Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Eskilstuna

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,748 in Eskilstuna, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Eskilstuna
Learn more

Eskilstuna Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Eskilstuna

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,748

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Eskilstuna

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Istanbul and in Eskilstuna actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,748 in Eskilstuna.

Istanbul $1,550
Eskilstuna $1,748

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $2,674 in Eskilstuna.

Istanbul $2,415
Eskilstuna $2,674

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $3,600 in Eskilstuna.

Istanbul $3,281
Eskilstuna $3,600

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 11% less than in Eskilstuna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Eskilstuna 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$13.55 SEK 134

-9.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$63.9 SEK 633

-14.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.22 SEK 101

-9.78%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$4.29 SEK 42.52

2.56%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.58 SEK 25.55

-34.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$2.21 SEK 21.94

-73.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$4.90 SEK 48.55

-4.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$5.00 SEK 49.54

18.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.43 SEK 14.20

-15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$3.15 SEK 31.18

-71.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$3.41 SEK 33.81

-35.78%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.93 SEK 38.94

-40.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$13.32 SEK 132

-21.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$12.27 SEK 122

-53.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$12.74 SEK 126

64.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.23 SEK 32.01

-41.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.68 SEK 26.55

-13.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.53 SEK 25.11

-49.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.72 SEK 36.88

-51.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.41 SEK 13.96

-53.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.79 SEK 17.72

-64.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$3.05 SEK 30.24

-59.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.72 SEK 17.07

-67.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.88 SEK 68.2

-65.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.80 SEK 77.2

72.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.96 SEK 19.42

22.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.20 SEK 21.82

58.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.23 SEK 32.02

-72.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$66.9 SEK 663

0.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$12.72 SEK 126

-89.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.05 SEK 20.27

-55.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$78.2 SEK 775

-85.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.73 SEK 17.16

-15.03%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$31.4K SEK 311.5K

61.55%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$32.5K SEK 321.7K

37.13%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$177 SEK 1,751

-49.86%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$28.43 SEK 282

-59.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$38.00 SEK 377

-58.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$24.49 SEK 243

215.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$25.82 SEK 256

-11.93%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$10.84 SEK 107

-24.91%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$148 SEK 1,468

580.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$5,008 SEK 49.6K

410.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$98.2 SEK 973

-45.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$29.44 SEK 292

38.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$89.7 SEK 889

10.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$148 SEK 1,465

-34.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$791 SEK 7,840

24.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$602 SEK 5,961

8.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,150 SEK 11.4K

72.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,029 SEK 10.2K

14.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$4,052 SEK 40.2K

-22.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,775 SEK 27.5K

-35.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$4,169 SEK 41.3K

-71.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

2.8

1361.43%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Eskilstuna: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Eskilstuna

$602 34.4% 7.4% $48

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Eskilstuna

$346 19.8% 33.3% $86

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Eskilstuna

$244 14% 9.4% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Eskilstuna

$164 9.4% 25.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Eskilstuna

$243 13.9% 110% $127

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Eskilstuna

$46 2.6% 50.6% $47

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Eskilstuna

$103 5.9% 33.7% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $791 in Eskilstuna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Eskilstuna pays 246% 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: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $64.0 in Eskilstuna for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $346 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇸🇪 Eskilstuna

🕒 Local time

12:29 12:29 PM

11:29 11:29 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

67,359

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Eskilstuna 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Eskilstuna

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

Istanbul vs Eskilstuna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Eskilstuna. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Istanbul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 246% lower in Eskilstuna. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $791 in Eskilstuna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,550 per month in Istanbul versus $1,748 in Eskilstuna – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Istanbul runs roughly 1% less than in Eskilstuna. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,748 in Eskilstuna, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Eskilstuna. 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 $1,550 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Istanbul hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Eskilstuna 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 13% less than in Eskilstuna. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.