Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arendal and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,679 in Arendal, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in Arendal
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Arendal Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Arendal

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,679

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,679 in Arendal versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Arendal $2,679
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,805 in Arendal versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Arendal $3,805
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,931 in Arendal versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Arendal $4,931
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Arendal is roughly 73% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arendal 98% above, Istanbul 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.51 NOK 184

$12.30 ₺609

58.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 NOK 619

$54.7 ₺2,708

20.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.52 NOK 146

$9.22 ₺456

68.33%

Cappuccino

$5.33 NOK 50.2

$4.40 ₺218

21.14%

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

$3.49 NOK 32.84

$1.68 ₺83.1

107.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 NOK 30.62

$0.59 ₺29.40

450.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.55 NOK 109

$4.70 ₺233

145.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.08 NOK 114

$5.91 ₺292

104.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 NOK 21.78

$1.21 ₺60.0

90.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 NOK 32.63

$0.89 ₺44.10

289.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 NOK 35.56

$2.19 ₺108

72.60%

Eggs

$4.93 NOK 46.38

$2.35 ₺116

109.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.81 NOK 139

$10.42 ₺516

42.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.35 NOK 135

$5.65 ₺280

153.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$33.30 NOK 314

$20.94 ₺1,037

59.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 NOK 32.83

$1.90 ₺94.1

83.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 NOK 24.75

$2.31 ₺114

13.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 NOK 32.74

$1.28 ₺63.1

171.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 NOK 44.63

$1.80 ₺89.0

163.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 23.97

$0.65 ₺32.16

292.31%

Onion (1kg)

$3.10 NOK 29.18

$0.64 ₺31.91

384.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 NOK 26.55

$1.25 ₺62.1

125.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 NOK 21.13

$0.56 ₺27.58

300.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.67 NOK 166

$2.37 ₺118

645.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.46 NOK 136

$13.42 ₺664

7.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.74 NOK 35.19

$2.40 ₺119

55.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 NOK 41.27

$3.48 ₺172

25.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.69 NOK 34.72

$0.89 ₺43.84

314.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.2 NOK 849

$67.4 ₺3,338

33.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.11 NOK 57.5

$1.29 ₺64.1

373.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 NOK 16.03

$0.92 ₺45.70

84.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$105 NOK 986

$10.96 ₺542

855.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 NOK 21.31

$1.47 ₺72.9

53.74%

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

$48.3K NOK 454.3K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-4.97%

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

$41.0K NOK 385.9K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-7.94%

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

$252 NOK 2,372

$88.6 ₺4,387

184.37%

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

$34.68 NOK 326

$11.59 ₺574

199.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.7 NOK 751

$15.81 ₺783

404.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.61 NOK 345

$77.2 ₺3,820

-52.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 NOK 145

$8.14 ₺403

88.94%

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

$314 NOK 2,952

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-68.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.8K NOK 129.9K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-46.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$125 NOK 1,176

$54.0 ₺2,671

131.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.59 NOK 410

$40.83 ₺2,021

6.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 NOK 1,165

$98.9 ₺4,895

25.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$204 NOK 1,922

$96.6 ₺4,783

111.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 NOK 10.4K

$985 ₺48.7K

12.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 NOK 9,783

$650 ₺32.2K

59.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,556 NOK 14.6K

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-21.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,453 NOK 13.7K

$1,180 ₺58.4K

23.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,112 NOK 38.7K

$3,138 ₺155.4K

31.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,134 NOK 29.5K

$1,780 ₺88.1K

76.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,151 NOK 39.1K

$1,205 ₺59.7K

244.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

40.92

-88.56%

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

Last update for Arendal: 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

Arendal

$1K 38.8%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 37.5% $389

Groceries & Markets

Arendal

$488 18.2%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 46.8% $228

Eating Out

Arendal

$375 14%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 40.5% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arendal

$366 13.7%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 68.3% $250

Clothing & Footwear

Arendal

$223 8.3%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 41.5% $93

Getting Around

Arendal

$120 4.5%

Istanbul

$77 5% 35.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Arendal

$67 2.5%

Istanbul

$93 6% 38.7% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,109 in Arendal and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arendal pays 244% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Arendal vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $488 vs $260 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Arendal

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

17:43 5:43 PM

18:43 6:43 PM

1 h ahead of Arendal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,406

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

Arendal Istanbul 2,400 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Arendal
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

Arendal vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arendal and Istanbul differ by about 73% in total monthly costs ($2,679 vs $1,550 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 244% higher in Arendal, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,109 in Arendal versus $985 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $314 in Arendal versus $1,008 in Istanbul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 88% higher in Arendal. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,679 in Arendal, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Arendal. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Arendal and Istanbul are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Istanbul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Arendal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.