.26 €2.02

107.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$3.46 €3.09

72.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.06 €0.94

18.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.59 €1.42

-40.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.61 €1.44

43.48%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$3.12 €2.79

-20.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$11.26 €10.05

-6.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$7.89 €7.04

-29.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$14.31 €12.77

48.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.35 €2.10

-17.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.42 €1.26

61.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.85 €1.65

-30.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$2.48 €2.21

-25.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.53 €1.36

-56.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.83 €1.64

-67.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.63 €1.45

-18.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.79 €0.71

-25.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$6.21 €5.55

-62.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$5.10 €4.55

164.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.24 €1.11

95.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.37 €2.12

49.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$2.28 €2.04

-63.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$41.69 €37.20

59.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$4.09 €3.65

-66.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.82 €0.73

3.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$17.02 €15.19

-36.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.99 €1.77

-26.13%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$34.5K €30.8K

49.45%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$40.1K €35.7K

10.96%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$135 €120

-33.70%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$21.16 €18.89

-45.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$42.52 €37.94

-62.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$44.82 €40.00

72.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$17.33 €15.46

30.76%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$8.36 €7.46

-0.24%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$462 €412

110.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$8,431 €7,524

205.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$73.2 €65.3

-27.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$38.09 €33.99

2.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$92.0 €82.1

12.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$93.7 €83.6

3.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$918 €819

8.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$744 €664

-15.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$1,498 €1,337

35.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$1,143 €1,020

1.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$3,018 €2,693

4.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$2,307 €2,059

-20.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

5.01

720.16%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for the Azores: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Azores

$744 46% 18.2% $115

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Azores

$247 15.3% 6.4% $17

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Azores

$176 10.9% 19.3% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Azores

$134 8.3% 1.8% $2.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Azores

$198 12.2% 69.6% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Azores

$62 3.8% 34.5% $32

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Azores

$59 3.6% 21.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $918 in the Azores. 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $47.00 in the Azores. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $247 – making Azores the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇹 Azores

🕒 Local time

16:46 4:46 PM

13:46 1:46 PM

3 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

236,657

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

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

USD to TRY in detail →

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Istanbul Azores 4,630 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
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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

Istanbul vs Azores: 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 $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $2,391 in the Azores. 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 $55.0 in Istanbul and $47.00 in the Azores. 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.