Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malmo and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,046 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
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Malmo Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,046

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,046 per month in Malmo vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Malmo $2,046
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $3,083 per month in Malmo vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Malmo $3,083
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $4,121 per month in Malmo vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Malmo $4,121
Istanbul $3,272

Malmo costs about 34% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Malmo and Istanbul sit above the global median – Malmo by 53%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.90 SEK 149

$11.88 ₺585

25.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 SEK 740

$55.1 ₺2,714

34.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 SEK 122

$9.14 ₺450

33.26%

Cappuccino

$4.83 SEK 48.23

$4.24 ₺209

13.92%

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

$3.35 SEK 33.52

$1.75 ₺86.0

91.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 SEK 26.97

$0.54 ₺26.83

400.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.46 SEK 84.5

$4.69 ₺231

80.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.10 SEK 90.9

$5.97 ₺294

52.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 17.26

$1.26 ₺62.1

37.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 SEK 28.67

$0.95 ₺46.81

202.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.32 SEK 33.22

$2.31 ₺114

43.72%

Eggs

$4.11 SEK 41.10

$2.47 ₺122

66.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 SEK 127

$10.55 ₺520

20.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 SEK 119

$5.60 ₺276

111.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.61 SEK 216

$21.21 ₺1,045

1.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 SEK 29.93

$1.93 ₺95.1

54.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 SEK 25.82

$2.29 ₺113

12.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 SEK 29.61

$1.28 ₺63.1

131.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 SEK 41.43

$1.84 ₺90.8

125.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 SEK 16.62

$0.67 ₺32.86

147.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 SEK 15.29

$0.59 ₺29.31

159.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 SEK 24.65

$1.33 ₺65.4

85.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 SEK 12.24

$0.59 ₺29.10

108.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.72 SEK 77.1

$2.36 ₺116

227.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.53 SEK 115

$13.47 ₺664

-14.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 SEK 20.05

$2.42 ₺119

-16.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 SEK 23.43

$3.54 ₺174

-33.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.15 SEK 31.45

$0.83 ₺40.64

279.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.5 SEK 635

$66.5 ₺3,273

-4.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.00 SEK 59.9

$1.35 ₺66.6

344.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.41 SEK 24.07

$0.85 ₺42.05

183.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.13 SEK 491

$10.86 ₺535

352.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.36

$1.47 ₺72.3

18.37%

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

$32.3K SEK 322.6K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-37.48%

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

$33.2K SEK 331.5K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-25.38%

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

$138 SEK 1,380

$89.2 ₺4,395

54.82%

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

$26.21 SEK 262

$11.60 ₺572

125.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.07 SEK 361

$16.10 ₺793

124.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.93 SEK 399

$77.3 ₺3,805

-48.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.69 SEK 287

$22.66 ₺1,116

26.61%

Cinema Ticket

$17.17 SEK 172

$8.34 ₺411

105.88%

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

$167 SEK 1,666

$974 ₺48.0K

-82.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,311 SEK 33.1K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-87.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.0 SEK 979

$52.7 ₺2,597

85.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.19 SEK 442

$39.16 ₺1,929

12.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 SEK 1,125

$103 ₺5,083

9.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 SEK 1,520

$96.6 ₺4,759

57.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,063 SEK 10.6K

$994 ₺49.0K

6.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$818 SEK 8,173

$629 ₺31.0K

29.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 SEK 17.2K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-15.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 SEK 13.5K

$1,155 ₺56.9K

17.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,026 SEK 40.2K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

27.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,166 SEK 31.6K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

72.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,045 SEK 30.4K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

153.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.05

41.09

-92.58%

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

Last update for Malmo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malmo

$818 40.1%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 23% $188

Groceries & Markets

Malmo

$372 18.2%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 29% $108

Eating Out

Malmo

$298 14.6%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 27% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malmo

$200 9.8%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 41.7% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Malmo

$183 9%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 28.3% $52

Getting Around

Malmo

$94 4.6%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 20% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Malmo

$74 3.6%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 26.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,063 in Malmo versus $994 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 153% higher in Malmo, 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 $74.0 in Malmo versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $372 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Malmo

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

07:23 7:23 AM

08:23 8:23 AM

1 h ahead of Malmo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,588

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Malmo Istanbul 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Malmo
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

Malmo vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Malmo is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,069 per month in Malmo and $2,289 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 $167 per month in Malmo and $974 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Malmo, 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 $1,526, than in Malmo at $2,046. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Malmo 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, Malmo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.