Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Barreiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,516 a month against $1,652 in Barreiro, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barreiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Barreiro
Learn more

Barreiro Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Barreiro

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,652

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Barreiro

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 Barreiro actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,516 per month in Istanbul vs $1,652 in Barreiro, rent included.

Istanbul $1,516
Barreiro $1,652

A couple spends around $2,356 per month in Istanbul vs $2,342 in Barreiro, rent included.

Istanbul $2,356
Barreiro $2,342

A family of three spends $3,197 per month in Istanbul vs $3,032 in Barreiro, rent included.

Istanbul $3,197
Barreiro $3,032

Istanbul is about 8% cheaper than Barreiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Istanbul and Barreiro sit above the global median – Istanbul by 11%, Barreiro by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 ₺579

$15.64 €14.01

-25.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,730

$44.05 €39.45

24.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 ₺469

$9.59 €8.59

-2.09%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₺211

$2.57 €2.31

64.59%

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

$1.72 ₺85.8

$2.04 €1.83

-15.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₺28.31

$2.19 €1.96

-73.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 ₺232

$3.39 €3.03

37.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 ₺341

$3.29 €2.94

107.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺60.1

$1.03 €0.93

16.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₺47.06

$1.53 €1.37

-38.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ₺112

$1.63 €1.46

37.42%

Eggs

$2.42 ₺121

$3.30 €2.95

-26.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 ₺511

$8.72 €7.81

17.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.38 ₺268

$7.99 €7.15

-32.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.19 ₺1,058

$14.81 €13.27

43.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₺94.4

$2.73 €2.44

-30.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 ₺111

$1.26 €1.13

76.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺62.8

$1.97 €1.77

-36.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ₺90.2

$1.45 €1.30

24.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ₺34.91

$1.56 €1.40

-55.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.19

$1.70 €1.52

-62.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.66 €1.49

-26.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₺27.41

$0.67 €0.60

-17.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₺116

$5.83 €5.22

-60.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 ₺665

$6.00 €5.37

121.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₺116

$1.22 €1.09

90.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₺173

$1.05 €0.94

229.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ₺45.27

$1.41 €1.27

-35.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,312

$45.57 €40.81

45.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.3

$2.31 €2.07

-44.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₺42.74

$0.77 €0.69

11.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺554

$16.79 €15.04

-33.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₺70.9

$2.16 €1.93

-34.26%

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

$49.2K ₺2.5M

$33.2K €29.8K

48.04%

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

$42.8K ₺2.1M

$37.4K €33.5K

14.43%

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

$87.7 ₺4,381

$110 €98.6

-20.31%

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

$11.28 ₺563

$21.24 €19.03

-46.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺793

$35.43 €31.73

-55.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 ₺3,790

$36.64 €32.81

107.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,150

$13.45 €12.05

71.30%

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 ₺410

$8.86 €7.93

-7.45%

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

$1,028 ₺51.3K

$624 €559

64.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K ₺1.3M

$11.2K €10.0K

131.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,663

$77.1 €69.1

-30.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ₺1,982

$37.18 €33.29

6.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 ₺4,982

$83.6 €74.9

19.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,670

$105 €94.2

-11.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 ₺50.1K

$942 €844

6.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₺31.4K

$777 €696

-19.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 ₺98.0K

$1,476 €1,322

32.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺56.0K

$1,067 €955

5.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,075 ₺153.5K

$3,883 €3,477

-20.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 ₺87.5K

$2,788 €2,497

-37.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,180 ₺58.9K

$917 €821

28.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

3.67

1008.72%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Last update for Barreiro: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$628 41.5%

Barreiro

$777 47% 23.7% $149

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Barreiro

$235 14.2% 8.9% $23

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.4%

Barreiro

$225 13.6% 3.4% $7.5

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Barreiro

$136 8.3% 5.9% $7.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$115 7.6%

Barreiro

$167 10.1% 45.1% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$92 6.1%

Barreiro

$54 3.3% 41.1% $38

Getting Around

Istanbul

$76 5%

Barreiro

$57 3.5% 24.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,003 in Istanbul versus $942 in Barreiro. 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 29% higher in Istanbul, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $44 in Barreiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $235 – making Barreiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇹 Barreiro

🕒 Local time

01:32 1:32 AM

22:32 10:32 PM

3 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

78,359

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.79 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 49.93 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 55.75 TRY (100 TRY = 1.79 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Barreiro 3,230 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Barreiro

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 Barreiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,516 in Istanbul, $1,652 in Barreiro – Istanbul comes out roughly 8% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,274 per month in Istanbul and $2,479 in Barreiro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,003 in Istanbul and $942 in Barreiro. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,516 in Istanbul and $1,652 in Barreiro. That makes Istanbul about 8% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Barreiro. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,516 in Istanbul and $1,652 in Barreiro. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Barreiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,516 in Istanbul to $1,652 in Barreiro. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.