Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Guimaraes

For one person, living costs are similar in Istanbul and in Guimaraes: $1,550 and $1,592 a month, rent and utilities included.

Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,550
/mo nomad
Guimaraes
🇵🇹 Portugal
$1,592
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Guimaraes

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,592 in Guimaraes, rent included.

  • Istanbul $1,550
  • Guimaraes $1,592

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,304 in Guimaraes, rent included.

  • Istanbul $2,415
  • Guimaraes $2,304

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,015 in Guimaraes, rent included.

  • Istanbul $3,281
  • Guimaraes $3,015

Istanbul is about 3% cheaper than Guimaraes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Guimaraes sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Guimaraes by 18%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Guimaraes
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.30 ₺609
$13.07 €11.63
-5.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.7 ₺2,708
$50.3 €44.72
8.81%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.22 ₺456
$8.78 €7.81
5.01%
Cappuccino
$4.40 ₺218
$1.86 €1.66
136.56%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 ₺83.1
$1.90 €1.69
-11.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 ₺29.40
$1.31 €1.16
-54.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.70 ₺233
$2.20 €1.95
113.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.91 ₺292
$2.80 €2.49
111.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Guimaraes
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.21 ₺60.0
$1.11 €0.99
9.01%
White Bread (500g)
$0.89 ₺44.10
$1.85 €1.64
-51.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.19 ₺108
$1.73 €1.54
26.59%
Eggs
$2.35 ₺116
$3.02 €2.68
-22.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.42 ₺516
$12.31 €10.95
-15.35%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.65 ₺280
$7.99 €7.10
-29.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.94 ₺1,037
$14.76 €13.13
41.87%
Apples (1kg)
$1.90 ₺94.1
$1.98 €1.76
-4.04%
Banana (1kg)
$2.31 ₺114
$1.33 €1.18
73.68%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 ₺63.1
$1.85 €1.65
-30.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 ₺89.0
$2.47 €2.19
-27.13%
Potato (1kg)
$0.65 ₺32.16
$1.98 €1.76
-67.17%
Onion (1kg)
$0.64 ₺31.91
$1.82 €1.62
-64.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 ₺62.1
$1.54 €1.37
-18.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺27.58
$0.95 €0.84
-41.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.37 ₺118
$6.28 €5.59
-62.26%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.42 ₺664
$4.36 €3.87
207.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.40 ₺119
$1.34 €1.19
79.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.48 ₺172
$2.20 €1.96
58.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Guimaraes
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.89 ₺43.84
$2.50 €2.23
-64.40%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$67.4 ₺3,338
$31.14 €27.70
116.54%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.29 ₺64.1
$4.20 €3.74
-69.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.92 ₺45.70
$1.46 €1.30
-36.99%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.96 ₺542
$16.28 €14.48
-32.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ₺72.9
$2.13 €1.89
-30.99%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$50.8K ₺2.5M
$32.9K €29.2K
54.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.5K ₺2.2M
$38.6K €34.3K
15.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Guimaraes
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.6 ₺4,387
$108 €95.8
-17.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.59 ₺574
$16.83 €14.97
-31.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.81 ₺783
$46.56 €41.41
-66.04%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Guimaraes
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$77.2 ₺3,820
$42.56 €37.86
81.30%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.74 ₺1,126
$22.76 €20.25
-0.09%
Cinema Ticket
$8.14 ₺403
$9.16 €8.14
-11.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Guimaraes
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,008 ₺49.9K
$385 €343
161.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.6K ₺1.3M
$6,487 €5,770
294.05%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Guimaraes
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.0 ₺2,671
$73.0 €64.9
-26.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.83 ₺2,021
$36.68 €32.63
11.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.9 ₺4,895
$84.2 €74.9
17.48%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.6 ₺4,783
$96.1 €85.5
0.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Guimaraes
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$985 ₺48.7K
$932 €829
5.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$650 ₺32.2K
$740 €659
-12.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,983 ₺98.2K
$1,314 €1,169
50.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,180 ₺58.4K
$1,059 €942
11.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,138 ₺155.4K
$2,768 €2,462
13.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,780 ₺88.1K
$2,241 €1,993
-20.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Guimaraes
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,205 ₺59.7K
$1,381 €1,228
-12.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
40.92
3.7
1005.95%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Guimaraes: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$650
Guimaraes
$740 13.9% $91
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$260
Guimaraes
$254 2.1% $5.4
Eating Out
Istanbul
$223
Guimaraes
$183 18.2% $41
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$131
Guimaraes
$130 0.1% $0.1
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$116
Guimaraes
$171 47.5% $55
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$93
Guimaraes
$61 34.9% $33
Getting Around
Istanbul
$77
Guimaraes
$53 31.5% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $932 in Guimaraes. 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 15% higher in Guimaraes, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $50.0 in Guimaraes. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $254 – making Guimaraes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇵🇹 Guimaraes
🕒 Local time
22:29 10:29 PM
20:29 8:29 PM
2 h behind Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
156,849
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Guimaraes 3,090 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Guimaraes

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 Guimaraes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Istanbul or Guimaraes?
Guimaraes costs about 3% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Istanbul and in Guimaraes?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $2,389 in Guimaraes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Istanbul or Guimaraes?
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.
How do dining costs compare in Istanbul and in Guimaraes?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $50.0 in Guimaraes. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Istanbul compared to Guimaraes?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,550 in Istanbul and $1,592 in Guimaraes. That's a gap of about 3%.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Istanbul or in Guimaraes?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Guimaraes at $1,592. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guimaraes it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Istanbul or Guimaraes?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Istanbul costs $1,550 versus $1,592 in Guimaraes. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Istanbul compared to Guimaraes?
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.
Should I move to Istanbul or to Guimaraes?
If budget matters most, go with Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Guimaraes makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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