Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,516 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Istanbul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lisbon and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $1,516 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Istanbul $1,516

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $2,356 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Istanbul $2,356

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $3,197 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Istanbul $3,197

Lisbon costs about 46% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Lisbon and Istanbul sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Istanbul by 11%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$11.59 ₺577

43.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$54.7 ₺2,725

12.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$9.39 ₺468

20.98%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$4.23 ₺211

-29.79%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.72 ₺85.6

33.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.57 ₺28.26

205.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$4.65 ₺232

-26.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$6.84 ₺341

-51.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.20 ₺60.0

-3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$0.94 ₺46.97

103.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.24 ₺112

-32.59%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.42 ₺121

66.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$10.24 ₺510

26.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$5.38 ₺268

44.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$21.19 ₺1,056

-16.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$1.89 ₺94.3

21.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.22 ₺111

-22.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.26 ₺62.7

47.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$1.81 ₺90.0

43.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.70 ₺34.84

160.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.64 ₺32.13

207.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.22 ₺60.9

20.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.55 ₺27.35

30.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$2.32 ₺116

183.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$13.31 ₺663

-57.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.33 ₺116

-41.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$3.46 ₺172

-38.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.91 ₺45.18

156.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$66.3 ₺3,306

-32.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$1.29 ₺64.2

198.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.86 ₺42.66

24.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$11.09 ₺553

48.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.42 ₺70.8

54.93%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$49.2K ₺2.5M

-30.49%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$42.8K ₺2.1M

-9.53%

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

$161 €145

$87.7 ₺4,373

83.75%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$11.28 ₺562

63.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$15.89 ₺792

106.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$75.9 ₺3,783

-41.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$23.04 ₺1,148

-17.10%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$8.20 ₺409

17.07%

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

$668 €600

$1,028 ₺51.2K

-35.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$26.0K ₺1.3M

-32.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$53.3 ₺2,658

91.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$39.69 ₺1,978

12.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$99.8 ₺4,972

-1.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$93.5 ₺4,661

32.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,003 ₺50.0K

60.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$628 ₺31.3K

89.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,963 ₺97.8K

43.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$1,122 ₺55.9K

79.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$3,075 ₺153.2K

154.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$1,753 ₺87.3K

161.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$1,180 ₺58.8K

33.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

40.69

-90.54%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Istanbul

$628 41.5% 47.2% $562

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Istanbul

$258 17% 5.2% $14

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Istanbul

$218 14.4% 10.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Istanbul

$115 7.6% 45.9% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 22.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Istanbul

$92 6.1% 44.8% $29

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Istanbul

$76 5% 19.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,003 in Istanbul. 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 34% higher in Lisbon, 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 $62 in Lisbon versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $258 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

17:42 5:42 PM

3 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Istanbul 3,240 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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

Lisbon vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $2,274 in Istanbul. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,003 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Kindergarten costs $668 per month in Lisbon and $1,028 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Lisbon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,516 in Istanbul. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Istanbul costs $1,516 versus $2,210 in Lisbon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.