Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Jonkoping

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,695 in Jonkoping, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Jonkoping despite lower rent and utilities.

Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,550
/mo nomad
Jonkoping
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,695
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Jonkoping

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,695 in Jonkoping, rent included.

  • Istanbul $1,550
  • Jonkoping $1,695

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,745 in Jonkoping, rent included.

  • Istanbul $2,415
  • Jonkoping $2,745

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,795 in Jonkoping, rent included.

  • Istanbul $3,281
  • Jonkoping $3,795

Istanbul is about 9% cheaper than Jonkoping, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Jonkoping sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Jonkoping by 26%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Jonkoping
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.30 ₺609
$12.84 SEK 127
-4.21%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.7 ₺2,708
$90.6 SEK 897
-39.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.22 ₺456
$12.18 SEK 121
-24.30%
Cappuccino
$4.40 ₺218
$4.41 SEK 43.69
-0.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 ₺83.1
$1.99 SEK 19.76
-15.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 ₺29.40
$2.12 SEK 21.04
-72.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.70 ₺233
$7.81 SEK 77.4
-39.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.91 ₺292
$6.94 SEK 68.8
-14.84%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Jonkoping
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.21 ₺60.0
$1.68 SEK 16.68
-27.98%
White Bread (500g)
$0.89 ₺44.10
$2.07 SEK 20.49
-57.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.19 ₺108
$3.55 SEK 35.15
-38.31%
Eggs
$2.35 ₺116
$3.62 SEK 35.83
-35.08%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.42 ₺516
$12.23 SEK 121
-14.80%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.65 ₺280
$11.58 SEK 115
-51.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.94 ₺1,037
$15.42 SEK 153
35.80%
Apples (1kg)
$1.90 ₺94.1
$2.93 SEK 29.06
-35.15%
Banana (1kg)
$2.31 ₺114
$2.50 SEK 24.81
-7.60%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 ₺63.1
$2.78 SEK 27.58
-53.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 ₺89.0
$4.32 SEK 42.76
-58.33%
Potato (1kg)
$0.65 ₺32.16
$1.64 SEK 16.29
-60.37%
Onion (1kg)
$0.64 ₺31.91
$1.41 SEK 13.98
-54.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 ₺62.1
$1.78 SEK 17.66
-29.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺27.58
$0.98 SEK 9.67
-42.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.37 ₺118
$8.03 SEK 79.5
-70.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.42 ₺664
$11.08 SEK 110
21.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.40 ₺119
$1.73 SEK 17.13
38.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.48 ₺172
$2.30 SEK 22.84
51.30%
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Jonkoping
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.89 ₺43.84
$3.93 SEK 38.94
-77.35%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$67.4 ₺3,338
$75.8 SEK 751
-11.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.29 ₺64.1
$4.85 SEK 48.10
-73.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.92 ₺45.70
$1.12 SEK 11.10
-17.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.96 ₺542
$40.66 SEK 403
-73.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ₺72.9
$1.73 SEK 17.12
-15.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$50.8K ₺2.5M
$32.5K SEK 321.7K
56.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.5K ₺2.2M
$33.1K SEK 328.1K
34.46%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Jonkoping
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.6 ₺4,387
$77.7 SEK 769
14.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.59 ₺574
$27.93 SEK 277
-58.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.81 ₺783
$41.28 SEK 409
-61.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Jonkoping
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$77.2 ₺3,820
$42.84 SEK 425
80.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.74 ₺1,126
$30.18 SEK 299
-24.65%
Cinema Ticket
$8.14 ₺403
$14.74 SEK 146
-44.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Jonkoping
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,008 ₺49.9K
$156 SEK 1,543
547.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.6K ₺1.3M
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Jonkoping
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.0 ₺2,671
$81.2 SEK 805
-33.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.83 ₺2,021
$25.12 SEK 249
62.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.9 ₺4,895
$99.4 SEK 985
-0.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.6 ₺4,783
$121 SEK 1,196
-19.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Jonkoping
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$985 ₺48.7K
$892 SEK 8,835
10.42%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$650 ₺32.2K
$634 SEK 6,284
2.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,983 ₺98.2K
$1,330 SEK 13.2K
49.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,180 ₺58.4K
$1,172 SEK 11.6K
0.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,138 ₺155.4K
$3,454 SEK 34.2K
-9.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,780 ₺88.1K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Jonkoping
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,205 ₺59.7K
$2,833 SEK 28.1K
-57.45%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
40.92
3.27
1151.38%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Jonkoping: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$650
Jonkoping
$634 2.4% $16
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$260
Jonkoping
$331 27.6% $72
Eating Out
Istanbul
$223
Jonkoping
$262 17.1% $38
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$131
Jonkoping
$147 12.5% $16
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$116
Jonkoping
$147 26.6% $31
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$93
Jonkoping
$72 22.6% $21
Getting Around
Istanbul
$77
Jonkoping
$102 32.6% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $892 in Jonkoping. 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 135% higher in Jonkoping, 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 $91.0 in Jonkoping. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $331 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇸🇪 Jonkoping
🕒 Local time
11:41 11:41 AM
10:41 10:41 AM
1 h behind Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
84,423
💱 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 Jonkoping 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Jonkoping

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 Jonkoping: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Jonkoping cheaper than Istanbul?
Yes – Jonkoping is pricier by about 9%, 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 $2,543 in Jonkoping. 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.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $156 in Jonkoping. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Istanbul and in Jonkoping?
Groceries cost about 28% more in Jonkoping, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Istanbul or in Jonkoping?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Jonkoping at $1,695. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Jonkoping it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Istanbul or Jonkoping 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 Jonkoping?
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, Jonkoping makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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