Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Helsingborg

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $1,723 in Helsingborg, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Helsingborg
Learn more

Helsingborg Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Helsingborg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Helsingborg

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $1,723 in Helsingborg, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Helsingborg $1,723

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $2,599 in Helsingborg, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Helsingborg $2,599

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $3,474 in Helsingborg, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Helsingborg $3,474

Istanbul is about 11% cheaper than Helsingborg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Helsingborg sit above the global median – Istanbul by 14%, Helsingborg by 29%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$12.83 SEK 128

-7.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$69.0 SEK 689

-20.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$12.36 SEK 124

-26.05%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$4.61 SEK 46.08

-8.03%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$2.91 SEK 29.10

-39.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$2.32 SEK 23.17

-76.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$6.77 SEK 67.7

-30.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$6.09 SEK 60.9

-1.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.43 SEK 14.28

-11.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$2.70 SEK 27.00

-64.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$3.01 SEK 30.05

-23.26%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$3.86 SEK 38.60

-36.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$11.17 SEK 112

-5.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$10.95 SEK 109

-48.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$14.75 SEK 147

43.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$3.01 SEK 30.06

-35.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.44 SEK 24.37

-6.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.02 SEK 30.14

-57.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$4.41 SEK 44.11

-58.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.63 SEK 16.28

-58.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.52 SEK 15.19

-61.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.81 SEK 18.08

-26.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$1.65 SEK 16.45

-64.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$8.19 SEK 81.8

-71.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$9.30 SEK 92.9

44.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$2.03 SEK 20.33

19.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.16 SEK 21.59

63.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$3.13 SEK 31.24

-73.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$62.6 SEK 626

6.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$6.20 SEK 62.0

-78.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$1.69 SEK 16.94

-49.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$59.5 SEK 594

-81.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.75 SEK 17.53

-16.00%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$32.2K SEK 322.2K

60.15%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$33.0K SEK 329.7K

34.72%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$104 SEK 1,041

-14.38%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$19.28 SEK 193

-39.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$33.29 SEK 333

-51.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$37.67 SEK 377

105.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$21.86 SEK 218

3.66%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$14.85 SEK 148

-43.84%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$172 SEK 1,721

465.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$78.7 SEK 786

-32.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$33.25 SEK 332

17.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$85.8 SEK 858

20.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$109 SEK 1,091

-11.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$830 SEK 8,294

19.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$632 SEK 6,315

-0.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$1,362 SEK 13.6K

48.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$1,061 SEK 10.6K

8.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$3,047 SEK 30.5K

3.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$2,288 SEK 22.9K

-19.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$2,855 SEK 28.5K

-57.85%

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 Helsingborg: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Helsingborg

$632 37.6% 0.4% $2.5

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Helsingborg

$333 19.8% 26.2% $69

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Helsingborg

$262 15.6% 20.3% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Helsingborg

$138 8.2% 5.2% $6.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Helsingborg

$157 9.3% 34.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Helsingborg

$67 4% 28.3% $27

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Helsingborg

$90 5.4% 19.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $830 in Helsingborg. 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 137% higher in Helsingborg, 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $69.0 in Helsingborg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $333 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇸🇪 Helsingborg

🕒 Local time

07:56 7:56 AM

06:56 6:56 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

93,838

💱 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 = 8.92 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 = 55.25 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 = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Helsingborg 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Helsingborg

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 Helsingborg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul, $1,723 in Helsingborg – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $2,585 in Helsingborg. 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.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Istanbul and $172 in Helsingborg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Helsingborg at $1,723. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Helsingborg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Helsingborg has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,526 in Istanbul to $1,723 in Helsingborg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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