Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stockholm and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,548 in Stockholm, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Stockholm
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Stockholm Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Stockholm

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,548

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,548 per month in Stockholm vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Stockholm $2,548
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $3,806 per month in Stockholm vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Stockholm $3,806
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $5,064 per month in Stockholm vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Stockholm $5,064
Istanbul $3,272

Stockholm costs about 67% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Stockholm and Istanbul sit above the global median – Stockholm by 90%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.26 SEK 182

$11.88 ₺585

53.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.8 SEK 978

$55.1 ₺2,714

77.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 SEK 117

$9.14 ₺450

28.12%

Cappuccino

$4.89 SEK 48.92

$4.24 ₺209

15.33%

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

$3.72 SEK 37.15

$1.75 ₺86.0

112.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 SEK 30.29

$0.54 ₺26.83

461.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.16 SEK 81.5

$4.69 ₺231

73.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.96 SEK 89.5

$5.97 ₺294

50.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 SEK 18.05

$1.26 ₺62.1

43.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.84 SEK 38.41

$0.95 ₺46.81

304.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.75 SEK 37.52

$2.31 ₺114

62.34%

Eggs

$5.04 SEK 50.4

$2.47 ₺122

104.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 SEK 129

$10.55 ₺520

22.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.70 SEK 127

$5.60 ₺276

126.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.70 SEK 217

$21.21 ₺1,045

2.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 SEK 36.03

$1.93 ₺95.1

87.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 SEK 27.97

$2.29 ₺113

22.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 SEK 31.36

$1.28 ₺63.1

145.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 SEK 43.52

$1.84 ₺90.8

136.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 SEK 16.99

$0.67 ₺32.86

153.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 SEK 17.83

$0.59 ₺29.31

201.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.51 SEK 25.06

$1.33 ₺65.4

88.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 SEK 24.33

$0.59 ₺29.10

311.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.52 SEK 85.1

$2.36 ₺116

261.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.83 SEK 118

$13.47 ₺664

-12.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 SEK 20.29

$2.42 ₺119

-16.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 SEK 25.49

$3.54 ₺174

-27.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.31 SEK 43.11

$0.83 ₺40.64

419.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 SEK 1,059

$66.5 ₺3,273

59.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.83 SEK 58.3

$1.35 ₺66.6

331.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 SEK 15.09

$0.85 ₺42.05

77.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.0 SEK 560

$10.86 ₺535

415.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 SEK 17.90

$1.47 ₺72.3

21.77%

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

$33.3K SEK 332.8K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-35.49%

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

$34.1K SEK 340.4K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-23.37%

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

$248 SEK 2,479

$89.2 ₺4,395

178.03%

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

$21.17 SEK 212

$11.60 ₺572

82.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.91 SEK 399

$16.10 ₺793

147.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.51 SEK 475

$77.3 ₺3,805

-38.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.80 SEK 388

$22.66 ₺1,116

71.23%

Cinema Ticket

$19.19 SEK 192

$8.34 ₺411

130.10%

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

$159 SEK 1,585

$974 ₺48.0K

-83.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K SEK 163.7K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-36.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 SEK 1,119

$52.7 ₺2,597

112.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.4 SEK 574

$39.16 ₺1,929

46.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$134 SEK 1,340

$103 ₺5,083

29.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$181 SEK 1,809

$96.6 ₺4,759

87.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,694 SEK 16.9K

$994 ₺49.0K

70.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 SEK 10.9K

$629 ₺31.0K

72.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,985 SEK 29.8K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

47.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,782 SEK 17.8K

$1,155 ₺56.9K

54.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.1K SEK 111.4K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

252.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,326 SEK 63.2K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

244.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,501 SEK 35.0K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

190.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.37

41.09

-91.80%

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

Last update for Stockholm: October 3, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stockholm

$1.1K 42.2%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 42.2% $459

Groceries & Markets

Stockholm

$415 16.1%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 36.4% $151

Eating Out

Stockholm

$326 12.6%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 33.1% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stockholm

$309 12%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 62.2% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Stockholm

$218 8.5%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 39.8% $87

Getting Around

Stockholm

$137 5.3%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 44.8% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Stockholm

$86 3.3%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 9.4% $8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,694 in Stockholm 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 191% higher in Stockholm, 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 $98.0 in Stockholm versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $415 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Stockholm

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

09:57 9:57 AM

10:57 10:57 AM

1 h ahead of Stockholm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

984,748 Capital

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Stockholm Istanbul 2,170 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Stockholm
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

Stockholm vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Stockholm is pricier by about 67%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,821 per month in Stockholm 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 $159 per month in Stockholm 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 57% more in Stockholm, 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 Stockholm at $2,548. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stockholm 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, Stockholm makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.