Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Madeira

For one person, living costs are similar in Istanbul and in Madeira: $1,526 and $1,597 a month, rent and utilities included.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Madeira
Learn more

Madeira Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,597

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Madeira

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $1,597 in Madeira, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Madeira $1,597

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $2,383 in Madeira, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Madeira $2,383

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $3,169 in Madeira, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Madeira $3,169

Istanbul is about 4% cheaper than Madeira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Madeira sit above the global median – Istanbul by 14%, Madeira by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$11.62 €10.37

2.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$46.16 €41.19

19.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$9.12 €8.14

0.22%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$2.10 €1.88

101.90%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$1.85 €1.65

-5.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$1.43 €1.27

-62.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$2.27 €2.03

106.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$3.54 €3.16

68.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.09 €0.98

15.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.53 €1.37

-37.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.60 €1.43

44.38%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$2.99 €2.67

-17.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$11.53 €10.29

-8.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$7.69 €6.86

-27.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$14.00 €12.49

51.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.35 €2.10

-17.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.41 €1.26

62.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.80 €1.61

-28.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$2.50 €2.23

-26.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.51 €1.34

-55.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.92 €1.72

-69.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.55 €1.38

-14.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.84 €0.75

-29.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$6.04 €5.39

-60.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$5.22 €4.66

158.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.30 €1.16

86.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.32 €2.07

52.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$2.36 €2.11

-64.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$42.32 €37.77

57.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$4.28 €3.82

-68.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.79 €0.71

7.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$17.53 €15.65

-38.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.90 €1.69

-22.63%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$35.4K €31.6K

45.96%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$39.1K €34.9K

13.73%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$134 €120

-33.42%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$20.90 €18.65

-44.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$41.95 €37.44

-61.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$43.41 €38.74

77.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$17.37 €15.50

30.45%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$8.35 €7.45

-0.12%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$473 €422

105.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$8,183 €7,303

214.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$74.7 €66.7

-29.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$38.11 €34.01

2.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$91.9 €82.0

12.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$92.8 €82.8

4.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$914 €816

8.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$717 €640

-12.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$1,446 €1,291

39.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$1,145 €1,021

0.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$3,012 €2,688

4.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$2,356 €2,103

-22.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

5.01

720.16%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Madeira: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Madeira

$717 45.1% 14% $88

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Madeira

$246 15.5% 6.9% $18

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Madeira

$177 11.1% 18.7% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Madeira

$134 8.4% 2% $2.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Madeira

$197 12.4% 68.4% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Madeira

$60 3.8% 36% $34

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Madeira

$60 3.8% 20.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $914 in Madeira. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $46.00 in Madeira. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $246 – making Madeira the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇹 Madeira

🕒 Local time

14:19 2:19 PM

12:19 12:19 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

154

💱 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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Between locations

Istanbul Madeira 4,140 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Madeira

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 Madeira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Madeira is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $2,395 in Madeira. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Istanbul and $473 in Madeira. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Madeira – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Madeira at $1,597. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Madeira it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Istanbul – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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