Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tumba and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,516 a month against $1,896 in Tumba, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Tumba
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Tumba Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Tumba

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,896

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,896 per month in Tumba vs $1,516 in Istanbul, rent included.

Tumba $1,896
Istanbul $1,516

A couple spends around $2,899 per month in Tumba vs $2,356 in Istanbul, rent included.

Tumba $2,899
Istanbul $2,356

A family of three spends $3,901 per month in Tumba vs $3,197 in Istanbul, rent included.

Tumba $3,901
Istanbul $3,197

Tumba costs about 25% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Tumba and Istanbul sit above the global median – Tumba by 39%, Istanbul by 11%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.20 SEK 141

$11.59 ₺577

22.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.9 SEK 645

$54.7 ₺2,725

18.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.95 SEK 98.8

$9.39 ₺468

5.96%

Cappuccino

$4.29 SEK 42.62

$4.23 ₺211

1.42%

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

$2.65 SEK 26.32

$1.72 ₺85.6

54.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 SEK 21.98

$0.57 ₺28.26

287.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.17 SEK 71.2

$4.65 ₺232

54.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 SEK 68.6

$6.84 ₺341

1.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 SEK 17.74

$1.20 ₺60.0

49.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 SEK 30.32

$0.94 ₺46.97

224.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.75 SEK 37.26

$2.24 ₺112

67.41%

Eggs

$5.03 SEK 49.99

$2.42 ₺121

107.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.00 SEK 129

$10.24 ₺510

26.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.25 SEK 132

$5.38 ₺268

146.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.49 SEK 174

$21.19 ₺1,056

-17.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 SEK 32.26

$1.89 ₺94.3

71.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 SEK 26.65

$2.22 ₺111

20.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 SEK 20.45

$1.26 ₺62.7

63.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 SEK 44.71

$1.81 ₺90.0

148.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 SEK 14.40

$0.70 ₺34.84

107.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 SEK 17.92

$0.64 ₺32.13

181.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 SEK 22.87

$1.22 ₺60.9

88.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 SEK 18.70

$0.55 ₺27.35

241.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.15 SEK 71.0

$2.32 ₺116

208.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.04 SEK 99.7

$13.31 ₺663

-24.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 SEK 19.99

$2.33 ₺116

-13.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SEK 22.37

$3.46 ₺172

-34.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.26 SEK 42.31

$0.91 ₺45.18

368.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 SEK 1,022

$66.3 ₺3,306

55.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.79 SEK 57.5

$1.29 ₺64.2

348.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 SEK 14.67

$0.86 ₺42.66

72.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.1 SEK 567

$11.09 ₺553

415.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 SEK 17.99

$1.42 ₺70.8

27.46%

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

$33.4K SEK 332.0K

$49.2K ₺2.5M

-32.03%

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

$34.0K SEK 337.3K

$42.8K ₺2.1M

-20.66%

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

$176 SEK 1,746

$87.7 ₺4,373

100.36%

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

$21.42 SEK 213

$11.28 ₺562

89.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.20 SEK 479

$15.89 ₺792

203.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.34 SEK 401

$75.9 ₺3,783

-46.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.36 SEK 262

$23.04 ₺1,148

14.41%

Cinema Ticket

$16.89 SEK 168

$8.20 ₺409

105.98%

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

$158 SEK 1,569

$1,028 ₺51.2K

-84.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,131 SEK 51.0K

$26.0K ₺1.3M

-80.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 SEK 1,123

$53.3 ₺2,658

112.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.6 SEK 532

$39.69 ₺1,978

34.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.8 SEK 941

$99.8 ₺4,972

-5.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$186 SEK 1,843

$93.5 ₺4,661

98.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$792 SEK 7,866

$1,003 ₺50.0K

-21.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$599 SEK 5,953

$628 ₺31.3K

-4.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 SEK 13.7K

$1,963 ₺97.8K

-29.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 SEK 10.0K

$1,122 ₺55.9K

-9.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,992 SEK 39.6K

$3,075 ₺153.2K

29.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,784 SEK 27.6K

$1,753 ₺87.3K

58.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,180 ₺58.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

40.69

-93.12%

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

Last update for Tumba: October 26, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tumba

$599 31.6%

Istanbul

$628 41.5% 4.8% $29

Groceries & Markets

Tumba

$379 20%

Istanbul

$258 17% 31.8% $121

Eating Out

Tumba

$264 13.9%

Istanbul

$218 14.4% 17.5% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tumba

$245 12.9%

Istanbul

$115 7.6% 53.2% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Tumba

$201 10.6%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 35.9% $72

Getting Around

Tumba

$133 7%

Istanbul

$76 5% 43.3% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Tumba

$74 3.9%

Istanbul

$92 6.1% 24.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $792 in Tumba versus $1,003 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 $65 in Tumba versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $258 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Tumba

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

20:19 8:19 PM

22:19 10:19 PM

2 h ahead of Tumba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,344

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.06 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Tumba
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

Tumba vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tumba is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,844 per month in Tumba and $2,274 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tumba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $792 there versus $1,003 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $158 per month in Tumba and $1,028 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% more in Tumba, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,896 in Tumba and $1,516 in Istanbul. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,516 in Istanbul to $1,896 in Tumba. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.