Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Stenungsund

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,516 a month against $1,887 in Stenungsund, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Stenungsund
Learn more

Stenungsund Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Stenungsund

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Stenungsund

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

A single person spends $1,516 per month in Istanbul vs $1,887 in Stenungsund, rent included.

Istanbul $1,516
Stenungsund $1,887

A couple spends around $2,356 per month in Istanbul vs $2,880 in Stenungsund, rent included.

Istanbul $2,356
Stenungsund $2,880

A family of three spends $3,197 per month in Istanbul vs $3,872 in Stenungsund, rent included.

Istanbul $3,197
Stenungsund $3,872

Istanbul is about 20% cheaper than Stenungsund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Stenungsund sit above the global median – Istanbul by 11%, Stenungsund by 39%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 ₺577

$14.02 SEK 139

-17.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,725

$66.8 SEK 664

-18.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 ₺468

$8.64 SEK 85.8

8.68%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₺211

$4.40 SEK 43.67

-3.86%

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

$1.72 ₺85.6

$1.47 SEK 14.60

17.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₺28.26

$2.22 SEK 22.03

-74.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 ₺232

$7.03 SEK 69.9

-33.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 ₺341

$6.89 SEK 68.5

-0.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺60.0

$1.43 SEK 14.21

-16.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₺46.97

$3.15 SEK 31.26

-70.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ₺112

$5.60 SEK 55.7

-60.00%

Eggs

$2.42 ₺121

$5.23 SEK 51.9

-53.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 ₺510

$13.62 SEK 135

-24.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.38 ₺268

$13.38 SEK 133

-59.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.19 ₺1,056

$16.96 SEK 168

24.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₺94.3

$3.24 SEK 32.14

-41.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 ₺111

$2.67 SEK 26.49

-16.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺62.7

$2.05 SEK 20.39

-38.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ₺90.0

$4.62 SEK 45.91

-60.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ₺34.84

$1.43 SEK 14.19

-51.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.13

$1.74 SEK 17.32

-63.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ₺60.9

$2.26 SEK 22.44

-46.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₺27.35

$1.82 SEK 18.04

-69.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₺116

$7.35 SEK 73.0

-68.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 ₺663

$8.14 SEK 80.8

63.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₺116

$2.00 SEK 19.89

16.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₺172

$2.21 SEK 21.93

56.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ₺45.18

$2.57 SEK 25.52

-64.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,306

$77.9 SEK 773

-14.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.2

$13.37 SEK 133

-90.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₺42.66

$2.05 SEK 20.41

-58.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺553

$81.3 SEK 808

-86.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₺70.8

$1.76 SEK 17.48

-19.32%

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

$49.2K ₺2.5M

$32.7K SEK 324.5K

50.52%

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

$42.8K ₺2.1M

$33.8K SEK 335.9K

26.54%

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

$87.7 ₺4,373

$178 SEK 1,768

-50.70%

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

$11.28 ₺562

$28.89 SEK 287

-60.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺792

$47.61 SEK 473

-66.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 ₺3,783

$37.19 SEK 369

104.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,148

$26.84 SEK 267

-14.16%

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 ₺409

$17.15 SEK 170

-52.19%

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

$1,028 ₺51.2K

$219 SEK 2,176

369.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K ₺1.3M

$5,035 SEK 50.0K

415.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,658

$98.0 SEK 973

-45.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ₺1,978

$53.0 SEK 527

-25.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 ₺4,972

$95.1 SEK 944

4.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,661

$218 SEK 2,169

-57.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 ₺50.0K

$813 SEK 8,071

23.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₺31.3K

$606 SEK 6,014

3.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 ₺97.8K

$1,378 SEK 13.7K

42.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺55.9K

$1,002 SEK 9,947

11.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,075 ₺153.2K

$3,961 SEK 39.3K

-22.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 ₺87.3K

$2,832 SEK 28.1K

-38.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,180 ₺58.8K

$1,935 SEK 19.2K

-39.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

2.8

1353.21%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Last update for Stenungsund: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$628 41.5%

Stenungsund

$606 32.1% 3.6% $23

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Stenungsund

$381 20.2% 47.4% $122

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.4%

Stenungsund

$255 13.5% 16.9% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Stenungsund

$209 11.1% 62.2% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$115 7.6%

Stenungsund

$254 13.5% 122% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$92 6.1%

Stenungsund

$72 3.8% 22.5% $21

Getting Around

Istanbul

$76 5%

Stenungsund

$112 5.9% 48% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,003 in Istanbul versus $813 in Stenungsund. 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 64% higher in Stenungsund. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $67 in Stenungsund. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $381 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇸🇪 Stenungsund

🕒 Local time

19:42 7:42 PM

17:42 5:42 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

27,842

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.46 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.05 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Stenungsund 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Stenungsund

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 Stenungsund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Stenungsund is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,274 per month in Istanbul and $2,831 in Stenungsund. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stenungsund, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $813 there versus $1,003 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $1,028 per month in Istanbul and $219 in Stenungsund. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% more in Stenungsund, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,516 in Istanbul and $1,887 in Stenungsund. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,516 in Istanbul to $1,887 in Stenungsund. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Stenungsund makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.