Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Visby

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,516 a month against $1,724 in Visby, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Visby
Learn more

Visby Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Visby

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,724

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Visby

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

A single person spends $1,516 per month in Istanbul vs $1,724 in Visby, rent included.

Istanbul $1,516
Visby $1,724

A couple spends around $2,356 per month in Istanbul vs $2,717 in Visby, rent included.

Istanbul $2,356
Visby $2,717

A family of three spends $3,197 per month in Istanbul vs $3,709 in Visby, rent included.

Istanbul $3,197
Visby $3,709

Istanbul is about 12% cheaper than Visby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Visby sit above the global median – Istanbul by 11%, Visby by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 ₺577

$12.84 SEK 127

-9.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,723

$79.2 SEK 784

-30.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 ₺468

$9.24 SEK 91.5

1.62%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₺211

$3.83 SEK 37.89

10.44%

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

$1.72 ₺85.6

$2.34 SEK 23.19

-26.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₺28.24

$2.54 SEK 25.12

-77.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 ₺232

$7.55 SEK 74.7

-38.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 ₺341

$4.06 SEK 40.15

68.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺59.9

$1.47 SEK 14.54

-18.37%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₺46.94

$2.92 SEK 28.94

-67.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ₺112

$3.06 SEK 30.31

-26.80%

Eggs

$2.42 ₺120

$3.82 SEK 37.81

-36.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 ₺510

$10.14 SEK 100

0.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.38 ₺268

$11.64 SEK 115

-53.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.19 ₺1,055

$16.22 SEK 161

30.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₺94.2

$2.95 SEK 29.22

-35.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 ₺111

$2.54 SEK 25.12

-12.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺62.7

$3.09 SEK 30.63

-59.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ₺89.9

$4.31 SEK 42.71

-58.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ₺34.82

$1.72 SEK 17.06

-59.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.11

$1.67 SEK 16.50

-61.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$2.13 SEK 21.12

-42.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₺27.34

$1.03 SEK 10.24

-46.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₺116

$5.01 SEK 49.62

-53.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 ₺663

$11.85 SEK 117

12.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₺116

$2.20 SEK 21.77

5.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₺172

$1.53 SEK 15.15

126.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ₺45.15

$2.98 SEK 29.55

-69.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,304

$78.1 SEK 774

-15.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$3.44 SEK 34.10

-62.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₺42.63

$2.47 SEK 24.50

-65.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺552

$79.8 SEK 790

-86.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₺70.7

$1.81 SEK 17.94

-21.55%

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

$49.2K ₺2.4M

$33.5K SEK 331.8K

46.78%

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

$42.8K ₺2.1M

$33.6K SEK 332.5K

27.47%

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

$87.7 ₺4,370

$185 SEK 1,828

-52.48%

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

$11.28 ₺562

$22.66 SEK 224

-50.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺791

$42.60 SEK 422

-62.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 ₺3,780

$37.83 SEK 375

100.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,147

$26.46 SEK 262

-12.93%

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 ₺408

$13.79 SEK 137

-40.54%

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

$1,028 ₺51.2K

$149 SEK 1,480

587.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K ₺1.3M

$4,977 SEK 49.3K

421.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,656

$103 SEK 1,018

-48.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ₺1,977

$39.66 SEK 393

0.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 ₺4,969

$89.1 SEK 882

11.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,658

$137 SEK 1,355

-31.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 ₺50.0K

$715 SEK 7,076

40.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₺31.3K

$556 SEK 5,503

13.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 ₺97.7K

$1,338 SEK 13.3K

46.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺55.9K

$1,036 SEK 10.3K

8.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,075 ₺153.1K

$4,002 SEK 39.6K

-23.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 ₺87.3K

$2,746 SEK 27.2K

-36.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,180 ₺58.7K

$2,491 SEK 24.7K

-52.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

3.53

1052.69%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Last update for Visby: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$628 41.5%

Visby

$556 32.2% 11.5% $72

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Visby

$340 19.7% 31.6% $82

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.4%

Visby

$242 14% 11% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Visby

$166 9.6% 28.7% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$115 7.6%

Visby

$250 14.5% 118% $135

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$92 6.1%

Visby

$65 3.8% 29.1% $27

Getting Around

Istanbul

$76 5%

Visby

$106 6.1% 40.2% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,003 in Istanbul versus $715 in Visby. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Visby are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $79 in Visby. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $340 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇸🇪 Visby

🕒 Local time

08:03 8:03 AM

06:03 6:03 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

22,593

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 SEK = 10.1 USD

100 SEK = 9.07 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 49.8 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.44 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 9.9 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.02 SEK (100 SEK = 9.07 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Visby 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Visby

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 Visby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Visby is pricier by about 14%, 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 $2,587 in Visby. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Visby, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $715 there versus $1,003 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $1,028 per month in Istanbul and $149 in Visby. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Visby, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,516 in Istanbul and $1,724 in Visby. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Visby has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,516 in Istanbul to $1,724 in Visby. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Istanbul. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Visby makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.