Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kista and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,726 in Kista, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Kista despite lower rent and utilities.

84

Cost of Living Index in Kista
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Kista Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Kista

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,726

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kista 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 Kista and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,726 per month in Kista vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kista $1,726
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,685 per month in Kista vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kista $2,685
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,644 per month in Kista vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kista $3,644
Istanbul $3,281

Kista costs about 11% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kista and Istanbul sit above the global median – Kista by 28%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.98 SEK 129

$12.30 ₺609

5.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.9 SEK 752

$54.7 ₺2,708

38.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.22 SEK 101

$9.22 ₺456

10.85%

Cappuccino

$4.44 SEK 44.02

$4.40 ₺218

0.91%

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

$2.59 SEK 25.65

$1.68 ₺83.1

54.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 SEK 21.83

$0.59 ₺29.40

272.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.07 SEK 70.1

$4.70 ₺233

50.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.28 SEK 72.1

$5.91 ₺292

23.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 SEK 16.27

$1.21 ₺60.0

35.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 SEK 26.68

$0.89 ₺44.10

202.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 SEK 34.75

$2.19 ₺108

60.27%

Eggs

$4.24 SEK 42.04

$2.35 ₺116

80.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 SEK 116

$10.42 ₺516

12.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.62 SEK 115

$5.65 ₺280

105.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.38 SEK 172

$20.94 ₺1,037

-17.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 SEK 30.22

$1.90 ₺94.1

60.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.48 SEK 24.53

$2.31 ₺114

7.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 SEK 28.60

$1.28 ₺63.1

125.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 SEK 42.59

$1.80 ₺89.0

138.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 SEK 16.01

$0.65 ₺32.16

149.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 SEK 15.49

$0.64 ₺31.91

143.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 SEK 22.56

$1.25 ₺62.1

82.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 SEK 14.33

$0.56 ₺27.58

158.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.22 SEK 71.6

$2.37 ₺118

204.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.69 SEK 96.0

$13.42 ₺664

-27.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 SEK 19.29

$2.40 ₺119

-18.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 SEK 21.15

$3.48 ₺172

-38.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.27 SEK 32.41

$0.89 ₺43.84

267.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.2 SEK 755

$67.4 ₺3,338

13.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.01 SEK 59.5

$1.29 ₺64.1

365.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 SEK 16.99

$0.92 ₺45.70

85.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.4 SEK 579

$10.96 ₺542

432.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 SEK 17.70

$1.47 ₺72.9

21.77%

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

$32.5K SEK 322.2K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-35.98%

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

$33.1K SEK 327.9K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-25.69%

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

$102 SEK 1,013

$88.6 ₺4,387

15.35%

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

$23.99 SEK 238

$11.59 ₺574

106.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.81 SEK 375

$15.81 ₺783

139.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.48 SEK 371

$77.2 ₺3,820

-51.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.74 SEK 255

$22.74 ₺1,126

13.19%

Cinema Ticket

$16.18 SEK 160

$8.14 ₺403

98.77%

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

$154 SEK 1,522

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-84.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,003 SEK 49.6K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-80.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 SEK 898

$54.0 ₺2,671

68.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.01 SEK 396

$40.83 ₺2,021

-2.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 SEK 885

$98.9 ₺4,895

-9.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 SEK 1,383

$96.6 ₺4,783

44.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$795 SEK 7,877

$985 ₺48.7K

-19.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 SEK 6,131

$650 ₺32.2K

-4.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,317 SEK 13.0K

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-33.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 SEK 10.1K

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-13.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,969 SEK 39.3K

$3,138 ₺155.4K

26.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,749 SEK 27.2K

$1,780 ₺88.1K

54.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.45

40.92

-91.57%

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

Last update for Kista: 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

Kista

$619 35.9%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 5% $31

Groceries & Markets

Kista

$351 20.3%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 25.9% $91

Eating Out

Kista

$257 14.9%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 13.1% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kista

$164 9.5%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 29.3% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Kista

$162 9.4%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 19.3% $31

Getting Around

Kista

$104 6%

Istanbul

$77 5% 26% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Kista

$70 4.1%

Istanbul

$93 6% 33.8% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $795 in Kista 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Kista versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Kista

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

09:16 9:16 AM

10:16 10:16 AM

1 h ahead of Kista

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,254

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

Kista Istanbul 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kista
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

Kista vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kista is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,589 per month in Kista 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 $154 per month in Kista 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 35% more in Kista, 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 Kista at $1,726. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kista 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, Kista makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.