Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Silves and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,629 in Silves, rent and utilities included – about $950 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Silves outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Silves
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Silves Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Silves

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,629

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,629 per month in Silves vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Silves $1,629
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,393 per month in Silves vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Silves $2,393
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,157 per month in Silves vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Silves $3,157
Istanbul $3,281

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.54 €12.04

$12.30 ₺609

10.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.10 €41.90

$54.7 ₺2,708

-13.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.30 €8.28

$9.22 ₺456

0.87%

Cappuccino

$1.92 €1.71

$4.40 ₺218

-56.36%

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

$1.93 €1.72

$1.68 ₺83.1

14.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.59 ₺29.40

145.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.82 €2.51

$4.70 ₺233

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 €3.04

$5.91 ₺292

-42.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.21 ₺60.0

-9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 €1.30

$0.89 ₺44.10

65.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$2.19 ₺108

-28.31%

Eggs

$3.39 €3.02

$2.35 ₺116

44.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.90 €10.58

$10.42 ₺516

14.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.31 €6.50

$5.65 ₺280

29.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.47 €12.87

$20.94 ₺1,037

-30.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.90 ₺94.1

18.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 €1.19

$2.31 ₺114

-41.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.28 ₺63.1

38.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.80 ₺89.0

42.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$0.65 ₺32.16

180.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$0.64 ₺31.91

198.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.25 ₺62.1

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 €0.70

$0.56 ₺27.58

41.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.98 €5.32

$2.37 ₺118

152.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$13.42 ₺664

-66.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.09

$2.40 ₺119

-49.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.48 ₺172

-39.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.89 ₺43.84

156.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.98 €37.35

$67.4 ₺3,338

-37.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.80 €3.38

$1.29 ₺64.1

194.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 €1.03

$0.92 ₺45.70

25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.40 €16.36

$10.96 ₺542

67.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.47 ₺72.9

40.82%

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

$33.9K €30.2K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-33.22%

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

$34.0K €30.3K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-23.62%

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

$120 €106

$88.6 ₺4,387

35.08%

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

$19.84 €17.65

$11.59 ₺574

71.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.39 €32.36

$15.81 ₺783

130.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.12 €35.69

$77.2 ₺3,820

-48.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.69 €13.07

$22.74 ₺1,126

-35.40%

Cinema Ticket

$8.33 €7.41

$8.14 ₺403

2.33%

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

$419 €372

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-58.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K €10.0K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-55.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.9 €70.2

$54.0 ₺2,671

46.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.89 €32.81

$40.83 ₺2,021

-9.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.4 €75.1

$98.9 ₺4,895

-14.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 €93.0

$96.6 ₺4,783

8.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$944 €840

$985 ₺48.7K

-4.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 €676

$650 ₺32.2K

17.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,546 €1,375

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-22.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,194 €1,062

$1,180 ₺58.4K

1.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,242 €2,884

$3,138 ₺155.4K

3.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 €1,993

$1,780 ₺88.1K

25.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$948 €843

$1,205 ₺59.7K

-21.35%

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 Silves: 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

Silves

$761 46.7%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 14.6% $111

Groceries & Markets

Silves

$244 15%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 6.2% $15

Eating Out

Silves

$194 11.9%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 15.3% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Silves

$176 10.8%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 34% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Silves

$137 8.4%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 4.8% $6.5

Getting Around

Silves

$61 3.7%

Istanbul

$77 5% 26.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Silves

$57 3.5%

Istanbul

$93 6% 64.6% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $944 in Silves 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 27% higher in Istanbul, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Silves versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $260 – making Silves the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Silves

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

04:33 4:33 AM

06:33 6:33 AM

2 h ahead of Silves

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,776

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

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Between locations

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

From you

Silves
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

Silves vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,444 per month in Silves 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 $419 per month in Silves 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 6% cheaper in Silves – 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 Silves at $1,629. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Silves 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, Silves makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.