Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Horta

For one person, living is cheaper in Horta: $1,206 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Horta
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Horta Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Horta

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Horta

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $1,206 in Horta, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Horta $1,206

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $1,787 in Horta, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Horta $1,787

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $2,367 in Horta, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Horta $2,367

Istanbul costs about 27% more than Horta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Horta is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$7.99 €7.13

48.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$31.09 €27.74

77.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$8.29 €7.40

10.25%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$2.25 €2.01

88.44%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$1.91 €1.71

-8.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$1.39 €1.24

-61.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$2.76 €2.47

69.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$3.35 €2.99

78.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.07 €0.96

17.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.47 €1.31

-35.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.60 €1.43

44.38%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$4.37 €3.90

-43.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$10.77 €9.61

-2.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$7.72 €6.89

-27.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$15.12 €13.49

40.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.06 €1.83

-6.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.34 €1.19

70.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.87 €1.67

-31.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$2.86 €2.55

-35.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.85 €1.65

-63.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.91 €1.71

-69.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.53 €1.36

-13.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.83 €0.75

-28.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$5.34 €4.77

-55.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$5.64 €5.03

138.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.21 €1.08

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.10 €1.88

68.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$1.98 €1.77

-58.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$40.47 €36.12

64.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$4.16 €3.71

-67.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.93 €0.83

-8.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$17.81 €15.89

-39.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$2.42 €2.16

-39.26%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$32.9K €29.3K

57.05%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$35.8K €31.9K

24.17%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$121 €108

-26.31%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$20.13 €17.97

-42.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$49.19 €43.90

-67.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$47.92 €42.77

61.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$16.59 €14.80

36.59%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$5.00 €4.47

66.80%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$529 €472

84.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$10.7K €9,549

140.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$77.4 €69.1

-31.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$23.32 €20.81

67.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$54.2 €48.39

90.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$104 €93.1

-7.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$497 €444

99.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$394 €352

59.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$751 €670

169.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$653 €583

76.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$3,033 €2,707

4.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$2,276 €2,031

-19.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$966 €862

24.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

3.67

1019.62%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Horta: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Horta

$394 32.4% 37.4% $235

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Horta

$253 20.7% 4.3% $11

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Horta

$150 12.3% 31.4% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Horta

$117 9.6% 11.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Horta

$190 15.6% 62.8% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Horta

$58 4.8% 38.3% $36

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Horta

$57 4.7% 24.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $497 in Horta. 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 25% higher in Istanbul, 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 $31.00 in Horta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $253 – making Horta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇹 Horta

🕒 Local time

11:33 11:33 AM

08:33 8:33 AM

3 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

14,334

💱 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 = 55.25 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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Between locations

Istanbul Horta 4,840 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Horta

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 Horta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul, $1,206 in Horta – roughly 27% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $1,808 in Horta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Horta, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 64% less in Horta. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Istanbul and $529 in Horta. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Horta, where all-in costs run around $1,206, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Horta it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,206 in Horta to $1,526 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Horta. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.