Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Helsingborg and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $1,723 in Helsingborg, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Helsingborg
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Helsingborg Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Helsingborg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,723

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,723 per month in Helsingborg vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Helsingborg $1,723
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $2,599 per month in Helsingborg vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Helsingborg $2,599
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $3,474 per month in Helsingborg vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Helsingborg $3,474
Istanbul $3,272

Helsingborg costs about 13% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Helsingborg and Istanbul sit above the global median – Helsingborg by 29%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.83 SEK 128

$11.88 ₺585

8.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 SEK 689

$55.1 ₺2,714

25.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.36 SEK 124

$9.14 ₺450

35.23%

Cappuccino

$4.61 SEK 46.08

$4.24 ₺209

8.73%

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

$2.91 SEK 29.10

$1.75 ₺86.0

66.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 SEK 23.17

$0.54 ₺26.83

329.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.77 SEK 67.7

$4.69 ₺231

44.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 SEK 60.9

$5.97 ₺294

2.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 SEK 14.28

$1.26 ₺62.1

13.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 SEK 27.00

$0.95 ₺46.81

184.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.01 SEK 30.05

$2.31 ₺114

30.30%

Eggs

$3.86 SEK 38.60

$2.47 ₺122

56.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 SEK 112

$10.55 ₺520

5.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.95 SEK 109

$5.60 ₺276

95.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.75 SEK 147

$21.21 ₺1,045

-30.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 SEK 30.06

$1.93 ₺95.1

55.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 SEK 24.37

$2.29 ₺113

6.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 SEK 30.14

$1.28 ₺63.1

135.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.41 SEK 44.11

$1.84 ₺90.8

139.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 SEK 16.28

$0.67 ₺32.86

143.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 SEK 15.19

$0.59 ₺29.31

157.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.81 SEK 18.08

$1.33 ₺65.4

36.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 SEK 16.45

$0.59 ₺29.10

179.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.19 SEK 81.8

$2.36 ₺116

247.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.30 SEK 92.9

$13.47 ₺664

-30.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 SEK 20.33

$2.42 ₺119

-16.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 SEK 21.59

$3.54 ₺174

-38.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 SEK 31.24

$0.83 ₺40.64

277.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.6 SEK 626

$66.5 ₺3,273

-5.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.20 SEK 62.0

$1.35 ₺66.6

359.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 SEK 16.94

$0.85 ₺42.05

98.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.5 SEK 594

$10.86 ₺535

447.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 SEK 17.53

$1.47 ₺72.3

19.05%

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

$32.2K SEK 322.2K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-37.56%

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

$33.0K SEK 329.7K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-25.77%

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

$104 SEK 1,041

$89.2 ₺4,395

16.79%

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

$19.28 SEK 193

$11.60 ₺572

66.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.29 SEK 333

$16.10 ₺793

106.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.67 SEK 377

$77.3 ₺3,805

-51.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.86 SEK 218

$22.66 ₺1,116

-3.53%

Cinema Ticket

$14.85 SEK 148

$8.34 ₺411

78.06%

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

$172 SEK 1,721

$974 ₺48.0K

-82.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.7 SEK 786

$52.7 ₺2,597

49.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.25 SEK 332

$39.16 ₺1,929

-15.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 SEK 858

$103 ₺5,083

-16.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 SEK 1,091

$96.6 ₺4,759

12.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 SEK 8,294

$994 ₺49.0K

-16.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 SEK 6,315

$629 ₺31.0K

0.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 SEK 13.6K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-32.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 SEK 10.6K

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-8.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,047 SEK 30.5K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-3.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,288 SEK 22.9K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

24.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,855 SEK 28.5K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

137.27%

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 Helsingborg: October 4, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Helsingborg

$632 37.6%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 0.4% $2.5

Groceries & Markets

Helsingborg

$333 19.8%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 20.8% $69

Eating Out

Helsingborg

$262 15.6%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 16.8% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Helsingborg

$157 9.3%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 25.4% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Helsingborg

$138 8.2%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 5% $6.8

Getting Around

Helsingborg

$90 5.4%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 16% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Helsingborg

$67 4%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 39.4% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Helsingborg 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.

Salaries run about 137% higher in Helsingborg, 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 $69.0 in Helsingborg versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Helsingborg

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

09:15 9:15 AM

10:15 10:15 AM

1 h ahead of Helsingborg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

93,838

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

Helsingborg Istanbul 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Helsingborg
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

Helsingborg vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,723 in Helsingborg, $1,526 in Istanbul – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,585 per month in Helsingborg 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.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $172 per month in Helsingborg and $974 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Helsingborg at $1,723. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Helsingborg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Helsingborg has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,526 in Istanbul to $1,723 in Helsingborg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Helsingborg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.