Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Visby and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,516 a month against $1,724 in Visby, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Visby, Sweden
Istanbul, Turkey
Visby
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,724
/mo nomad
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,516
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,724 per month in Visby vs $1,516 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Visby $1,724
  • Istanbul $1,516

A couple spends around $2,717 per month in Visby vs $2,356 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Visby $2,717
  • Istanbul $2,356

A family of three spends $3,709 per month in Visby vs $3,197 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Visby $3,709
  • Istanbul $3,197

Visby costs about 14% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Visby and Istanbul sit above the global median – Visby by 27%, Istanbul by 11%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Visby
Istanbul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.84 SEK 127
$11.59 ₺577
10.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.2 SEK 784
$54.7 ₺2,723
44.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.24 SEK 91.5
$9.39 ₺468
-1.60%
Cappuccino
$3.83 SEK 37.89
$4.23 ₺211
-9.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.34 SEK 23.19
$1.72 ₺85.6
36.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 SEK 25.12
$0.57 ₺28.24
345.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.55 SEK 74.7
$4.65 ₺232
62.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.06 SEK 40.15
$6.84 ₺341
-40.64%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Visby
Istanbul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 SEK 14.54
$1.20 ₺59.9
22.50%
White Bread (500g)
$2.92 SEK 28.94
$0.94 ₺46.94
210.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.06 SEK 30.31
$2.24 ₺112
36.61%
Eggs
$3.82 SEK 37.81
$2.42 ₺120
57.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.14 SEK 100
$10.24 ₺510
-0.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.64 SEK 115
$5.38 ₺268
116.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.22 SEK 161
$21.19 ₺1,055
-23.45%
Apples (1kg)
$2.95 SEK 29.22
$1.89 ₺94.2
56.08%
Banana (1kg)
$2.54 SEK 25.12
$2.22 ₺111
14.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.09 SEK 30.63
$1.26 ₺62.7
145.24%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.31 SEK 42.71
$1.81 ₺89.9
138.12%
Potato (1kg)
$1.72 SEK 17.06
$0.70 ₺34.82
145.71%
Onion (1kg)
$1.67 SEK 16.50
$0.64 ₺32.11
160.94%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.13 SEK 21.12
$1.22 ₺60.8
74.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.03 SEK 10.24
$0.55 ₺27.34
87.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.01 SEK 49.62
$2.32 ₺116
115.95%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.85 SEK 117
$13.31 ₺663
-10.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.20 SEK 21.77
$2.33 ₺116
-5.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.53 SEK 15.15
$3.46 ₺172
-55.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Visby
Istanbul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.98 SEK 29.55
$0.91 ₺45.15
227.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$78.1 SEK 774
$66.3 ₺3,304
17.77%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.44 SEK 34.10
$1.29 ₺64.1
166.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.47 SEK 24.50
$0.86 ₺42.63
187.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$79.8 SEK 790
$11.09 ₺552
619.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.81 SEK 17.94
$1.42 ₺70.7
27.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.5K SEK 331.8K
$49.2K ₺2.4M
-31.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.6K SEK 332.5K
$42.8K ₺2.1M
-21.55%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Visby
Istanbul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$185 SEK 1,828
$87.7 ₺4,370
110.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.66 SEK 224
$11.28 ₺562
100.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.60 SEK 422
$15.89 ₺791
168.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Visby
Istanbul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.83 SEK 375
$75.9 ₺3,780
-50.16%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.46 SEK 262
$23.04 ₺1,147
14.84%
Cinema Ticket
$13.79 SEK 137
$8.20 ₺408
68.17%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Visby
Istanbul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$149 SEK 1,480
$1,028 ₺51.2K
-85.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,977 SEK 49.3K
$26.0K ₺1.3M
-80.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Visby
Istanbul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$103 SEK 1,018
$53.3 ₺2,656
92.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.66 SEK 393
$39.69 ₺1,977
-0.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.1 SEK 882
$99.8 ₺4,969
-10.69%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$137 SEK 1,355
$93.5 ₺4,658
46.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Visby
Istanbul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$715 SEK 7,076
$1,003 ₺50.0K
-28.78%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$556 SEK 5,503
$628 ₺31.3K
-11.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,338 SEK 13.3K
$1,963 ₺97.7K
-31.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,036 SEK 10.3K
$1,122 ₺55.9K
-7.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,002 SEK 39.6K
$3,075 ₺153.1K
30.16%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,746 SEK 27.2K
$1,753 ₺87.3K
56.69%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Visby
Istanbul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,491 SEK 24.7K
$1,180 ₺58.7K
111.19%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.53
40.69
-91.32%

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

Last update for Visby: 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
Visby
$556
Istanbul
$628 13% $72
Groceries & Markets
Visby
$340
Istanbul
$258 24% $82
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Visby
$250
Istanbul
$115 54% $135
Eating Out
Visby
$242
Istanbul
$218 9.9% $24
Clothing & Footwear
Visby
$166
Istanbul
$129 22.3% $37
Getting Around
Visby
$106
Istanbul
$76 28.7% $30
Sport & Entertainment
Visby
$65
Istanbul
$92 41.1% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $715 in Visby 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 in Visby are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Visby versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $340 vs $258 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇸🇪 Visby
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🕒 Local time
05:00 5:00 AM
07:00 7:00 AM
2 h ahead of Visby
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
22,593
15,701,602
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 9.9 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.02 SEK (100 SEK = 9.07 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 49.8 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.44 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Visby Istanbul 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Visby
  • 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
Visby vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Istanbul cheaper than Visby?
Yes – Visby is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,587 per month in Visby and $2,274 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Visby, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $715 there versus $1,003 in Istanbul.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $149 per month in Visby and $1,028 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Visby and in Istanbul?
Groceries cost about 32% more in Visby, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,500 enough to cover costs in Visby or in Istanbul?
$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,724 in Visby and $1,516 in Istanbul. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is it better to live in Visby or in Istanbul?
It depends on your priorities. Visby has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,516 in Istanbul to $1,724 in Visby. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is safer, Visby or Istanbul?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Istanbul. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Visby makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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