Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Skovde

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $1,791 in Skovde, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Skovde
Learn more

Skovde Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Skovde

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Skovde

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $1,791 in Skovde, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Skovde $1,791

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $2,796 in Skovde, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Skovde $2,796

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $3,801 in Skovde, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Skovde $3,801

Istanbul is about 15% cheaper than Skovde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Skovde sit above the global median – Istanbul by 13%, Skovde by 32%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$13.15 SEK 130

-9.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$82.2 SEK 814

-30.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$10.25 SEK 102

-7.22%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$4.14 SEK 41.06

6.28%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$3.04 SEK 30.12

-42.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$2.33 SEK 23.09

-75.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$8.12 SEK 80.5

-42.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$10.05 SEK 99.6

-38.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.40 SEK 13.84

-11.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$2.86 SEK 28.30

-66.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$4.59 SEK 45.50

-50.33%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$3.58 SEK 35.49

-31.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$10.08 SEK 99.9

4.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$12.86 SEK 127

-57.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$17.98 SEK 178

20.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$4.13 SEK 40.94

-55.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.67 SEK 26.48

-14.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$3.66 SEK 36.23

-65.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$5.17 SEK 51.2

-64.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$1.52 SEK 15.10

-56.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$1.76 SEK 17.44

-64.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$2.66 SEK 26.36

-52.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$1.33 SEK 13.17

-57.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$8.00 SEK 79.3

-70.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$8.20 SEK 81.2

58.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$2.42 SEK 23.95

2.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$2.62 SEK 25.93

33.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$3.61 SEK 35.73

-77.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$84.5 SEK 838

-22.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$5.55 SEK 55.0

-76.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$1.29 SEK 12.76

-30.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$62.5 SEK 620

-82.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$1.77 SEK 17.54

-19.21%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$33.1K SEK 327.9K

49.80%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$33.6K SEK 332.6K

28.66%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$113 SEK 1,122

-21.63%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$11.00 SEK 109

6.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$47.37 SEK 469

-66.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$38.41 SEK 381

98.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

$27.31 SEK 271

-16.81%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$18.25 SEK 181

-54.74%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$129 SEK 1,274

689.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$4,654 SEK 46.1K

455.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$107 SEK 1,065

-50.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$30.76 SEK 305

31.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$61.6 SEK 611

62.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$205 SEK 2,032

-54.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$793 SEK 7,853

23.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$615 SEK 6,089

2.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$1,336 SEK 13.2K

48.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$1,014 SEK 10.0K

13.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$4,079 SEK 40.4K

-24.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$2,821 SEK 28.0K

-36.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$3,350 SEK 33.2K

-63.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

1256.33%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Skovde: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Skovde

$615 34.3% 2% $12

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Skovde

$369 20.6% 40.6% $107

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Skovde

$268 15% 20.6% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Skovde

$182 10.2% 40.9% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Skovde

$172 9.6% 47.3% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Skovde

$75 4.2% 19.3% $18

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Skovde

$111 6.2% 49.3% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $793 in Skovde. 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 176% higher in Skovde, 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 $82.0 in Skovde. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $369 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇸🇪 Skovde

🕒 Local time

00:49 12:49 AM

23:49 11:49 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

34,466

💱 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 Skovde 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Skovde

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 Skovde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Skovde is pricier by about 17%, 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 $2,687 in Skovde. 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 $129 in Skovde. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Skovde, 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 Skovde at $1,791. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Skovde 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, Skovde makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.