Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Marsta

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,642 in Marsta, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Marsta despite lower rent and utilities.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Marsta
Learn more

Marsta Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Marsta

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Marsta

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,642 in Marsta, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Marsta $1,642

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,549 in Marsta, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Marsta $2,549

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,456 in Marsta, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Marsta $3,456

Istanbul is about 6% cheaper than Marsta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Marsta sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Marsta by 22%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$13.20 SEK 131

-6.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$65.8 SEK 652

-16.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.22 SEK 101

-9.78%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$4.42 SEK 43.82

-0.45%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.00 SEK 19.85

-16.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.75 SEK 17.30

-66.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$7.12 SEK 70.6

-33.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$6.78 SEK 67.2

-12.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.69 SEK 16.77

-28.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$3.04 SEK 30.15

-70.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$5.64 SEK 55.9

-61.17%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.57 SEK 35.39

-34.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$13.48 SEK 134

-22.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$8.95 SEK 88.7

-36.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$16.90 SEK 167

23.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.03 SEK 30.05

-37.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.67 SEK 26.49

-13.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.96 SEK 19.43

-34.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.72 SEK 36.89

-51.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.41 SEK 13.98

-53.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.48 SEK 14.66

-56.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.95 SEK 19.31

-35.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.83 SEK 18.10

-69.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$7.15 SEK 70.9

-66.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$10.10 SEK 100

32.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.87 SEK 18.56

28.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.03 SEK 20.13

71.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.36 SEK 33.27

-73.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$75.8 SEK 751

-11.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$13.16 SEK 130

-90.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.00 SEK 19.86

-54.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$56.4 SEK 559

-80.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.74 SEK 17.20

-15.52%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$32.4K SEK 321.1K

56.70%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$32.5K SEK 321.9K

37.06%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$60.2 SEK 597

47.12%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$27.96 SEK 277

-58.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$39.22 SEK 389

-59.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$37.67 SEK 373

104.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$26.55 SEK 263

-14.35%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$16.03 SEK 159

-49.22%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$216 SEK 2,137

367.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$5,033 SEK 49.9K

407.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$49.36 SEK 489

9.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$30.13 SEK 299

35.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$89.4 SEK 885

10.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$100 SEK 995

-3.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$802 SEK 7,943

22.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$610 SEK 6,042

6.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,347 SEK 13.3K

47.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,005 SEK 9,954

17.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$3,974 SEK 39.4K

-21.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,757 SEK 27.3K

-35.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$4,563 SEK 45.2K

-73.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

2.8

1361.43%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Marsta: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Marsta

$610 37.1% 6.1% $40

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Marsta

$348 21.2% 34.1% $89

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Marsta

$254 15.4% 13.6% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Marsta

$121 7.4% 7.2% $9.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Marsta

$127 7.8% 9.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Marsta

$70 4.3% 25.4% $24

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Marsta

$112 6.8% 46.2% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $802 in Marsta. 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 279% higher in Marsta, 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 $66.0 in Marsta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $348 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇸🇪 Marsta

🕒 Local time

13:15 1:15 PM

12:15 12:15 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

24,068

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Marsta 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Marsta

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 Marsta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Marsta is pricier by about 6%, 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 $2,464 in Marsta. 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 $216 in Marsta. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Marsta, 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 Marsta at $1,642. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Marsta 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, Marsta makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.