Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Swidnica

For one person, living is cheaper in Swidnica: $1,231 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Swidnica
Learn more

Swidnica Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Swidnica

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,231

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Swidnica

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $1,231 in Swidnica, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Swidnica $1,231

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $1,905 in Swidnica, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Swidnica $1,905

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $2,578 in Swidnica, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Swidnica $2,578

Istanbul costs about 24% more than Swidnica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 13% above the global median, while Swidnica is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$7.85 zł 30.51

52.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$25.35 zł 98.5

125.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$7.04 zł 27.36

35.09%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.01 zł 11.69

46.18%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$2.11 zł 8.21

-17.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$1.91 zł 7.42

-70.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$2.58 zł 10.01

82.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$5.06 zł 19.64

21.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.08 zł 4.21

14.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$1.56 zł 6.04

-39.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$1.46 zł 5.68

56.16%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$4.00 zł 15.53

-38.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$9.08 zł 35.26

16.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$6.54 zł 25.41

-15.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$11.87 zł 46.11

82.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$1.30 zł 5.07

40.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.56 zł 6.07

46.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$1.66 zł 6.45

-22.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$3.45 zł 13.40

-47.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$0.92 zł 3.59

-28.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$0.78 zł 3.03

-19.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.45 zł 5.64

-12.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.71 zł 2.76

-21.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$6.19 zł 24.04

-61.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$7.59 zł 29.48

71.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$1.15 zł 4.45

115.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$1.76 zł 6.83

98.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$1.04 zł 4.05

-21.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$30.08 zł 117

116.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$2.56 zł 9.95

-48.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$0.91 zł 3.54

-1.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$10.30 zł 40.01

5.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$1.67 zł 6.48

-14.37%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$29.8K zł 115.9K

66.11%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$29.0K zł 112.6K

49.05%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$205 zł 796

-56.66%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$9.51 zł 36.94

22.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$12.82 zł 49.82

25.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$37.74 zł 147

102.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

$21.91 zł 85.1

3.70%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$7.05 zł 27.40

17.16%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$480 zł 1,865

111.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$12.0K zł 46.7K

115.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$93.1 zł 362

-42.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$39.07 zł 152

3.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$93.4 zł 363

7.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$108 zł 421

-13.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$615 zł 2,388

58.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$374 zł 1,455

67.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$978 zł 3,800

102.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$826 zł 3,209

38.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$2,946 zł 11.4K

5.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$2,252 zł 8,749

-20.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$1,026 zł 3,984

18.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

481.29%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Swidnica: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Swidnica

$374 30.4% 40.3% $253

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Swidnica

$227 18.4% 13.7% $36

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Swidnica

$159 12.9% 28.3% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Swidnica

$150 12.2% 16.1% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Swidnica

$227 18.5% 94.9% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Swidnica

$52 4.2% 44.1% $41

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Swidnica

$41 3.4% 44.3% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $615 in Swidnica. 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 18% higher in Istanbul, 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 $25.00 in Swidnica. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $227 – making Swidnica the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇱 Swidnica

🕒 Local time

21:54 9:54 PM

20:54 8:54 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

55,800

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, 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).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Swidnica 1,460 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Swidnica

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 Swidnica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $1,846 in Swidnica. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Swidnica, 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 $480 in Swidnica. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Swidnica, where all-in costs run around $1,231, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Swidnica it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Swidnica – 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 Swidnica. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.