Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varnamo and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,516 a month against $1,692 in Varnamo, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Varnamo despite lower rent and utilities.

81

Cost of Living Index in Varnamo
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Varnamo Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Varnamo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,692

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Varnamo vs $1,516 in Istanbul, rent included.

Varnamo $1,692
Istanbul $1,516

A couple spends around $2,672 per month in Varnamo vs $2,356 in Istanbul, rent included.

Varnamo $2,672
Istanbul $2,356

A family of three spends $3,652 per month in Varnamo vs $3,197 in Istanbul, rent included.

Varnamo $3,652
Istanbul $3,197

Varnamo costs about 12% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Varnamo and Istanbul sit above the global median – Varnamo by 24%, Istanbul by 11%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.01 SEK 129

$11.59 ₺577

12.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.7 SEK 891

$54.7 ₺2,725

64.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.23 SEK 121

$9.39 ₺468

30.24%

Cappuccino

$4.68 SEK 46.47

$4.23 ₺211

10.64%

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

$2.72 SEK 26.99

$1.72 ₺85.6

58.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 SEK 21.15

$0.57 ₺28.26

273.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.81 SEK 77.6

$4.65 ₺232

67.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 SEK 70.3

$6.84 ₺341

3.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 SEK 17.03

$1.20 ₺60.0

42.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 SEK 24.81

$0.94 ₺46.97

165.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 SEK 35.20

$2.24 ₺112

58.04%

Eggs

$4.63 SEK 45.97

$2.42 ₺121

91.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 SEK 125

$10.24 ₺510

22.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.73 SEK 116

$5.38 ₺268

118.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.69 SEK 156

$21.19 ₺1,056

-25.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 SEK 30.92

$1.89 ₺94.3

64.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 SEK 25.31

$2.22 ₺111

14.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 SEK 27.99

$1.26 ₺62.7

123.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 SEK 44.89

$1.81 ₺90.0

149.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 SEK 17.12

$0.70 ₺34.84

145.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 SEK 14.02

$0.64 ₺32.13

120.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 SEK 25.53

$1.22 ₺60.9

110.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 SEK 15.13

$0.55 ₺27.35

176.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 SEK 77.6

$2.32 ₺116

236.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 SEK 111

$13.31 ₺663

-16.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 SEK 19.22

$2.33 ₺116

-17.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 SEK 26.25

$3.46 ₺172

-23.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.19 SEK 31.70

$0.91 ₺45.18

250.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.7 SEK 742

$66.3 ₺3,306

12.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 SEK 50.1

$1.29 ₺64.2

290.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 SEK 10.71

$0.86 ₺42.66

25.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.06 SEK 408

$11.09 ₺553

270.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 SEK 17.08

$1.42 ₺70.8

21.13%

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

$33.6K SEK 333.5K

$49.2K ₺2.5M

-31.73%

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

$34.2K SEK 340.1K

$42.8K ₺2.1M

-19.99%

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

$77.0 SEK 764

$87.7 ₺4,373

-12.30%

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

$17.22 SEK 171

$11.28 ₺562

52.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.45 SEK 302

$15.89 ₺792

91.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.03 SEK 388

$75.9 ₺3,783

-48.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.33 SEK 222

$23.04 ₺1,148

-3.08%

Cinema Ticket

$15.36 SEK 153

$8.20 ₺409

87.32%

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

$157 SEK 1,558

$1,028 ₺51.2K

-84.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,450 SEK 44.2K

$26.0K ₺1.3M

-82.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 SEK 799

$53.3 ₺2,658

50.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.8 SEK 564

$39.69 ₺1,978

42.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 SEK 992

$99.8 ₺4,972

0.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 SEK 1,223

$93.5 ₺4,661

31.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$794 SEK 7,889

$1,003 ₺50.0K

-20.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 SEK 6,075

$628 ₺31.3K

-2.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,178 SEK 11.7K

$1,963 ₺97.8K

-39.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$985 SEK 9,780

$1,122 ₺55.9K

-12.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,023 SEK 40.0K

$3,075 ₺153.2K

30.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,853 SEK 28.3K

$1,753 ₺87.3K

62.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,032 SEK 20.2K

$1,180 ₺58.8K

72.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.03

40.69

-92.55%

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

Last update for Varnamo: October 24, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varnamo

$612 36.2%

Istanbul

$628 41.5% 2.7% $17

Groceries & Markets

Varnamo

$357 21.1%

Istanbul

$258 17% 27.6% $99

Eating Out

Varnamo

$269 15.9%

Istanbul

$218 14.4% 19.2% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Varnamo

$162 9.6%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 20.5% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varnamo

$125 7.4%

Istanbul

$115 7.6% 7.8% $9.7

Getting Around

Varnamo

$98 5.8%

Istanbul

$76 5% 22.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Varnamo

$70 4.1%

Istanbul

$92 6.1% 32.3% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $794 in Varnamo 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.

Salaries run about 72% higher in Varnamo. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Varnamo versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $258 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Varnamo

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

16:40 4:40 PM

18:40 6:40 PM

2 h ahead of Varnamo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,778

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 = 11.05 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 = 55.46 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Varnamo Istanbul 2,090 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Varnamo
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

Varnamo vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Varnamo is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Varnamo 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 Varnamo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $794 there versus $1,003 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $157 per month in Varnamo 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 38% more in Varnamo, 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 $1,692 in Varnamo 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 $1,692 in Varnamo. 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.

If budget matters most, go with Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Varnamo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.