Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kista

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,726 in Kista, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Kista despite lower rent and utilities.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Kista
Learn more

Kista Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Kista

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kista

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,726 in Kista, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Kista $1,726

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,685 in Kista, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Kista $2,685

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,644 in Kista, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Kista $3,644

Istanbul is about 10% cheaper than Kista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$12.98 SEK 129

-5.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$75.9 SEK 752

-27.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.22 SEK 101

-9.78%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$4.44 SEK 44.02

-0.90%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.59 SEK 25.65

-35.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$2.20 SEK 21.83

-73.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$7.07 SEK 70.1

-33.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$7.28 SEK 72.1

-18.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.64 SEK 16.27

-26.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.69 SEK 26.68

-66.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$3.51 SEK 34.75

-37.61%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$4.24 SEK 42.04

-44.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$11.67 SEK 116

-10.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$11.62 SEK 115

-51.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$17.38 SEK 172

20.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.05 SEK 30.22

-37.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.48 SEK 24.53

-6.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.89 SEK 28.60

-55.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$4.30 SEK 42.59

-58.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.62 SEK 16.01

-59.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.56 SEK 15.49

-58.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$2.28 SEK 22.56

-45.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.45 SEK 14.33

-61.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$7.22 SEK 71.6

-67.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$9.69 SEK 96.0

38.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.95 SEK 19.29

23.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.13 SEK 21.15

63.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.27 SEK 32.41

-72.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$76.2 SEK 755

-11.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$6.01 SEK 59.5

-78.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.71 SEK 16.99

-46.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$58.4 SEK 579

-81.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.79 SEK 17.70

-17.88%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$32.5K SEK 322.2K

56.19%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$33.1K SEK 327.9K

34.56%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$102 SEK 1,013

-13.31%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$23.99 SEK 238

-51.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$37.81 SEK 375

-58.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$37.48 SEK 371

105.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$25.74 SEK 255

-11.66%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$16.18 SEK 160

-49.69%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$154 SEK 1,522

556.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$5,003 SEK 49.6K

410.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$90.7 SEK 898

-40.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$40.01 SEK 396

2.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$89.3 SEK 885

10.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$140 SEK 1,383

-30.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$795 SEK 7,877

23.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$619 SEK 6,131

5.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,317 SEK 13.0K

50.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,016 SEK 10.1K

16.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$3,969 SEK 39.3K

-20.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,749 SEK 27.2K

-35.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.45

1086.09%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kista: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Kista

$619 35.9% 4.8% $31

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Kista

$351 20.3% 35% $91

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Kista

$257 14.9% 15.1% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Kista

$162 9.4% 23.9% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Kista

$164 9.5% 41.4% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Kista

$70 4.1% 25.3% $24

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Kista

$104 6% 35.1% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $795 in Kista. 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 $76.0 in Kista. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $351 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇸🇪 Kista

🕒 Local time

14:01 2:01 PM

13:01 1:01 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

10,254

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Kista 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kista

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 Kista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kista is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $2,589 in Kista. 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.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $154 in Kista. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Kista, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Kista at $1,726. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kista it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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