Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Sintra

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

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Sintra
Learn more

Sintra Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Sintra

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,592

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Sintra

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

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

Istanbul $1,550
Sintra $1,592

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,317 in Sintra, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Sintra $2,317

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,041 in Sintra, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Sintra $3,041

Istanbul is about 3% cheaper than Sintra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$13.05 €11.61

-5.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$55.4 €49.24

-1.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$8.84 €7.87

4.30%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.28 €1.14

243.75%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.54 €1.37

9.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.21 €1.07

-51.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$3.25 €2.89

44.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.74 €2.44

115.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.06 €0.95

14.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.26 €1.12

-29.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.32 €1.17

65.91%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.60 €2.31

-9.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$9.14 €8.13

14.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$6.91 €6.15

-18.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$11.07 €9.85

89.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.83 €1.62

3.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.22 €1.09

89.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.34 €1.19

-4.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.24 €2.00

-19.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.25 €1.11

-48.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.63 €1.45

-60.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.59 €1.42

-21.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.63 €0.56

-11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.25 €5.56

-62.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$3.28 €2.92

309.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.28 €1.14

87.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.40 €1.24

148.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$2.19 €1.94

-59.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$41.73 €37.11

61.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$3.66 €3.26

-64.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.50 €0.44

84.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$16.24 €14.45

-32.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.07 €1.84

-28.99%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$34.2K €30.4K

48.65%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$38.2K €33.9K

16.70%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$129 €115

-31.21%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$21.92 €19.50

-47.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$45.30 €40.30

-65.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$41.17 €36.62

87.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$15.52 €13.81

46.52%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$8.89 €7.91

-8.44%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$604 €538

66.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$6,207 €5,522

311.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$74.5 €66.3

-27.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$45.04 €40.07

-9.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$108 €96.1

-8.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$49.27 €43.82

96.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$977 €869

0.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$774 €688

-16.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,551 €1,379

27.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,173 €1,043

0.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$3,033 €2,698

3.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,236 €1,989

-20.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,347 €1,198

-10.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.54

1055.93%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sintra: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Sintra

$774 48.6% 19% $124

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Sintra

$204 12.8% 21.5% $56

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Sintra

$179 11.2% 19.8% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Sintra

$125 7.8% 4.6% $6.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Sintra

$196 12.3% 69% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Sintra

$59 3.7% 36.9% $34

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Sintra

$57 3.6% 26.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $977 in Sintra. 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 12% higher in Sintra, 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 $55.0 in Sintra. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Istanbul vs $204 in Sintra – so Sintra wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇹 Sintra

🕒 Local time

18:34 6:34 PM

16:34 4:34 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

385,654

💱 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 Sintra 3,260 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Sintra

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 Sintra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sintra is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $2,389 in Sintra. 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 $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $604 in Sintra. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 27% cheaper in Sintra – 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 $1,550, than in Sintra at $1,592. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sintra 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, Sintra makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.