Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Fagersta

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,890 in Fagersta, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,550
/mo nomad
Fagersta
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,890
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Fagersta

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 Fagersta actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,890 in Fagersta.

  • Istanbul $1,550
  • Fagersta $1,890

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $2,873 in Fagersta.

  • Istanbul $2,415
  • Fagersta $2,873

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $3,856 in Fagersta.

  • Istanbul $3,281
  • Fagersta $3,856

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 18% less than in Fagersta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Fagersta 40% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Fagersta
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.30 ₺609
$13.56 SEK 134
-9.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.7 ₺2,708
$64.4 SEK 638
-15.06%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.22 ₺456
$9.81 SEK 97.2
-6.01%
Cappuccino
$4.40 ₺218
$4.24 SEK 42.01
3.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 ₺83.1
$2.56 SEK 25.34
-34.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 ₺29.40
$2.16 SEK 21.39
-72.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.70 ₺233
$6.95 SEK 68.9
-32.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.91 ₺292
$6.86 SEK 67.9
-13.85%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Fagersta
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.21 ₺60.0
$1.78 SEK 17.65
-32.02%
White Bread (500g)
$0.89 ₺44.10
$2.99 SEK 29.62
-70.23%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.19 ₺108
$5.63 SEK 55.7
-61.10%
Eggs
$2.35 ₺116
$5.17 SEK 51.3
-54.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.42 ₺516
$13.53 SEK 134
-22.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.65 ₺280
$12.93 SEK 128
-56.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.94 ₺1,037
$17.21 SEK 170
21.67%
Apples (1kg)
$1.90 ₺94.1
$3.10 SEK 30.69
-38.71%
Banana (1kg)
$2.31 ₺114
$2.65 SEK 26.22
-12.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 ₺63.1
$2.03 SEK 20.13
-36.95%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 ₺89.0
$4.53 SEK 44.93
-60.26%
Potato (1kg)
$0.65 ₺32.16
$1.42 SEK 14.03
-54.23%
Onion (1kg)
$0.64 ₺31.91
$1.77 SEK 17.54
-63.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 ₺62.1
$2.29 SEK 22.73
-45.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺27.58
$1.86 SEK 18.42
-69.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.37 ₺118
$7.21 SEK 71.4
-67.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.42 ₺664
$10.06 SEK 99.6
33.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.40 ₺119
$1.98 SEK 19.63
21.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.48 ₺172
$2.19 SEK 21.75
58.90%
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Fagersta
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.89 ₺43.84
$3.36 SEK 33.28
-73.51%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$67.4 ₺3,338
$76.5 SEK 758
-11.88%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.29 ₺64.1
$12.97 SEK 129
-90.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.92 ₺45.70
$2.01 SEK 19.93
-54.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.96 ₺542
$79.9 SEK 792
-86.29%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ₺72.9
$1.75 SEK 17.34
-16.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$50.8K ₺2.5M
$33.2K SEK 329.2K
52.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.5K ₺2.2M
$33.0K SEK 327.4K
34.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Fagersta
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.6 ₺4,387
$175 SEK 1,730
-49.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.59 ₺574
$28.55 SEK 283
-59.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.81 ₺783
$47.29 SEK 469
-66.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Fagersta
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$77.2 ₺3,820
$37.24 SEK 369
107.20%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.74 ₺1,126
$26.21 SEK 260
-13.24%
Cinema Ticket
$8.14 ₺403
$15.79 SEK 156
-48.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Fagersta
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,008 ₺49.9K
$218 SEK 2,159
362.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.6K ₺1.3M
$5,078 SEK 50.3K
403.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Fagersta
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.0 ₺2,671
$99.6 SEK 987
-45.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.83 ₺2,021
$53.2 SEK 527
-23.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.9 ₺4,895
$93.5 SEK 927
5.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.6 ₺4,783
$215 SEK 2,135
-55.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Fagersta
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$985 ₺48.7K
$802 SEK 7,948
22.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$650 ₺32.2K
$610 SEK 6,044
6.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,983 ₺98.2K
$1,323 SEK 13.1K
49.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,180 ₺58.4K
$1,004 SEK 9,952
17.49%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,138 ₺155.4K
$4,073 SEK 40.4K
-22.95%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,780 ₺88.1K
$2,755 SEK 27.3K
-35.41%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Fagersta
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,205 ₺59.7K
-
-
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 Fagersta: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$650
Fagersta
$610 6.1% $40
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$260
Fagersta
$384 47.7% $124
Eating Out
Istanbul
$223
Fagersta
$256 14.7% $33
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$131
Fagersta
$208 59.1% $77
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$116
Fagersta
$250 116% $134
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$93
Fagersta
$69 26.3% $25
Getting Around
Istanbul
$77
Fagersta
$113 47% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $802 in Fagersta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $64.0 in Fagersta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $384 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇸🇪 Fagersta
🕒 Local time
19:49 7:49 PM
18:49 6:49 PM
1 h behind Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
13,362
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Fagersta 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Fagersta

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 Fagersta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Istanbul or Fagersta?
Istanbul wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Fagersta. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Istanbul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Istanbul and in Fagersta?
You'd need roughly $2,325 in Istanbul and $2,834 in Fagersta to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Istanbul compared to Fagersta?
Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $802 in Fagersta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Istanbul or in Fagersta?
Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Fagersta. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How do dining costs compare in Istanbul and in Fagersta?
Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $64.0 in Fagersta. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Istanbul or in Fagersta?
At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,890 in Fagersta, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Fagersta. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Istanbul or Fagersta?
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.
How safe is Istanbul compared to Fagersta?
Safety-wise, Istanbul and Fagersta are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Istanbul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Fagersta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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