Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Cascais

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,157 in Cascais, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Cascais
Learn more

Cascais Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Cascais

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,157

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Cascais

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,157 in Cascais.

Istanbul $1,550
Cascais $2,157

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $3,481 in Cascais.

Istanbul $2,415
Cascais $3,481

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $4,805 in Cascais.

Istanbul $3,281
Cascais $4,805

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 28% less than in Cascais, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Cascais 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$15.31 €13.62

-19.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$44.46 €39.55

23.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$9.26 €8.24

-0.43%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.59 €2.30

69.88%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.04 €1.81

-17.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$2.19 €1.95

-73.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$3.30 €2.93

42.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$5.67 €5.05

4.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.31 €1.17

-7.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.23 €1.99

-60.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.62 €1.44

35.19%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.44 €3.06

-31.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$10.70 €9.51

-2.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$6.86 €6.10

-17.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$15.19 €13.51

37.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.75 €2.45

-30.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.46 €1.30

58.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.45 €2.18

-47.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.16 €1.92

-16.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.61 €1.43

-59.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.36 €2.10

-72.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.63 €1.45

-23.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.07 €0.95

-47.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$5.71 €5.08

-58.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.58 €6.74

77.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.24 €1.10

93.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$4.39 €3.90

-20.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$2.47 €2.20

-63.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$44.24 €39.35

52.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$2.27 €2.02

-43.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.11 €1.88

-30.33%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$33.8K €30.0K

50.41%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$38.0K €33.8K

17.12%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$133 €119

-33.53%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$24.80 €22.06

-53.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$56.0 €49.83

-71.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$66.8 €59.4

15.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$11.32 €10.06

100.88%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$7.07 €6.29

15.13%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$719 €639

40.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$18.4K €16.3K

39.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$78.9 €70.2

-31.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$38.31 €34.08

6.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$105 €93.0

-5.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$133 €119

-27.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,763 €1,568

-44.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$1,150 €1,023

-43.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$3,833 €3,409

-48.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$2,606 €2,318

-54.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$6,815 €6,062

-53.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$4,833 €4,299

-63.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$2,264 €2,014

-46.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.67

1014.99%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cascais: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Cascais

$1.1K 53.3% 77% $500

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Cascais

$270 12.5% 3.9% $10

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Cascais

$226 10.5% 1.2% $2.8

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Cascais

$160 7.4% 22.3% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Cascais

$214 9.9% 84.6% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Cascais

$81 3.8% 13.4% $13

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Cascais

$56 * 2.6% 26.6% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $1,763 in Cascais. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cascais pays 88% 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: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $44.00 in Cascais. Groceries flip the comparison at $260 vs $270, with Istanbul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇹 Cascais

🕒 Local time

14:30 2:30 PM

12:30 12:30 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

214,158

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

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

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Cascais 3,260 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Cascais

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 Cascais: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 88% lower in Cascais. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $1,763 in Cascais. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Cascais. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $44.00 in Cascais. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,157 in Cascais, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Cascais. 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 Cascais, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Cascais 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 39% less than in Cascais. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.