Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kalmar and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,907 in Kalmar, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Kalmar
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Kalmar Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Kalmar

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,907

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kalmar and in Istanbul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kalmar and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,907 per month in Kalmar vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kalmar $1,907
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,844 per month in Kalmar vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kalmar $2,844
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,781 per month in Kalmar vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kalmar $3,781
Istanbul $3,281

Kalmar costs about 23% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kalmar and Istanbul sit above the global median – Kalmar by 41%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.70 SEK 146

$12.30 ₺609

19.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.0 SEK 704

$54.7 ₺2,708

29.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.27 SEK 102

$9.22 ₺456

11.39%

Cappuccino

$4.65 SEK 46.09

$4.40 ₺218

5.68%

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

$2.82 SEK 27.99

$1.68 ₺83.1

67.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 SEK 25.71

$0.59 ₺29.40

338.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.66 SEK 95.7

$4.70 ₺233

105.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.03 SEK 69.7

$5.91 ₺292

18.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 SEK 14.61

$1.21 ₺60.0

21.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 SEK 29.83

$0.89 ₺44.10

238.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 SEK 28.97

$2.19 ₺108

33.33%

Eggs

$4.59 SEK 45.43

$2.35 ₺116

95.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.24 SEK 161

$10.42 ₺516

55.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.97 SEK 109

$5.65 ₺280

94.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.76 SEK 216

$20.94 ₺1,037

3.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 SEK 24.38

$1.90 ₺94.1

29.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 SEK 26.06

$2.31 ₺114

13.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.40 SEK 33.69

$1.28 ₺63.1

165.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 SEK 42.33

$1.80 ₺89.0

137.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 SEK 16.12

$0.65 ₺32.16

150.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 SEK 22.82

$0.64 ₺31.91

259.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 SEK 18.19

$1.25 ₺62.1

47.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 SEK 16.43

$0.56 ₺27.58

196.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.97 SEK 79.0

$2.37 ₺118

236.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.19 SEK 91.1

$13.42 ₺664

-31.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 SEK 19.44

$2.40 ₺119

-18.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 SEK 24.87

$3.48 ₺172

-27.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.33 SEK 33.01

$0.89 ₺43.84

274.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.6 SEK 759

$67.4 ₺3,338

13.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.70 SEK 96.1

$1.29 ₺64.1

651.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 SEK 16.40

$0.92 ₺45.70

80.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$46.98 SEK 466

$10.96 ₺542

328.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 SEK 16.81

$1.47 ₺72.9

15.65%

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

$29.9K SEK 296.3K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-41.13%

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

$28.7K SEK 284.4K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-35.55%

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

$142 SEK 1,403

$88.6 ₺4,387

59.78%

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

$26.84 SEK 266

$11.59 ₺574

131.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.79 SEK 315

$15.81 ₺783

101.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.76 SEK 305

$77.2 ₺3,820

-60.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.42 SEK 262

$22.74 ₺1,126

16.18%

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 SEK 145

$8.14 ₺403

80.22%

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

$138 SEK 1,367

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-86.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,914 SEK 48.7K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-80.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 SEK 501

$54.0 ₺2,671

-6.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.32 SEK 419

$40.83 ₺2,021

3.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 SEK 791

$98.9 ₺4,895

-19.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 SEK 998

$96.6 ₺4,783

4.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$914 SEK 9,056

$985 ₺48.7K

-7.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$751 SEK 7,440

$650 ₺32.2K

15.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 SEK 12.8K

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-34.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 SEK 11.0K

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-6.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,041 SEK 40.0K

$3,138 ₺155.4K

28.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,682 SEK 26.6K

$1,780 ₺88.1K

50.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,878 SEK 28.5K

$1,205 ₺59.7K

138.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.93

40.92

-90.40%

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

Last update for Kalmar: October 12, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kalmar

$751 39.4%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 13.5% $101

Groceries & Markets

Kalmar

$377 19.8%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 31.1% $117

Eating Out

Kalmar

$288 15.1%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 22.5% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kalmar

$200 10.5%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 42.1% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Kalmar

$123 6.5%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 6.2% $7.6

Getting Around

Kalmar

$108 5.7%

Istanbul

$77 5% 28.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Kalmar

$60 3.2%

Istanbul

$93 6% 55.4% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $914 in Kalmar versus $985 in Istanbul. 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 139% higher in Kalmar, 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 $71.0 in Kalmar versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $377 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Kalmar

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

06:29 6:29 AM

07:29 7:29 AM

1 h ahead of Kalmar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,170

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kalmar Istanbul 1,960 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Kalmar
Istanbul

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

Kalmar vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kalmar is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,861 per month in Kalmar and $2,325 in Istanbul. 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 $138 per month in Kalmar and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Kalmar, 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 $1,550, than in Kalmar at $1,907. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kalmar 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, Kalmar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.