Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Ljungby

For one person, living costs are similar in Istanbul and in Ljungby: $1,550 and $1,582 a month, rent and utilities included.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Ljungby
Learn more

Ljungby Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Ljungby

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,582

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Ljungby

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,582 in Ljungby, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Ljungby $1,582

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,518 in Ljungby, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Ljungby $2,518

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,454 in Ljungby, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Ljungby $3,454

Istanbul is about 2% cheaper than Ljungby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Ljungby sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Ljungby by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$12.54 SEK 124

-1.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$85.8 SEK 850

-36.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$12.54 SEK 124

-26.48%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$4.05 SEK 40.09

8.64%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.93 SEK 29.07

-42.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$2.35 SEK 23.33

-74.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$6.12 SEK 60.7

-23.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$7.54 SEK 74.7

-21.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.71 SEK 16.91

-29.24%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.77 SEK 27.44

-67.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$3.20 SEK 31.68

-31.56%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.86 SEK 38.24

-39.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$8.99 SEK 89.0

15.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$9.71 SEK 96.2

-41.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$13.68 SEK 136

53.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.71 SEK 26.84

-29.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.47 SEK 24.52

-6.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.01 SEK 29.85

-57.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$4.15 SEK 41.17

-56.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.77 SEK 17.57

-63.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.52 SEK 15.02

-57.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$2.02 SEK 20.01

-38.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.27 SEK 12.57

-55.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$8.11 SEK 80.4

-70.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$5.88 SEK 58.2

128.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.01 SEK 19.94

19.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.77 SEK 17.58

96.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.12 SEK 30.87

-71.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$73.6 SEK 729

-8.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$6.26 SEK 62.0

-79.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.67 SEK 16.54

-44.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$59.9 SEK 594

-81.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.68 SEK 16.61

-12.50%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$32.8K SEK 324.7K

54.97%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$33.5K SEK 331.5K

33.10%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$48.88 SEK 484

81.28%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$19.51 SEK 193

-40.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$30.03 SEK 298

-47.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$37.43 SEK 371

106.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$28.55 SEK 283

-20.35%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$18.70 SEK 185

-56.47%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$218 SEK 2,163

361.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$4,374 SEK 43.3K

484.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$81.1 SEK 804

-33.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$32.24 SEK 319

26.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$86.2 SEK 854

14.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$99.7 SEK 988

-3.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$789 SEK 7,818

24.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$612 SEK 6,063

6.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,316 SEK 13.0K

50.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,008 SEK 9,989

17.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$4,360 SEK 43.2K

-28.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,832 SEK 28.1K

-37.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$2,300 SEK 22.8K

-47.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.06

1237.25%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ljungby: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Ljungby

$612 38.7% 5.8% $38

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Ljungby

$308 19.5% 18.5% $48

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Ljungby

$253 16% 13.5% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Ljungby

$135 8.5% 3.1% $4.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Ljungby

$98 6.2% 15.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Ljungby

$75 4.7% 19.9% $19

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Ljungby

$101 6.4% 30.9% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $789 in Ljungby. 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 91% higher in Ljungby, 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 $86.0 in Ljungby. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $308 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇸🇪 Ljungby

🕒 Local time

02:43 2:43 AM

01:43 1:43 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

28,404

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Ljungby 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Ljungby

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 Ljungby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ljungby is pricier by about 2%, 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 $2,372 in Ljungby. 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 $218 in Ljungby. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Ljungby, 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 Ljungby at $1,582. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ljungby 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, Ljungby makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.