Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madeira and Istanbul

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

78

Cost of Living Index in Madeira
Learn more

Madeira Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,597

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madeira 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 Madeira and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Madeira $1,597
Istanbul $1,526

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

Madeira $2,383
Istanbul $2,399

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

Madeira $3,169
Istanbul $3,272

Madeira costs about 5% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 €10.37

$11.88 ₺585

-2.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.16 €41.19

$55.1 ₺2,714

-16.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 €8.14

$9.14 ₺450

-0.22%

Cappuccino

$2.10 €1.88

$4.24 ₺209

-50.47%

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

$1.85 €1.65

$1.75 ₺86.0

5.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.54 ₺26.83

164.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 €2.03

$4.69 ₺231

-51.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 €3.16

$5.97 ₺294

-40.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.26 ₺62.1

-13.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.95 ₺46.81

61.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$2.31 ₺114

-30.74%

Eggs

$2.99 €2.67

$2.47 ₺122

21.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.53 €10.29

$10.55 ₺520

9.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.69 €6.86

$5.60 ₺276

37.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.00 €12.49

$21.21 ₺1,045

-33.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 €2.10

$1.93 ₺95.1

21.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.29 ₺113

-38.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.28 ₺63.1

40.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.23

$1.84 ₺90.8

35.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$0.67 ₺32.86

125.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.72

$0.59 ₺29.31

225.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.33 ₺65.4

16.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.59 ₺29.10

42.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.04 €5.39

$2.36 ₺116

155.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.22 €4.66

$13.47 ₺664

-61.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$2.42 ₺119

-46.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €2.07

$3.54 ₺174

-34.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.36 €2.11

$0.83 ₺40.64

184.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.32 €37.77

$66.5 ₺3,273

-36.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 €3.82

$1.35 ₺66.6

217.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 €0.71

$0.85 ₺42.05

-7.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.53 €15.65

$10.86 ₺535

61.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.47 ₺72.3

29.25%

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

$35.4K €31.6K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-31.49%

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

$39.1K €34.9K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-12.07%

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

$134 €120

$89.2 ₺4,395

50.19%

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

$20.90 €18.65

$11.60 ₺572

80.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.95 €37.44

$16.10 ₺793

160.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.41 €38.74

$77.3 ₺3,805

-43.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.37 €15.50

$22.66 ₺1,116

-23.35%

Cinema Ticket

$8.35 €7.45

$8.34 ₺411

0.12%

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

$473 €422

$974 ₺48.0K

-51.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,183 €7,303

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-68.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.7 €66.7

$52.7 ₺2,597

41.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 €34.01

$39.16 ₺1,929

-2.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 €82.0

$103 ₺5,083

-10.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.8 €82.8

$96.6 ₺4,759

-3.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$914 €816

$994 ₺49.0K

-8.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 €640

$629 ₺31.0K

13.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,446 €1,291

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-28.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 €1,021

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-0.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,012 €2,688

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-4.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,356 €2,103

$1,838 ₺90.5K

28.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.01

41.09

-87.81%

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

Last update for Madeira: October 5, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madeira

$717 45.1%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 12.3% $88

Groceries & Markets

Madeira

$246 15.5%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 7.4% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madeira

$197 12.4%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 40.6% $80

Eating Out

Madeira

$177 11.1%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 23% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Madeira

$134 8.4%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 2% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Madeira

$60 3.8%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 56.3% $34

Getting Around

Madeira

$60 3.8%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 25.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $914 in Madeira versus $994 in Istanbul. 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 $46.00 in Madeira versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $264 – making Madeira the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Madeira

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

09:34 9:34 AM

11:34 11:34 AM

2 h ahead of Madeira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

154

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Madeira Istanbul 4,140 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Madeira
Istanbul

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

Madeira vs Istanbul: 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 $2,395 per month in Madeira and $2,289 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $473 per month in Madeira and $974 in Istanbul. 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.