Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Falun

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $2,128 in Falun, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Falun
Learn more

Falun Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Falun

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,128

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Falun

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $2,128 in Falun, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Falun $2,128

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $3,204 in Falun, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Falun $3,204

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $4,280 in Falun, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Falun $4,280

Istanbul is about 28% cheaper than Falun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Falun sit above the global median – Istanbul by 13%, Falun by 57%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$12.64 SEK 125

-5.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$64.7 SEK 641

-11.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$8.97 SEK 88.9

6.02%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$4.23 SEK 41.94

4.02%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$1.79 SEK 17.75

-2.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$2.00 SEK 19.83

-72.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$7.08 SEK 70.1

-33.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$7.10 SEK 70.3

-13.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.37 SEK 13.60

-9.49%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$2.87 SEK 28.44

-66.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$4.05 SEK 40.14

-43.70%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$4.53 SEK 44.86

-45.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$12.92 SEK 128

-18.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$10.03 SEK 99.4

-45.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$17.17 SEK 170

26.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$3.28 SEK 32.45

-44.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.64 SEK 26.15

-13.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$1.97 SEK 19.53

-35.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$4.66 SEK 46.22

-60.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$1.48 SEK 14.63

-55.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$1.78 SEK 17.61

-64.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$2.25 SEK 22.25

-43.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$1.84 SEK 18.21

-69.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$7.28 SEK 72.1

-67.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$10.11 SEK 100

28.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$1.92 SEK 18.98

29.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$2.26 SEK 22.36

54.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$4.62 SEK 45.81

-82.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$93.8 SEK 929

-30.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$8.10 SEK 80.2

-83.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$1.97 SEK 19.49

-54.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$73.3 SEK 726

-85.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$1.71 SEK 16.93

-16.37%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$33.4K SEK 331.4K

48.19%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$32.8K SEK 324.7K

31.78%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$132 SEK 1,303

-32.51%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$27.70 SEK 274

-57.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$40.58 SEK 402

-60.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$66.7 SEK 661

14.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

$26.12 SEK 259

-13.02%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$16.89 SEK 167

-51.10%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$218 SEK 2,161

365.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$4,835 SEK 47.9K

434.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$97.7 SEK 968

-45.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$51.4 SEK 509

-21.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$93.3 SEK 924

7.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$203 SEK 2,009

-53.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$1,200 SEK 11.9K

-18.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$900 SEK 8,915

-30.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$1,877 SEK 18.6K

5.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$1,487 SEK 14.7K

-22.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$3,985 SEK 39.5K

-22.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$2,808 SEK 27.8K

-36.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$2,842 SEK 28.2K

-57.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

2.8

1353.21%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Falun: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Falun

$900 42.3% 43.5% $273

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Falun

$354 16.6% 34.8% $91

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Falun

$244 11.5% 9.7% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Falun

$200 9.4% 54.8% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Falun

$200 9.4% 71.4% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Falun

$100 4.7% 8.3% $7.7

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Falun

$130 6.1% 75.2% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $1,200 in Falun. 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 134% higher in Falun, 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 $57.0 in Istanbul versus $65.0 in Falun. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $354 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇸🇪 Falun

🕒 Local time

02:27 2:27 AM

01:27 1:27 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

39,492

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Falun 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Falun

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 Falun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Falun costs about 40% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $3,192 in Falun. 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 $1,015 per month in Istanbul and $218 in Falun. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Falun, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,525, than in Falun at $2,128. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Falun it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Istanbul costs $1,525 versus $2,128 in Falun. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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