Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Höllviken

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,733 in Höllviken, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,550
/mo nomad
Höllviken
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,733
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Höllviken

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,733 in Höllviken, rent included.

  • Istanbul $1,550
  • Höllviken $1,733

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,660 in Höllviken, rent included.

  • Istanbul $2,415
  • Höllviken $2,660

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,587 in Höllviken, rent included.

  • Istanbul $3,281
  • Höllviken $3,587

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

Both Istanbul and Höllviken sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Höllviken by 28%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Höllviken
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.30 ₺609
$15.00 SEK 149
-18.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.7 ₺2,708
$70.1 SEK 694
-21.92%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.22 ₺456
$12.15 SEK 120
-24.12%
Cappuccino
$4.40 ₺218
$4.70 SEK 46.62
-6.38%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 ₺83.1
$2.89 SEK 28.61
-41.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 ₺29.40
$2.64 SEK 26.17
-77.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.70 ₺233
$7.43 SEK 73.7
-36.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.91 ₺292
$6.14 SEK 60.8
-3.75%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Höllviken
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.21 ₺60.0
$1.43 SEK 14.14
-15.38%
White Bread (500g)
$0.89 ₺44.10
$2.82 SEK 27.98
-68.44%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.19 ₺108
$3.08 SEK 30.50
-28.90%
Eggs
$2.35 ₺116
$4.16 SEK 41.25
-43.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.42 ₺516
$11.79 SEK 117
-11.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.65 ₺280
$10.79 SEK 107
-47.64%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.94 ₺1,037
$14.74 SEK 146
42.06%
Apples (1kg)
$1.90 ₺94.1
$2.91 SEK 28.84
-34.71%
Banana (1kg)
$2.31 ₺114
$2.56 SEK 25.38
-9.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 ₺63.1
$3.02 SEK 29.93
-57.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 ₺89.0
$4.32 SEK 42.83
-58.33%
Potato (1kg)
$0.65 ₺32.16
$1.63 SEK 16.16
-60.12%
Onion (1kg)
$0.64 ₺31.91
$1.48 SEK 14.67
-56.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 ₺62.1
$1.83 SEK 18.11
-31.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺27.58
$1.18 SEK 11.65
-52.54%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.37 ₺118
$7.66 SEK 75.9
-69.06%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.42 ₺664
$9.13 SEK 90.4
46.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.40 ₺119
$1.95 SEK 19.37
23.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.48 ₺172
$2.26 SEK 22.35
53.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Höllviken
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.89 ₺43.84
$3.21 SEK 31.77
-72.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$67.4 ₺3,338
$75.4 SEK 748
-10.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.29 ₺64.1
$6.25 SEK 61.9
-79.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.92 ₺45.70
$1.67 SEK 16.50
-44.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.96 ₺542
$50.4 SEK 499
-78.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ₺72.9
$1.76 SEK 17.44
-16.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$50.8K ₺2.5M
$33.3K SEK 329.9K
52.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.5K ₺2.2M
$33.0K SEK 326.7K
35.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Höllviken
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.6 ₺4,387
$136 SEK 1,349
-34.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.59 ₺574
$25.49 SEK 253
-54.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.81 ₺783
$32.47 SEK 322
-51.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Höllviken
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$77.2 ₺3,820
$37.04 SEK 367
108.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.74 ₺1,126
$25.80 SEK 256
-11.86%
Cinema Ticket
$8.14 ₺403
$15.24 SEK 151
-46.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Höllviken
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,008 ₺49.9K
$166 SEK 1,649
505.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.6K ₺1.3M
$5,065 SEK 50.2K
404.61%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Höllviken
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.0 ₺2,671
$79.7 SEK 790
-32.30%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.83 ₺2,021
$43.88 SEK 435
-6.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.9 ₺4,895
$88.4 SEK 876
11.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.6 ₺4,783
$108 SEK 1,070
-10.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Höllviken
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$985 ₺48.7K
$804 SEK 7,965
22.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$650 ₺32.2K
$609 SEK 6,037
6.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,983 ₺98.2K
$1,354 SEK 13.4K
46.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,180 ₺58.4K
$994 SEK 9,853
18.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,138 ₺155.4K
$4,025 SEK 39.9K
-22.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,780 ₺88.1K
$2,805 SEK 27.8K
-36.55%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Höllviken
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,205 ₺59.7K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
40.92
3.05
1241.64%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Höllviken: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$650
Höllviken
$609 6.2% $40
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$260
Höllviken
$330 27.3% $71
Eating Out
Istanbul
$223
Höllviken
$284 27.4% $61
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$131
Höllviken
$144 10.2% $13
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$116
Höllviken
$194 67.3% $78
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$93
Höllviken
$68 27.8% $26
Getting Around
Istanbul
$77
Höllviken
$103 33.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $804 in Höllviken. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $70.0 in Höllviken. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $330 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇸🇪 Höllviken
🕒 Local time
08:29 8:29 AM
07:29 7:29 AM
1 h behind Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
10,607
💱 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 Höllviken 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Höllviken

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 Höllviken: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Höllviken cheaper than Istanbul?
Yes – Höllviken is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $2,599 in Höllviken. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
How do food prices compare in Istanbul and in Höllviken?
Groceries cost about 27% more in Höllviken, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is eating out cheaper in Istanbul or in Höllviken?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $70.0 in Höllviken. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Istanbul or in Höllviken?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Höllviken at $1,733. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Höllviken it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Istanbul or Höllviken more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Istanbul – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Istanbul or Höllviken?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Höllviken makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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