Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Gothenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,042 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
Learn more

Gothenburg Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Gothenburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul versus $2,042 in Gothenburg.

Istanbul $1,526
Gothenburg $2,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,399 in Istanbul versus $3,064 in Gothenburg.

Istanbul $2,399
Gothenburg $3,064

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,272 in Istanbul versus $4,086 in Gothenburg.

Istanbul $3,272
Gothenburg $4,086

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 25% less than in Gothenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 14% above, Gothenburg 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$12.84 SEK 128

-7.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$83.5 SEK 834

-34.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$12.20 SEK 122

-25.08%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$4.81 SEK 48.09

-11.85%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$2.81 SEK 28.09

-37.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$2.25 SEK 22.46

-76.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$7.07 SEK 70.7

-33.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$7.29 SEK 72.8

-18.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.65 SEK 16.48

-23.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$2.81 SEK 28.12

-66.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$3.23 SEK 32.25

-28.48%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$3.75 SEK 37.44

-34.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$11.21 SEK 112

-5.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$11.49 SEK 115

-51.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$16.27 SEK 163

30.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.99 SEK 29.85

-35.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.50 SEK 24.98

-8.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.98 SEK 29.79

-57.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$4.33 SEK 43.27

-57.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.80 SEK 18.03

-62.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.69 SEK 16.86

-65.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.97 SEK 19.66

-32.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$1.57 SEK 15.74

-62.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$8.17 SEK 81.6

-71.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$14.70 SEK 147

-8.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.99 SEK 19.88

21.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.24 SEK 22.41

58.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$3.59 SEK 35.89

-76.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$86.4 SEK 863

-23.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$6.03 SEK 60.2

-77.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$1.64 SEK 16.43

-48.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$58.9 SEK 588

-81.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.72 SEK 17.24

-14.53%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$32.4K SEK 323.7K

59.38%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$33.4K SEK 333.7K

33.12%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$101 SEK 1,012

-11.93%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$19.36 SEK 193

-40.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$33.87 SEK 338

-52.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$34.60 SEK 346

123.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$24.33 SEK 243

-6.86%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$18.36 SEK 183

-54.58%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$223 SEK 2,229

336.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$4,448 SEK 44.5K

479.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$87.0 SEK 869

-39.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$33.02 SEK 330

18.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$85.8 SEK 857

20.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$132 SEK 1,323

-27.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$1,035 SEK 10.3K

-3.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$928 SEK 9,273

-32.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$1,768 SEK 17.7K

14.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$1,386 SEK 13.8K

-16.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$6,117 SEK 61.1K

-48.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$3,377 SEK 33.8K

-45.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$3,444 SEK 34.4K

-65.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

3.06

1242.81%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Gothenburg: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Gothenburg

$928 45.4% 47.4% $299

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Gothenburg

$355 17.4% 34.6% $91

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Gothenburg

$267 13.1% 22.6% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Gothenburg

$152 7.4% 15.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Gothenburg

$155 7.6% 32.2% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Gothenburg

$71 3.5% 24.1% $23

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Gothenburg

$115 5.6% 52.6% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $994 in Istanbul and $1,035 in Gothenburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 186% 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 $83.0 in Gothenburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $264 vs $355 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🕒 Local time

15:13 3:13 PM

14:13 2:13 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

607,882

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.93 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.2 SEK (100 SEK = 8.93 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Gothenburg 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Gothenburg

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 Gothenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Gothenburg. 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 186% lower in Gothenburg. 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: $994 in Istanbul versus $1,035 in Gothenburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $974 in Istanbul versus $223 in Gothenburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Gothenburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,526 in Istanbul versus $2,042 in Gothenburg, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Gothenburg. 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 $1,526 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Istanbul hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Gothenburg 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 34% less than in Gothenburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.