Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Sundsvall

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $1,722 in Sundsvall, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. The total is higher in Sundsvall despite lower rent and utilities.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Sundsvall
Learn more

Sundsvall Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Sundsvall

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,722

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Sundsvall

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $1,722 in Sundsvall, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Sundsvall $1,722

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $2,622 in Sundsvall, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Sundsvall $2,622

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $3,523 in Sundsvall, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Sundsvall $3,523

Istanbul is about 11% cheaper than Sundsvall, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Sundsvall sit above the global median – Istanbul by 14%, Sundsvall by 28%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$14.99 SEK 150

-20.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$81.2 SEK 812

-32.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$10.97 SEK 110

-16.68%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$4.56 SEK 45.58

-7.02%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$2.40 SEK 23.97

-27.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$1.84 SEK 18.35

-70.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$8.55 SEK 85.5

-45.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$7.62 SEK 76.1

-21.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.49 SEK 14.91

-15.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$2.95 SEK 29.48

-67.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$3.47 SEK 34.66

-33.43%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$3.40 SEK 34.02

-27.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$9.29 SEK 92.8

13.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$9.63 SEK 96.3

-41.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$17.36 SEK 174

22.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.61 SEK 26.10

-26.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.31 SEK 23.05

-0.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.43 SEK 24.31

-47.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$4.00 SEK 40.01

-54.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.40 SEK 14.02

-52.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.35 SEK 13.47

-56.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.78 SEK 17.75

-25.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.94 SEK 9.43

-37.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$7.34 SEK 73.3

-67.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$9.00 SEK 90.0

49.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.71 SEK 17.04

41.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.38 SEK 13.77

156.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$3.24 SEK 32.35

-74.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$84.1 SEK 840

-20.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$6.08 SEK 60.8

-77.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$5.81 SEK 58.1

-85.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.66 SEK 16.55

-11.45%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$31.1K SEK 311.1K

65.86%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$30.1K SEK 300.9K

47.63%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$99.6 SEK 996

-10.46%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$28.61 SEK 286

-59.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$36.42 SEK 364

-55.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$40.61 SEK 406

90.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$15.70 SEK 157

44.33%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$13.86 SEK 139

-39.83%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$134 SEK 1,340

626.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$92.2 SEK 921

-42.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$19.76 SEK 197

98.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$67.3 SEK 672

53.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$123 SEK 1,228

-21.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$659 SEK 6,583

50.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$591 SEK 5,908

6.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$1,184 SEK 11.8K

71.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$877 SEK 8,767

31.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$2,411 SEK 24.1K

31.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$1,689 SEK 16.9K

8.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$2,993 SEK 29.9K

-59.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

3.88

959.02%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sundsvall: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Sundsvall

$591 35.1% 6.1% $38

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Sundsvall

$311 18.5% 17.9% $47

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Sundsvall

$282 16.8% 29.6% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Sundsvall

$136 8.1% 3.6% $4.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Sundsvall

$165 9.8% 40.8% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Sundsvall

$68 4.1% 27.3% $26

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Sundsvall

$132 7.8% 75.4% $57

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $659 in Sundsvall. 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 149% higher in Sundsvall, 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 $81.0 in Sundsvall. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $311 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇸🇪 Sundsvall

🕒 Local time

14:28 2:28 PM

13:28 1:28 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

57,606

💱 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 Sundsvall 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Sundsvall

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 Sundsvall: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sundsvall is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $2,582 in Sundsvall. 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 $134 in Sundsvall. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Sundsvall, 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 Sundsvall at $1,722. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sundsvall 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, Sundsvall makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.