Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Varnamo

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,516 a month against $1,692 in Varnamo, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Varnamo despite lower rent and utilities.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Varnamo
Learn more

Varnamo Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Varnamo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Varnamo

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

A single person spends $1,516 per month in Istanbul vs $1,692 in Varnamo, rent included.

Istanbul $1,516
Varnamo $1,692

A couple spends around $2,356 per month in Istanbul vs $2,672 in Varnamo, rent included.

Istanbul $2,356
Varnamo $2,672

A family of three spends $3,197 per month in Istanbul vs $3,652 in Varnamo, rent included.

Istanbul $3,197
Varnamo $3,652

Istanbul is about 10% cheaper than Varnamo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Varnamo sit above the global median – Istanbul by 11%, Varnamo by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 ₺577

$13.01 SEK 129

-10.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,725

$89.7 SEK 891

-39.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 ₺468

$12.23 SEK 121

-23.22%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₺211

$4.68 SEK 46.47

-9.62%

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

$1.72 ₺85.6

$2.72 SEK 26.99

-36.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₺28.26

$2.13 SEK 21.15

-73.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 ₺232

$7.81 SEK 77.6

-40.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 ₺341

$7.08 SEK 70.3

-3.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺60.0

$1.71 SEK 17.03

-29.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₺46.97

$2.50 SEK 24.81

-62.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ₺112

$3.54 SEK 35.20

-36.72%

Eggs

$2.42 ₺121

$4.63 SEK 45.97

-47.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 ₺510

$12.57 SEK 125

-18.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.38 ₺268

$11.73 SEK 116

-54.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.19 ₺1,056

$15.69 SEK 156

35.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₺94.3

$3.11 SEK 30.92

-39.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 ₺111

$2.55 SEK 25.31

-12.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺62.7

$2.82 SEK 27.99

-55.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ₺90.0

$4.52 SEK 44.89

-59.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ₺34.84

$1.72 SEK 17.12

-59.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.13

$1.41 SEK 14.02

-54.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ₺60.9

$2.57 SEK 25.53

-52.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₺27.35

$1.52 SEK 15.13

-63.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₺116

$7.81 SEK 77.6

-70.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 ₺663

$11.14 SEK 111

19.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₺116

$1.93 SEK 19.22

20.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₺172

$2.64 SEK 26.25

31.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ₺45.18

$3.19 SEK 31.70

-71.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,306

$74.7 SEK 742

-11.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.2

$5.04 SEK 50.1

-74.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₺42.66

$1.08 SEK 10.71

-20.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺553

$41.06 SEK 408

-72.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₺70.8

$1.72 SEK 17.08

-17.44%

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

$49.2K ₺2.5M

$33.6K SEK 333.5K

46.49%

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

$42.8K ₺2.1M

$34.2K SEK 340.1K

24.98%

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

$87.7 ₺4,373

$77.0 SEK 764

14.02%

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

$11.28 ₺562

$17.22 SEK 171

-34.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺792

$30.45 SEK 302

-47.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 ₺3,783

$39.03 SEK 388

94.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,148

$22.33 SEK 222

3.18%

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 ₺409

$15.36 SEK 153

-46.61%

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

$1,028 ₺51.2K

$157 SEK 1,558

555.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K ₺1.3M

$4,450 SEK 44.2K

483.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,658

$80.4 SEK 799

-33.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ₺1,978

$56.8 SEK 564

-30.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 ₺4,972

$99.9 SEK 992

-0.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,661

$123 SEK 1,223

-24.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 ₺50.0K

$794 SEK 7,889

26.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₺31.3K

$612 SEK 6,075

2.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 ₺97.8K

$1,178 SEK 11.7K

66.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺55.9K

$985 SEK 9,780

13.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,075 ₺153.2K

$4,023 SEK 40.0K

-23.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 ₺87.3K

$2,853 SEK 28.3K

-38.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,180 ₺58.8K

$2,032 SEK 20.2K

-41.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

3.03

1242.90%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Last update for Varnamo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$628 41.5%

Varnamo

$612 36.2% 2.6% $17

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Varnamo

$357 21.1% 38.2% $99

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.4%

Varnamo

$269 15.9% 23.8% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Varnamo

$162 9.6% 25.8% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$115 7.6%

Varnamo

$125 7.4% 8.5% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$92 6.1%

Varnamo

$70 4.1% 24.4% $23

Getting Around

Istanbul

$76 5%

Varnamo

$98 5.8% 29.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,003 in Istanbul versus $794 in Varnamo. 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 72% higher in Varnamo. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $90 in Varnamo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $357 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇸🇪 Varnamo

🕒 Local time

19:42 7:42 PM

17:42 5:42 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

19,778

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Varnamo 2,090 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Varnamo

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 Varnamo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Varnamo is pricier by about 12%, 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 $2,538 in Varnamo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Varnamo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $794 there versus $1,003 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $1,028 per month in Istanbul and $157 in Varnamo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Varnamo, 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 $1,692 in Varnamo. 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 $1,692 in Varnamo. 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, Varnamo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.