Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Setubal and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,634 in Setubal, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Setubal outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Setubal
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Setubal Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Setubal

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,634

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,634 per month in Setubal vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Setubal $1,634
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,343 per month in Setubal vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Setubal $2,343
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,052 per month in Setubal vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Setubal $3,052
Istanbul $3,281

Setubal costs about 5% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Setubal and Istanbul sit above the global median – Setubal by 21%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.33 €10.97

$12.30 ₺609

0.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.13 €41.92

$54.7 ₺2,708

-13.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.15 €8.14

$9.22 ₺456

-0.76%

Cappuccino

$2.01 €1.79

$4.40 ₺218

-54.32%

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

$2.03 €1.81

$1.68 ₺83.1

20.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.35

$0.59 ₺29.40

157.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 €1.95

$4.70 ₺233

-53.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.94

$5.91 ₺292

-43.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.21 ₺60.0

-12.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.89 ₺44.10

66.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 €1.51

$2.19 ₺108

-22.37%

Eggs

$3.26 €2.90

$2.35 ₺116

38.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 €10.43

$10.42 ₺516

12.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.43 €6.61

$5.65 ₺280

31.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.71 €13.08

$20.94 ₺1,037

-29.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 €2.05

$1.90 ₺94.1

21.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.31 ₺114

-40.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.28 ₺63.1

37.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.79 €2.48

$1.80 ₺89.0

55.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 €1.46

$0.65 ₺32.16

152.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.64 ₺31.91

215.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.25 ₺62.1

18.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.64

$0.56 ₺27.58

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.68 €5.05

$2.37 ₺118

139.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.35 €3.87

$13.42 ₺664

-67.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.82

$2.40 ₺119

-61.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$3.48 ₺172

-37.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.33 €3.85

$0.89 ₺43.84

386.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.52 €40.49

$67.4 ₺3,338

-32.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.70 €3.29

$1.29 ₺64.1

186.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.92 ₺45.70

47.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 €12.54

$10.96 ₺542

28.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.47 ₺72.9

44.22%

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

$33.9K €30.1K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-33.33%

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

$37.8K €33.6K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-15.08%

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

$100 €89.2

$88.6 ₺4,387

13.19%

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

$20.39 €18.14

$11.59 ₺574

75.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.54 €28.95

$15.81 ₺783

105.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.94 €27.52

$77.2 ₺3,820

-59.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.90 €14.15

$22.74 ₺1,126

-30.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.95 €7.08

$8.14 ₺403

-2.33%

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

$575 €511

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-43.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K €9,430

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-58.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.8 €59.4

$54.0 ₺2,671

23.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.46 €33.32

$40.83 ₺2,021

-8.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 €62.5

$98.9 ₺4,895

-28.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 €84.5

$96.6 ₺4,783

-1.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$993 €884

$985 ₺48.7K

0.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$814 €724

$650 ₺32.2K

25.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 €1,411

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-20.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 €1,031

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-1.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,100 €3,647

$3,138 ₺155.4K

30.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,343 €2,084

$1,780 ₺88.1K

31.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,246 €1,109

$1,205 ₺59.7K

3.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

40.92

-90.59%

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

Last update for Setubal: October 13, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Setubal

$814 49.8%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 20.1% $164

Groceries & Markets

Setubal

$244 14.9%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 6.6% $16

Eating Out

Setubal

$182 11.1%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 22.7% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Setubal

$153 9.4%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 24.3% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Setubal

$121 7.4%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 7.7% $9.4

Getting Around

Setubal

$73 4.5%

Istanbul

$77 5% 4.8% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Setubal

$47 2.9%

Istanbul

$93 6% 99.4% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $993 in Setubal 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 3% higher in Setubal, 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 $47.00 in Setubal versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $260 – making Setubal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Setubal

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

03:36 3:36 AM

05:36 5:36 AM

2 h ahead of Setubal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,519

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

Setubal Istanbul 3,220 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Setubal
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

Setubal vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,451 per month in Setubal 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 $575 per month in Setubal 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 7% cheaper in Setubal – 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 Setubal at $1,634. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Setubal 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, Setubal makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.