Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Askim and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $2,808 in Askim, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Askim
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Askim Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Askim

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,808

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,808 in Askim versus $1,525 in Istanbul.

Askim $2,808
Istanbul $1,525

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,262 in Askim versus $2,390 in Istanbul.

Askim $4,262
Istanbul $2,390

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,717 in Askim versus $3,256 in Istanbul.

Askim $5,717
Istanbul $3,256

Living in Askim is roughly 84% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Askim 107% above, Istanbul 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.69 NOK 195

$11.96 ₺592

72.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 NOK 1,177

$57.2 ₺2,834

118.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.56 NOK 146

$9.51 ₺471

63.62%

Cappuccino

$5.87 NOK 55.3

$4.40 ₺218

33.41%

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

$4.19 NOK 39.43

$1.75 ₺86.6

139.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 NOK 32.47

$0.56 ₺27.57

516.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.55 NOK 109

$4.71 ₺233

145.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.45 NOK 117

$6.14 ₺304

102.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 NOK 22.94

$1.24 ₺61.6

96.77%

White Bread (500g)

$4.23 NOK 39.81

$0.95 ₺47.25

345.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.53 NOK 42.62

$2.28 ₺113

98.68%

Eggs

$6.01 NOK 56.6

$2.45 ₺121

145.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.63 NOK 138

$10.56 ₺523

38.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.70 NOK 148

$5.50 ₺272

185.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.27 NOK 294

$21.65 ₺1,072

44.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 NOK 31.93

$1.83 ₺90.6

85.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 NOK 24.42

$2.29 ₺113

13.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 NOK 31.96

$1.28 ₺63.4

164.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.94 NOK 55.9

$1.82 ₺90.1

226.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 NOK 25.95

$0.66 ₺32.74

318.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 NOK 27.34

$0.63 ₺31.14

360.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.09 NOK 29.11

$1.27 ₺62.8

143.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 NOK 22.47

$0.56 ₺27.62

326.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.01 NOK 179

$2.36 ₺117

705.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.31 NOK 154

$12.98 ₺642

25.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.54 NOK 33.31

$2.48 ₺123

42.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 NOK 40.76

$3.50 ₺174

23.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.54 NOK 42.73

$0.82 ₺40.77

453.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.4 NOK 794

$65.2 ₺3,228

29.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.72 NOK 110

$1.33 ₺65.7

781.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 NOK 17.34

$0.90 ₺44.60

104.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$68.5 NOK 644

$10.91 ₺540

527.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 NOK 22.18

$1.43 ₺70.7

65.03%

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

$49.0K NOK 460.8K

$49.6K ₺2.5M

-1.24%

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

$37.9K NOK 356.3K

$43.2K ₺2.1M

-12.36%

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

$417 NOK 3,928

$88.8 ₺4,395

370.07%

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

$33.62 NOK 316

$11.69 ₺579

187.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.4 NOK 503

$16.09 ₺797

232.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 NOK 472

$76.3 ₺3,776

-34.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.88 NOK 347

$22.72 ₺1,125

62.32%

Cinema Ticket

$15.42 NOK 145

$8.26 ₺409

86.68%

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

$238 NOK 2,245

$1,015 ₺50.2K

-76.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.3K NOK 143.9K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-40.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 NOK 942

$53.3 ₺2,636

87.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.8 NOK 563

$40.55 ₺2,008

47.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$133 NOK 1,248

$100 ₺4,956

32.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 NOK 1,487

$93.5 ₺4,630

68.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,194 NOK 11.2K

$977 ₺48.4K

22.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 NOK 9,280

$627 ₺31.0K

57.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,969 NOK 18.5K

$1,980 ₺98.0K

-0.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,679 NOK 15.8K

$1,147 ₺56.8K

46.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,007 NOK 56.6K

$3,095 ₺153.2K

94.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,059 NOK 38.2K

$1,787 ₺88.5K

127.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,161 NOK 39.2K

$1,213 ₺60.1K

243.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

40.69

-87.86%

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

Last update for Askim: October 20, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Askim

$986 35.1%

Istanbul

$627 41.1% 36.4% $359

Groceries & Markets

Askim

$515 18.3%

Istanbul

$263 17.2% 49% $252

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Askim

$504 18%

Istanbul

$117 7.6% 76.9% $388

Eating Out

Askim

$396 14.1%

Istanbul

$222 14.6% 43.9% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Askim

$203 7.2%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 36.2% $73

Getting Around

Askim

$123 4.4%

Istanbul

$74 4.9% 39.8% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Askim

$81 2.9%

Istanbul

$93 6.1% 14.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,194 in Askim and $977 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Askim pays 243% 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: $125 in Askim vs $57.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $515 vs $263 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Askim

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

18:04 6:04 PM

19:04 7:04 PM

1 h ahead of Askim

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,368

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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Askim Istanbul 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Askim
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

Askim vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Askim and Istanbul differ by about 84% in total monthly costs ($2,808 vs $1,525 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 243% higher in Askim, 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: $1,194 in Askim versus $977 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $57.0 versus $125 in Askim. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,808 per month in Askim versus $1,525 in Istanbul – a 84% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,525 in Istanbul versus $2,808 in Askim, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Askim. 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, Askim 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 84% less than in Askim. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.