Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Funchal

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,087 in Funchal, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Funchal outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Funchal
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Funchal Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Funchal

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,087

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Funchal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul versus $2,087 in Funchal.

Istanbul $1,526
Funchal $2,087

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,399 in Istanbul versus $3,066 in Funchal.

Istanbul $2,399
Funchal $3,066

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,272 in Istanbul versus $4,046 in Funchal.

Istanbul $3,272
Funchal $4,046

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 27% less than in Funchal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 14% above, Funchal 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$15.03 €13.41

-20.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$65.0 €58.0

-15.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$13.30 €11.87

-31.28%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$1.95 €1.74

117.44%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$1.67 €1.49

4.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$1.40 €1.25

-61.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$2.75 €2.46

70.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$3.82 €3.41

56.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.07 €0.95

17.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.76 €1.57

-46.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.62 €1.44

42.59%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$3.79 €3.38

-34.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$10.19 €9.09

3.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$7.26 €6.48

-22.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$11.93 €10.64

77.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.78 €1.59

8.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.79 €1.60

27.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.76 €1.57

-27.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$2.45 €2.18

-24.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.92 €1.72

-65.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.99 €1.78

-70.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.64 €1.47

-18.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.81 €0.73

-27.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$5.44 €4.86

-56.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$6.69 €5.97

101.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.28 €1.14

89.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.59 €2.31

36.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$2.19 €1.96

-62.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$33.23 €29.66

99.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$4.00 €3.57

-66.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$1.42 €1.27

-40.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$18.31 €16.34

-40.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$2.11 €1.88

-30.33%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$33.1K €29.6K

55.73%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$38.9K €34.7K

14.28%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$123 €110

-27.72%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$17.01 €15.18

-31.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$48.63 €43.40

-66.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$40.45 €36.09

90.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$8.23 €7.34

175.33%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$8.61 €7.68

-3.14%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$423 €377

130.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$8,385 €7,483

207.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$63.7 €56.8

-17.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$33.28 €29.70

17.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$89.2 €79.6

15.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$76.5 €68.3

26.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$1,483 €1,323

-32.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$1,245 €1,111

-49.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$2,516 €2,245

-19.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$1,964 €1,753

-41.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$4,842 €4,321

-34.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$3,344 €2,984

-45.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$1,427 €1,274

-15.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

3.59

1044.57%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Funchal: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Funchal

$1.2K 58.6% 97.8% $616

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Funchal

$243 11.4% 8.1% $21

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Funchal

$217 10.2% 0.3% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Funchal

$118 5.6% 10% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Funchal

$189 8.9% 61.7% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Funchal

$58 2.7% 38.6% $36

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Funchal

$53 2.5% 29.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $994 in Istanbul and $1,483 in Funchal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Funchal pays 19% 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 $65.0 in Funchal. Groceries flip the comparison at $264 vs $243, with Funchal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇹 Funchal

🕒 Local time

13:37 1:37 PM

11:37 11:37 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

105,795

💱 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 →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Funchal 4,140 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Funchal

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 Funchal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Funchal differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($1,526 vs $2,087 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Funchal. 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: $994 in Istanbul versus $1,483 in Funchal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,526 per month in Istanbul versus $2,087 in Funchal – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Istanbul runs roughly 100% less than in Funchal. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,526 in Istanbul versus $2,087 in Funchal, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Funchal. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Funchal 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 37% less than in Funchal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.