Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Malmo

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,046 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
Learn more

Malmo Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,046

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Malmo

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $2,046 in Malmo, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Malmo $2,046

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $3,083 in Malmo, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Malmo $3,083

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $4,121 in Malmo, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Malmo $4,121

Istanbul is about 25% cheaper than Malmo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Malmo sit above the global median – Istanbul by 14%, Malmo by 53%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$14.90 SEK 149

-20.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$74.0 SEK 740

-25.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$12.18 SEK 122

-24.96%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$4.83 SEK 48.23

-12.22%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$3.35 SEK 33.52

-47.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$2.70 SEK 26.97

-80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$8.46 SEK 84.5

-44.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$9.10 SEK 90.9

-34.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.73 SEK 17.26

-27.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$2.87 SEK 28.67

-66.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$3.32 SEK 33.22

-30.42%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$4.11 SEK 41.10

-39.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$12.74 SEK 127

-17.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$11.86 SEK 119

-52.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$21.61 SEK 216

-1.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.99 SEK 29.93

-35.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.58 SEK 25.82

-11.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.96 SEK 29.61

-56.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$4.15 SEK 41.43

-55.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.66 SEK 16.62

-59.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.53 SEK 15.29

-61.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$2.47 SEK 24.65

-46.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$1.23 SEK 12.24

-52.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$7.72 SEK 77.1

-69.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$11.53 SEK 115

16.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$2.01 SEK 20.05

20.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.34 SEK 23.43

51.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$3.15 SEK 31.45

-73.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$63.5 SEK 635

4.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$6.00 SEK 59.9

-77.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$2.41 SEK 24.07

-64.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$49.13 SEK 491

-77.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.74 SEK 17.36

-15.52%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$32.3K SEK 322.6K

59.94%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$33.2K SEK 331.5K

34.01%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$138 SEK 1,380

-35.41%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$26.21 SEK 262

-55.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$36.07 SEK 361

-55.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$39.93 SEK 399

93.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$28.69 SEK 287

-21.02%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$17.17 SEK 172

-51.43%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$167 SEK 1,666

484.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$3,311 SEK 33.1K

678.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$98.0 SEK 979

-46.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$44.19 SEK 442

-11.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$113 SEK 1,125

-8.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$152 SEK 1,520

-36.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$1,063 SEK 10.6K

-6.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$818 SEK 8,173

-23.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$1,720 SEK 17.2K

17.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$1,354 SEK 13.5K

-14.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$4,026 SEK 40.2K

-21.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$3,166 SEK 31.6K

-41.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$3,045 SEK 30.4K

-60.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

3.05

1247.21%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Malmo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Malmo

$818 40.1% 29.9% $188

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Malmo

$372 18.2% 40.7% $108

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Malmo

$298 14.6% 36.9% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Malmo

$183 9% 39.5% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Malmo

$200 9.8% 71.4% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Malmo

$74 3.6% 20.9% $20

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Malmo

$94 4.6% 24.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $1,063 in Malmo. 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 153% higher in Malmo, 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 $74.0 in Malmo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $372 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇸🇪 Malmo

🕒 Local time

07:03 7:03 AM

06:03 6:03 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

316,588

💱 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 Malmo 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Malmo

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 Malmo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Malmo is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $3,069 in Malmo. 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 $974 per month in Istanbul and $167 in Malmo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Malmo, 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 $1,526, than in Malmo at $2,046. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Malmo 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, Malmo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.