Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Trollhattan

For one person, living costs are similar in Istanbul and in Trollhattan: $1,550 and $1,527 a month, rent and utilities included.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Trollhattan
Learn more

Trollhattan Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Trollhattan

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Trollhattan

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,527 in Trollhattan, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Trollhattan $1,527

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,365 in Trollhattan, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Trollhattan $2,365

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,203 in Trollhattan, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Trollhattan $3,203

Istanbul costs about 2% more than Trollhattan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Istanbul and Trollhattan sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Trollhattan by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$11.79 SEK 117

4.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$78.5 SEK 778

-30.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$11.10 SEK 110

-16.94%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.44 SEK 24.18

80.33%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.27 SEK 12.53

32.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.31 SEK 12.97

-54.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$7.56 SEK 75.0

-37.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$7.43 SEK 73.6

-20.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.38 SEK 13.67

-12.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.17 SEK 21.51

-58.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.62 SEK 26.00

-16.41%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.73 SEK 36.99

-37.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$9.57 SEK 94.9

8.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$8.80 SEK 87.2

-35.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$14.99 SEK 148

39.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.27 SEK 12.59

49.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.44 SEK 24.15

-5.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.73 SEK 27.08

-53.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.35 SEK 23.29

-23.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.46 SEK 14.50

-55.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.18 SEK 11.66

-45.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.97 SEK 19.54

-36.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.09 SEK 10.78

-48.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$7.38 SEK 73.2

-67.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.78 SEK 77.1

72.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.41 SEK 13.95

70.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.94 SEK 19.23

79.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.55 SEK 35.22

-74.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$80.2 SEK 794

-15.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$3.58 SEK 35.46

-63.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.74 SEK 17.28

-47.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$53.4 SEK 529

-79.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.79 SEK 17.76

-17.88%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$32.7K SEK 324.0K

55.32%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$32.9K SEK 326.1K

35.31%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$178 SEK 1,768

-50.34%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$22.42 SEK 222

-48.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$34.23 SEK 339

-53.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$33.45 SEK 331

130.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$33.25 SEK 329

-31.61%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$14.71 SEK 146

-44.66%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$150 SEK 1,489

570.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$5,009 SEK 49.6K

410.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$97.1 SEK 962

-44.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$39.31 SEK 390

3.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$85.5 SEK 847

15.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$89.3 SEK 885

8.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$620 SEK 6,141

58.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$486 SEK 4,811

33.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,016 SEK 10.1K

95.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$785 SEK 7,782

50.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,911 SEK 28.8K

7.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,524 SEK 25.0K

-29.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$3,116 SEK 30.9K

-61.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.53

1059.21%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Trollhattan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Trollhattan

$486 31.8% 25.3% $164

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Trollhattan

$276 18.1% 6.5% $17

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Trollhattan

$220 14.4% 1.5% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Trollhattan

$140 9.2% 7.2% $9.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Trollhattan

$235 15.4% 103% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Trollhattan

$63 4.1% 32.7% $31

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Trollhattan

$107 7% 38.8% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $620 in Trollhattan. 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 158% higher in Trollhattan, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $78.0 in Trollhattan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $276 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇸🇪 Trollhattan

🕒 Local time

10:36 10:36 AM

09:36 9:36 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

44,498

💱 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 Trollhattan 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Trollhattan

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 Trollhattan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $2,290 in Trollhattan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Trollhattan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $150 in Trollhattan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Trollhattan, where all-in costs run around $1,527, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Trollhattan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Trollhattan – 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 Trollhattan. 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.