Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Gavle

For one person, living is cheaper in Gavle: $1,422 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Gavle
Learn more

Gavle Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Gavle

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,422

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Gavle

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,422 in Gavle.

Istanbul $1,550
Gavle $1,422

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $2,261 in Gavle.

Istanbul $2,415
Gavle $2,261

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $3,101 in Gavle.

Istanbul $3,281
Gavle $3,101

Living in Istanbul is roughly 9% more expensive than in Gavle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Gavle 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$13.57 SEK 134

-9.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$78.8 SEK 781

-30.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$9.47 SEK 93.8

-2.64%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$4.43 SEK 43.85

-0.68%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.96 SEK 19.45

-14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.95 SEK 19.36

-69.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$7.79 SEK 77.2

-39.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$7.86 SEK 77.9

-24.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.67 SEK 16.56

-27.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.60 SEK 25.75

-65.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$3.80 SEK 37.61

-42.37%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.81 SEK 37.79

-38.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$9.46 SEK 93.7

10.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$10.38 SEK 103

-45.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$18.60 SEK 184

12.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.11 SEK 30.78

-38.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.84 SEK 28.13

-18.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.19 SEK 31.61

-59.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$4.45 SEK 44.08

-59.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.74 SEK 17.21

-62.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.71 SEK 16.99

-62.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$2.47 SEK 24.49

-49.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.94 SEK 19.21

-71.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$8.03 SEK 79.5

-70.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$11.16 SEK 111

20.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.56 SEK 15.50

53.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.53 SEK 15.14

127.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.17 SEK 31.38

-71.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$58.4 SEK 578

15.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$4.44 SEK 43.98

-70.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.45 SEK 14.41

-36.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$33.41 SEK 331

-67.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.79 SEK 17.71

-17.88%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$26.3K SEK 260.5K

93.15%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$28.3K SEK 280.4K

57.37%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$54.0 SEK 535

64.00%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$21.30 SEK 211

-45.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$39.32 SEK 390

-59.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$47.80 SEK 474

61.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$15.06 SEK 149

-45.95%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$130 SEK 1,289

674.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$14.9K SEK 147.4K

71.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$68.5 SEK 679

-21.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$58.6 SEK 580

-30.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$50.1 SEK 497

97.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$88.6 SEK 878

8.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$560 SEK 5,547

75.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$415 SEK 4,109

56.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$767 SEK 7,600

158.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$647 SEK 6,411

82.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$1,875 SEK 18.6K

67.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,327 SEK 13.1K

34.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$3,114 SEK 30.9K

-61.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.37

1114.24%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Gavle: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Gavle

$415 29.2% 36.2% $235

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Gavle

$352 24.7% 35.5% $92

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Gavle

$260 18.3% 16.6% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Gavle

$120 8.4% 8.4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Gavle

$115 8.1% 1.2% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Gavle

$78 5.5% 16.6% $16

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Gavle

$83 5.8% 7.6% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $560 in Gavle. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gavle pays 158% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $79.0 in Gavle for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $352 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇸🇪 Gavle

🕒 Local time

15:40 3:40 PM

14:40 2:40 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

100,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Istanbul Gavle 2,330 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Gavle

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 Gavle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Gavle differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $1,422 including rent). Gavle is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 158% lower in Gavle. 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 $560 in Gavle. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Gavle runs roughly 16% less than in Istanbul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $130 in Gavle. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,422 in Gavle versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gavle but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Gavle the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Gavle 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 Gavle gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.