Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matosinhos and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,926 in Matosinhos, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Matosinhos outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

93

Cost of Living Index in Matosinhos
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Matosinhos Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Matosinhos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,926

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,926 per month in Matosinhos vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Matosinhos $1,926
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,803 per month in Matosinhos vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Matosinhos $2,803
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,680 per month in Matosinhos vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Matosinhos $3,680
Istanbul $3,281

Matosinhos costs about 24% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Matosinhos and Istanbul sit above the global median – Matosinhos by 43%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.41 €11.93

$12.30 ₺609

9.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.70 €42.43

$54.7 ₺2,708

-12.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.91 €8.81

$9.22 ₺456

7.48%

Cappuccino

$2.69 €2.40

$4.40 ₺218

-38.86%

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

$2.07 €1.84

$1.68 ₺83.1

23.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.34

$0.59 ₺29.40

155.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 €1.94

$4.70 ₺233

-53.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.94

$5.91 ₺292

-44.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.98

$1.21 ₺60.0

-8.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.89 ₺44.10

88.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 €1.52

$2.19 ₺108

-22.37%

Eggs

$3.36 €2.99

$2.35 ₺116

42.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.61 €10.33

$10.42 ₺516

11.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.21 €6.42

$5.65 ₺280

27.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 €12.76

$20.94 ₺1,037

-31.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.90 ₺94.1

14.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$2.31 ₺114

-35.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.28 ₺63.1

39.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.80 ₺89.0

37.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 €1.44

$0.65 ₺32.16

149.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.64 ₺31.91

190.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.25 ₺62.1

22.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.68

$0.56 ₺27.58

37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.43 €5.72

$2.37 ₺118

171.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 €4.94

$13.42 ₺664

-58.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.40 ₺119

-42.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$3.48 ₺172

-40.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 €2.40

$0.89 ₺43.84

203.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.17 €39.29

$67.4 ₺3,338

-34.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 €3.98

$1.29 ₺64.1

246.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 €0.72

$0.92 ₺45.70

-11.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.19 €12.62

$10.96 ₺542

29.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.47 ₺72.9

44.90%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-33.69%

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

$38.1K €33.9K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-14.39%

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

$158 €141

$88.6 ₺4,387

78.86%

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

$22.04 €19.60

$11.59 ₺574

90.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.78 €29.15

$15.81 ₺783

107.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.3 €55.4

$77.2 ₺3,820

-19.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.15 €19.70

$22.74 ₺1,126

-2.59%

Cinema Ticket

$9.20 €8.18

$8.14 ₺403

13.02%

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

$567 €504

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-43.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K €9,324

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-58.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.9 €85.3

$54.0 ₺2,671

77.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.94 €32.86

$40.83 ₺2,021

-9.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 €82.0

$98.9 ₺4,895

-6.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €90.4

$96.6 ₺4,783

5.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 €1,032

$985 ₺48.7K

17.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$973 €866

$650 ₺32.2K

49.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,225 €1,979

$1,983 ₺98.2K

12.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,571 €1,397

$1,180 ₺58.4K

33.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,329 €3,850

$3,138 ₺155.4K

37.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,785 €3,367

$1,780 ₺88.1K

112.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,565 €1,392

$1,205 ₺59.7K

29.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

40.92

-91.03%

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

Last update for Matosinhos: October 10, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Matosinhos

$973 50.5%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 33.2% $323

Groceries & Markets

Matosinhos

$248 12.9%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 4.9% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matosinhos

$213 11.1%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 45.6% $97

Eating Out

Matosinhos

$201 10.5%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 11% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Matosinhos

$147 7.6%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 11.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Matosinhos

$81 4.2%

Istanbul

$93 6% 15.8% $13

Getting Around

Matosinhos

$64 3.3%

Istanbul

$77 5% 21.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,160 in Matosinhos versus $985 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 30% higher in Matosinhos, 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 $48.00 in Matosinhos versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $248 vs $260 – making Matosinhos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Matosinhos

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

20:19 8:19 PM

22:19 10:19 PM

2 h ahead of Matosinhos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,586

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Matosinhos Istanbul 3,130 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Matosinhos
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

Matosinhos vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Matosinhos is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,889 per month in Matosinhos and $2,325 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 $567 per month in Matosinhos and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Matosinhos – 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 Matosinhos at $1,926. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Matosinhos 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, Matosinhos makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.