Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Mora

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $1,987 in Mora, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Mora
Learn more

Mora Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Mora

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Mora

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $1,987 in Mora, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Mora $1,987

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $3,000 in Mora, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Mora $3,000

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $4,014 in Mora, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Mora $4,014

Istanbul is about 23% cheaper than Mora, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Mora sit above the global median – Istanbul by 13%, Mora by 47%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$10.15 SEK 101

17.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$101 SEK 1,004

-43.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$12.17 SEK 121

-21.86%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$5.06 SEK 50.1

-13.04%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$1.13 SEK 11.20

54.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$3.02 SEK 29.92

-81.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$8.16 SEK 80.8

-42.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$9.29 SEK 92.1

-33.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.73 SEK 17.15

-28.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$3.61 SEK 35.78

-73.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$2.77 SEK 27.48

-17.69%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$5.12 SEK 50.7

-52.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$12.93 SEK 128

-18.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$11.06 SEK 110

-50.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$22.16 SEK 220

-2.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$3.59 SEK 35.61

-49.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.44 SEK 24.22

-6.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$3.12 SEK 30.96

-58.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$4.39 SEK 43.53

-58.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$1.38 SEK 13.71

-52.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$1.52 SEK 15.03

-58.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$2.41 SEK 23.88

-47.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.69 SEK 6.80

-18.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$6.01 SEK 59.6

-60.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$12.15 SEK 120

6.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$2.07 SEK 20.48

19.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$2.59 SEK 25.64

35.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$3.29 SEK 32.64

-75.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$77.2 SEK 765

-15.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$6.02 SEK 59.7

-77.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$1.52 SEK 15.07

-40.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$56.4 SEK 559

-80.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$1.83 SEK 18.17

-21.86%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$33.0K SEK 326.9K

50.25%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$34.5K SEK 341.4K

25.36%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$251 SEK 2,489

-64.66%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$21.85 SEK 216

-46.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$40.37 SEK 400

-60.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$37.92 SEK 376

101.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

$25.83 SEK 256

-12.04%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$15.03 SEK 149

-45.04%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$156 SEK 1,550

548.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$5,019 SEK 49.7K

414.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$89.0 SEK 882

-40.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$59.9 SEK 593

-32.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$56.2 SEK 557

78.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$183 SEK 1,815

-48.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$809 SEK 8,013

20.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$695 SEK 6,884

-9.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$1,362 SEK 13.5K

45.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$1,030 SEK 10.2K

11.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$3,561 SEK 35.3K

-13.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$2,501 SEK 24.8K

-28.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$2,429 SEK 24.1K

-50.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

3.37

1107.42%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mora: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Mora

$695 35% 10.8% $68

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Mora

$378 19% 43.8% $115

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Mora

$254 12.8% 14.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Mora

$175 8.8% 35.1% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Mora

$313 15.8% 169% $197

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Mora

$68 3.4% 26.7% $25

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Mora

$104 5.2% 40% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $809 in Mora. 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 100% higher in Mora, 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 $57.0 in Istanbul versus $101 in Mora. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $378 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇸🇪 Mora

🕒 Local time

23:31 11:31 PM

22:31 10:31 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

10,896

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Mora 2,430 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Mora

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 Mora: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mora is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $2,980 in Mora. 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 $1,015 per month in Istanbul and $156 in Mora. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 44% more in Mora, 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 $1,525, than in Mora at $1,987. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mora 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, Mora makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.