Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Castelo Branco

For one person, living is cheaper in Castelo Branco: $1,100 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Castelo Branco
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Castelo Branco Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Castelo Branco

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,100

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Castelo Branco

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,100 in Castelo Branco.

Istanbul $1,550
Castelo Branco $1,100

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $1,666 in Castelo Branco.

Istanbul $2,415
Castelo Branco $1,666

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $2,233 in Castelo Branco.

Istanbul $3,281
Castelo Branco $2,233

Living in Istanbul is roughly 41% more expensive than in Castelo Branco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, Castelo Branco is 19% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$11.29 €10.05

8.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$39.12 €34.80

39.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$9.62 €8.56

-4.16%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.25 €1.11

252.00%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.41 €1.25

19.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.26 €1.12

-53.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.09 €0.97

331.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.20 €1.96

168.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.17 €1.04

3.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.30 €1.16

-31.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.45 €1.29

51.03%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.87 €3.44

-39.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$8.76 €7.79

18.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$5.80 €5.16

-2.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$8.58 €7.63

144.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.11 €1.88

-9.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.31 €1.17

76.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.75 €1.56

-26.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.30 €2.05

-21.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.65 €1.47

-60.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.45 €1.29

-55.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.14 €1.02

9.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.81 €0.72

-30.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$5.97 €5.31

-60.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$3.39 €3.01

295.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.17 €1.04

105.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.95 €1.73

78.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.25 €1.11

-28.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$22.20 €19.75

203.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$2.25 €2.00

-42.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.74 €0.66

24.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$16.67 €14.83

-34.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.04 €1.82

-27.94%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$33.5K €29.8K

51.56%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$40.5K €36.0K

10.00%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$120 €106

-25.94%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$19.03 €16.92

-39.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$31.99 €28.45

-50.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$39.32 €34.97

96.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$6.70 €5.96

21.49%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$678 €603

48.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$16.9K €15.1K

50.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$78.7 €70.0

-31.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$44.71 €39.77

-8.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$82.1 €73.0

20.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$67.6 €60.2

42.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$458 €407

115.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$363 €323

79.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$796 €708

149.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$605 €538

94.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$1,574 €1,400

99.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,322 €1,176

34.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,617 €1,438

-25.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.85

962.86%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Castelo Branco: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Castelo Branco

$363 33% 44.1% $287

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Castelo Branco

$203 18.4% 21.9% $57

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Castelo Branco

$155 14.1% 30.7% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Castelo Branco

$123 11.2% 5.9% $7.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Castelo Branco

$171 15.5% 47.1% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Castelo Branco

$53 4.8% 43.6% $41

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Castelo Branco

$33 3% 56.8% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $458 in Castelo Branco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Castelo Branco pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $39.00 in Castelo Branco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $203 per month, with Castelo Branco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇹 Castelo Branco

🕒 Local time

16:12 4:12 PM

14:12 2:12 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

52,291

💱 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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Between locations

Istanbul Castelo Branco 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Castelo Branco

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 Castelo Branco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Castelo Branco is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 41% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 34% lower in Castelo Branco. 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 $458 in Castelo Branco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,550 per month in Istanbul versus $1,100 in Castelo Branco – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Castelo Branco runs roughly 204% less than in Istanbul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,100 in Castelo Branco versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Castelo Branco but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Castelo Branco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Castelo Branco is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Istanbul, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Castelo Branco 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 Castelo Branco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.