Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alesund and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,329 in Alesund, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Alesund
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Alesund Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Alesund

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,329

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,329 per month in Alesund vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Alesund $2,329
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $3,663 per month in Alesund vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Alesund $3,663
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $4,997 per month in Alesund vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Alesund $4,997
Istanbul $3,281

Alesund costs about 50% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Alesund and Istanbul sit above the global median – Alesund by 72%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.26 NOK 200

$12.30 ₺609

72.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.8 NOK 836

$54.7 ₺2,708

62.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 NOK 125

$9.22 ₺456

43.49%

Cappuccino

$4.07 NOK 38.31

$4.40 ₺218

-7.50%

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

$2.08 NOK 19.55

$1.68 ₺83.1

23.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 NOK 22.12

$0.59 ₺29.40

298.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.33 NOK 107

$4.70 ₺233

141.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.62 NOK 90.6

$5.91 ₺292

62.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 NOK 20.78

$1.21 ₺60.0

82.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 NOK 28.64

$0.89 ₺44.10

241.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.08 NOK 28.99

$2.19 ₺108

40.64%

Eggs

$4.38 NOK 41.27

$2.35 ₺116

86.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.88 NOK 140

$10.42 ₺516

42.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.80 NOK 130

$5.65 ₺280

144.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.84 NOK 196

$20.94 ₺1,037

-0.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 NOK 24.72

$1.90 ₺94.1

38.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 NOK 21.34

$2.31 ₺114

-1.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 NOK 21.28

$1.28 ₺63.1

76.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 NOK 34.46

$1.80 ₺89.0

103.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 NOK 23.10

$0.65 ₺32.16

276.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 NOK 14.45

$0.64 ₺31.91

140.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 NOK 28.19

$1.25 ₺62.1

140.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 NOK 17.11

$0.56 ₺27.58

225.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.98 NOK 141

$2.37 ₺118

532.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.89 NOK 178

$13.42 ₺664

40.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 NOK 32.73

$2.40 ₺119

45.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 NOK 36.99

$3.48 ₺172

12.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.07 NOK 47.76

$0.89 ₺43.84

469.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.3 NOK 822

$67.4 ₺3,338

29.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.15 NOK 114

$1.29 ₺64.1

841.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 NOK 18.03

$0.92 ₺45.70

107.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$73.0 NOK 687

$10.96 ₺542

565.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 NOK 20.59

$1.47 ₺72.9

48.98%

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

$48.5K NOK 456.6K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-4.50%

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

$42.8K NOK 402.5K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-3.98%

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

$285 NOK 2,683

$88.6 ₺4,387

221.68%

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

$32.82 NOK 309

$11.59 ₺574

183.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 NOK 557

$15.81 ₺783

274.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.6 NOK 552

$77.2 ₺3,820

-24.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.12 NOK 293

$22.74 ₺1,126

36.85%

Cinema Ticket

$17.43 NOK 164

$8.14 ₺403

114.13%

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

$235 NOK 2,209

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-76.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,542 NOK 23.9K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-90.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.7 NOK 816

$54.0 ₺2,671

60.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.43 NOK 428

$40.83 ₺2,021

11.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 NOK 1,082

$98.9 ₺4,895

16.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 NOK 1,312

$96.6 ₺4,783

44.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 NOK 10.3K

$985 ₺48.7K

10.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$783 NOK 7,368

$650 ₺32.2K

20.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 NOK 10.9K

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-41.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 NOK 15.2K

$1,180 ₺58.4K

36.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,476 NOK 42.1K

$3,138 ₺155.4K

42.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,399 NOK 22.6K

$1,780 ₺88.1K

34.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,224 NOK 39.8K

$1,205 ₺59.7K

250.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

40.92

-89.69%

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

Last update for Alesund: 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

Alesund

$783 33.6%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 17% $133

Groceries & Markets

Alesund

$420 18%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 38.1% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alesund

$377 16.2%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 69.2% $261

Eating Out

Alesund

$352 15.1%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 36.6% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Alesund

$174 7.5%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 24.9% $43

Getting Around

Alesund

$129 5.6%

Istanbul

$77 5% 40.6% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Alesund

$93 4%

Istanbul

$93 6% 0% $0

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,090 in Alesund 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 250% higher in Alesund, 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 $89.0 in Alesund versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $420 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Alesund

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

16:46 4:46 PM

17:46 5:46 PM

1 h ahead of Alesund

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,683

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alesund Istanbul 2,810 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Alesund
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

Alesund vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,329 in Alesund, $1,550 in Istanbul – roughly 50% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,493 per month in Alesund 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 Istanbul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Alesund and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,329 in Alesund and $1,550 in Istanbul. That's a gap of about 50%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Alesund at $2,329. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alesund it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Alesund has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,550 in Istanbul to $2,329 in Alesund. 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, Alesund makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.