Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Stockholm

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,548 in Stockholm, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Stockholm
Learn more

Stockholm Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Stockholm

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Stockholm

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $2,548 in Stockholm, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Stockholm $2,548

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $3,806 in Stockholm, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Stockholm $3,806

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $5,064 in Stockholm, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Stockholm $5,064

Istanbul is about 40% cheaper than Stockholm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Stockholm sit above the global median – Istanbul by 14%, Stockholm by 90%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$18.26 SEK 182

-34.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$97.8 SEK 978

-43.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$11.71 SEK 117

-21.95%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$4.89 SEK 48.92

-13.29%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$3.72 SEK 37.15

-52.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$3.03 SEK 30.29

-82.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$8.16 SEK 81.5

-42.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$8.96 SEK 89.5

-33.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.81 SEK 18.05

-30.39%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$3.84 SEK 38.41

-75.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$3.75 SEK 37.52

-38.40%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$5.04 SEK 50.4

-50.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$12.90 SEK 129

-18.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$12.70 SEK 127

-55.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$21.70 SEK 217

-2.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$3.61 SEK 36.03

-46.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.80 SEK 27.97

-18.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.14 SEK 31.36

-59.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$4.36 SEK 43.52

-57.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.70 SEK 16.99

-60.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.78 SEK 17.83

-66.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$2.51 SEK 25.06

-47.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$2.43 SEK 24.33

-75.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$8.52 SEK 85.1

-72.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$11.83 SEK 118

13.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$2.03 SEK 20.29

19.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.55 SEK 25.49

38.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$4.31 SEK 43.11

-80.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$106 SEK 1,059

-37.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$5.83 SEK 58.3

-76.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$1.51 SEK 15.09

-43.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$56.0 SEK 560

-80.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.79 SEK 17.90

-17.88%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$33.3K SEK 332.8K

55.01%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$34.1K SEK 340.4K

30.49%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$248 SEK 2,479

-64.03%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$21.17 SEK 212

-45.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$39.91 SEK 399

-59.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$47.51 SEK 475

62.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$38.80 SEK 388

-41.60%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$19.19 SEK 192

-56.54%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$159 SEK 1,585

513.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$16.4K SEK 163.7K

57.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$112 SEK 1,119

-52.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$57.4 SEK 574

-31.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$134 SEK 1,340

-23.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$181 SEK 1,809

-46.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$1,694 SEK 16.9K

-41.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$1,088 SEK 10.9K

-42.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$2,985 SEK 29.8K

-32.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$1,782 SEK 17.8K

-35.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$11.1K SEK 111.4K

-71.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$6,326 SEK 63.2K

-70.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$3,501 SEK 35.0K

-65.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

3.37

1119.29%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Stockholm: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Stockholm

$1.1K 42.2% 72.9% $459

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Stockholm

$415 16.1% 57.2% $151

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Stockholm

$326 12.6% 49.4% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Stockholm

$218 8.5% 66.1% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Stockholm

$309 12% 164% $192

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Stockholm

$86 3.3% 8.6% $8

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Stockholm

$137 5.3% 81.3% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $1,694 in Stockholm. 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 191% higher in Stockholm, 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 $98.0 in Stockholm. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $415 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇸🇪 Stockholm

🕒 Local time

15:37 3:37 PM

14:37 2:37 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

984,748 Capital

💱 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 = 8.93 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 = 55.2 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 = 11.2 SEK (100 SEK = 8.93 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Stockholm 2,170 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Stockholm

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 Stockholm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Stockholm is pricier by about 67%, 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 $3,821 in Stockholm. 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 $159 in Stockholm. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 57% more in Stockholm, 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 Stockholm at $2,548. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stockholm 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, Stockholm makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.