Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sala and Istanbul

For one person, living costs are similar in Sala and in Istanbul: $1,530 and $1,550 a month, rent and utilities included.

75

Cost of Living Index in Sala
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Sala Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Sala

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,530

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,530 per month in Sala vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sala $1,530
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,260 per month in Sala vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sala $2,260
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $2,989 per month in Sala vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sala $2,989
Istanbul $3,281

Sala is about 1% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sala and Istanbul sit above the global median – Sala by 13%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.75 SEK 116

$12.30 ₺609

-4.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.6 SEK 581

$54.7 ₺2,708

7.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.45 SEK 93.6

$9.22 ₺456

2.49%

Cappuccino

$3.17 SEK 31.39

$4.40 ₺218

-27.95%

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

$1.75 SEK 17.38

$1.68 ₺83.1

4.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 SEK 21.35

$0.59 ₺29.40

264.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.94 SEK 68.7

$4.70 ₺233

47.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 SEK 68.7

$5.91 ₺292

17.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 SEK 16.45

$1.21 ₺60.0

37.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 SEK 25.16

$0.89 ₺44.10

185.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 SEK 34.45

$2.19 ₺108

58.90%

Eggs

$5.29 SEK 52.5

$2.35 ₺116

125.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 SEK 110

$10.42 ₺516

6.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.95 SEK 128

$5.65 ₺280

129.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.02 SEK 218

$20.94 ₺1,037

5.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 SEK 28.42

$1.90 ₺94.1

51.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 SEK 26.39

$2.31 ₺114

15.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 SEK 25.65

$1.28 ₺63.1

102.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.79 SEK 47.50

$1.80 ₺89.0

166.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 SEK 14.46

$0.65 ₺32.16

124.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 SEK 11.29

$0.64 ₺31.91

78.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 SEK 25.51

$1.25 ₺62.1

105.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 SEK 10.02

$0.56 ₺27.58

80.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.88 SEK 68.2

$2.37 ₺118

190.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.10 SEK 60.5

$13.42 ₺664

-54.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 SEK 18.76

$2.40 ₺119

-21.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 SEK 17.47

$3.48 ₺172

-49.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.90 SEK 28.75

$0.89 ₺43.84

225.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.18 SEK 210

$67.4 ₺3,338

-68.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.90 SEK 58.5

$1.29 ₺64.1

357.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 SEK 16.73

$0.92 ₺45.70

83.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$79.0 SEK 782

$10.96 ₺542

620.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 17.13

$1.47 ₺72.9

17.69%

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

$32.5K SEK 322.3K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-35.95%

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

$33.1K SEK 327.9K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-25.68%

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

$177 SEK 1,752

$88.6 ₺4,387

99.51%

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

$19.96 SEK 198

$11.59 ₺574

72.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.76 SEK 384

$15.81 ₺783

145.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.97 SEK 456

$77.2 ₺3,820

-40.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.24 SEK 201

$22.74 ₺1,126

-10.99%

Cinema Ticket

$16.13 SEK 160

$8.14 ₺403

98.16%

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

$213 SEK 2,111

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-78.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,194 SEK 11.8K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-95.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.45 SEK 440

$54.0 ₺2,671

-17.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.80 SEK 345

$40.83 ₺2,021

-14.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.9 SEK 514

$98.9 ₺4,895

-47.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.0 SEK 535

$96.6 ₺4,783

-44.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 SEK 6,989

$985 ₺48.7K

-28.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 SEK 4,966

$650 ₺32.2K

-22.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 SEK 9,217

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-53.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$684 SEK 6,782

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-42.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,018 SEK 39.8K

$3,138 ₺155.4K

28.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,838 SEK 28.1K

$1,780 ₺88.1K

59.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,422 SEK 24.0K

$1,205 ₺59.7K

100.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

40.92

-93.16%

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

Last update for Sala: 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

Sala

$501 32.8%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 29.7% $149

Groceries & Markets

Sala

$360 23.5%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 27.9% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sala

$236 15.4%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 50.7% $119

Eating Out

Sala

$225 14.7%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 0.6% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Sala

$83 5.4%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 56.8% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Sala

$78 5.1%

Istanbul

$93 6% 19.4% $15

Getting Around

Sala

$47 3.1%

Istanbul

$77 5% 63.1% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Sala 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 101% higher in Sala, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59.0 in Sala versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Sala

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

14:34 2:34 PM

15:34 3:34 PM

1 h ahead of Sala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,994

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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Between locations

Sala Istanbul 2,270 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sala
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

Sala vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,295 per month in Sala 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 Sala, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $213 per month in Sala and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 39% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sala, where all-in costs run around $1,530, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Sala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sala – 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 Sala. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.