Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,042 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,042

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,042 in Gothenburg versus $1,526 in Istanbul.

Gothenburg $2,042
Istanbul $1,526

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,064 in Gothenburg versus $2,399 in Istanbul.

Gothenburg $3,064
Istanbul $2,399

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,086 in Gothenburg versus $3,272 in Istanbul.

Gothenburg $4,086
Istanbul $3,272

Living in Gothenburg is roughly 34% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gothenburg 52% above, Istanbul 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.84 SEK 128

$11.88 ₺585

8.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.5 SEK 834

$55.1 ₺2,714

51.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.20 SEK 122

$9.14 ₺450

33.48%

Cappuccino

$4.81 SEK 48.09

$4.24 ₺209

13.44%

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

$2.81 SEK 28.09

$1.75 ₺86.0

60.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SEK 22.46

$0.54 ₺26.83

316.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.07 SEK 70.7

$4.69 ₺231

50.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 SEK 72.8

$5.97 ₺294

22.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 SEK 16.48

$1.26 ₺62.1

30.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 SEK 28.12

$0.95 ₺46.81

195.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.23 SEK 32.25

$2.31 ₺114

39.83%

Eggs

$3.75 SEK 37.44

$2.47 ₺122

51.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.21 SEK 112

$10.55 ₺520

6.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.49 SEK 115

$5.60 ₺276

105.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.27 SEK 163

$21.21 ₺1,045

-23.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 SEK 29.85

$1.93 ₺95.1

54.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 SEK 24.98

$2.29 ₺113

9.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 SEK 29.79

$1.28 ₺63.1

132.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 SEK 43.27

$1.84 ₺90.8

135.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 SEK 18.03

$0.67 ₺32.86

168.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 SEK 16.86

$0.59 ₺29.31

186.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 SEK 19.66

$1.33 ₺65.4

48.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 SEK 15.74

$0.59 ₺29.10

166.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.17 SEK 81.6

$2.36 ₺116

246.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.70 SEK 147

$13.47 ₺664

9.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 SEK 19.88

$2.42 ₺119

-17.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 SEK 22.41

$3.54 ₺174

-36.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.59 SEK 35.89

$0.83 ₺40.64

332.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 SEK 863

$66.5 ₺3,273

29.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.03 SEK 60.2

$1.35 ₺66.6

346.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 SEK 16.43

$0.85 ₺42.05

92.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.9 SEK 588

$10.86 ₺535

442.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 SEK 17.24

$1.47 ₺72.3

17.01%

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

$32.4K SEK 323.7K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-37.26%

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

$33.4K SEK 333.7K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-24.88%

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

$101 SEK 1,012

$89.2 ₺4,395

13.55%

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

$19.36 SEK 193

$11.60 ₺572

66.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.87 SEK 338

$16.10 ₺793

110.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.60 SEK 346

$77.3 ₺3,805

-55.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.33 SEK 243

$22.66 ₺1,116

7.37%

Cinema Ticket

$18.36 SEK 183

$8.34 ₺411

120.14%

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

$223 SEK 2,229

$974 ₺48.0K

-77.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,448 SEK 44.5K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-82.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 SEK 869

$52.7 ₺2,597

64.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.02 SEK 330

$39.16 ₺1,929

-15.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 SEK 857

$103 ₺5,083

-16.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 SEK 1,323

$96.6 ₺4,759

36.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 SEK 10.3K

$994 ₺49.0K

4.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$928 SEK 9,273

$629 ₺31.0K

47.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,768 SEK 17.7K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-12.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 SEK 13.8K

$1,155 ₺56.9K

20.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,117 SEK 61.1K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

93.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,377 SEK 33.8K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

83.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,444 SEK 34.4K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

186.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

41.09

-92.55%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: October 3, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gothenburg

$928 45.4%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 32.2% $299

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$355 17.4%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 25.7% $91

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$267 13.1%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 18.5% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$155 7.6%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 24.3% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$152 7.4%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 13.7% $21

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$115 5.6%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 34.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$71 3.5%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 31.7% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,035 in Gothenburg and $994 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 186% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $83.0 in Gothenburg vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $355 vs $264 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

10:43 10:43 AM

11:43 11:43 AM

1 h ahead of Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 EUR).

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 SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gothenburg Istanbul 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Gothenburg
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

Gothenburg vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Gothenburg. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Istanbul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 186% higher in Gothenburg, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,035 in Gothenburg versus $994 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $223 in Gothenburg versus $974 in Istanbul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Gothenburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,526 in Istanbul versus $2,042 in Gothenburg, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Gothenburg. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Istanbul delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,526 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Istanbul hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Gothenburg and Istanbul are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Istanbul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Gothenburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.