Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bergen and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,844 in Bergen, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
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Bergen Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,844

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,844 in Bergen versus $1,526 in Istanbul.

Bergen $2,844
Istanbul $1,526

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,282 in Bergen versus $2,399 in Istanbul.

Bergen $4,282
Istanbul $2,399

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,719 in Bergen versus $3,272 in Istanbul.

Bergen $5,719
Istanbul $3,272

Living in Bergen is roughly 86% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bergen 112% above, Istanbul 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.98 NOK 219

$11.88 ₺585

93.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$135 NOK 1,292

$55.1 ₺2,714

145.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.52 NOK 148

$9.14 ₺450

69.80%

Cappuccino

$5.42 NOK 51.8

$4.24 ₺209

27.83%

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

$5.10 NOK 48.71

$1.75 ₺86.0

191.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 NOK 42.65

$0.54 ₺26.83

727.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.57 NOK 120

$4.69 ₺231

168.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.41 NOK 99.4

$5.97 ₺294

74.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NOK 20.57

$1.26 ₺62.1

70.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 NOK 36.13

$0.95 ₺46.81

297.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 NOK 33.54

$2.31 ₺114

51.95%

Eggs

$6.41 NOK 61.3

$2.47 ₺122

159.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.32 NOK 137

$10.55 ₺520

35.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.21 NOK 164

$5.60 ₺276

207.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.16 NOK 345

$21.21 ₺1,045

70.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 NOK 39.38

$1.93 ₺95.1

113.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 NOK 25.95

$2.29 ₺113

18.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.61 NOK 34.44

$1.28 ₺63.1

182.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.39 NOK 51.4

$1.84 ₺90.8

192.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 NOK 24.02

$0.67 ₺32.86

276.12%

Onion (1kg)

$3.35 NOK 31.97

$0.59 ₺29.31

467.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.86 NOK 27.34

$1.33 ₺65.4

115.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 NOK 17.03

$0.59 ₺29.10

201.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.10 NOK 163

$2.36 ₺116

624.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.97 NOK 172

$13.47 ₺664

33.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.59 NOK 34.31

$2.42 ₺119

48.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.21 NOK 40.20

$3.54 ₺174

18.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.15 NOK 49.21

$0.83 ₺40.64

520.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 NOK 825

$66.5 ₺3,273

30.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.39 NOK 118

$1.35 ₺66.6

817.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 NOK 17.61

$0.85 ₺42.05

116.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.5 NOK 674

$10.86 ₺535

549.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 NOK 22.42

$1.47 ₺72.3

59.86%

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

$48.6K NOK 463.7K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-5.95%

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

$43.3K NOK 413.9K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-2.49%

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

$275 NOK 2,623

$89.2 ₺4,395

207.81%

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

$32.93 NOK 314

$11.60 ₺572

183.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.9 NOK 791

$16.10 ₺793

414.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.61 NOK 436

$77.3 ₺3,805

-40.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.77 NOK 399

$22.66 ₺1,116

84.33%

Cinema Ticket

$18.87 NOK 180

$8.34 ₺411

126.26%

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

$238 NOK 2,272

$974 ₺48.0K

-75.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K NOK 114.9K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-53.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 NOK 1,022

$52.7 ₺2,597

103.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.6 NOK 522

$39.16 ₺1,929

39.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 NOK 1,128

$103 ₺5,083

14.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$162 NOK 1,545

$96.6 ₺4,759

67.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,414 NOK 13.5K

$994 ₺49.0K

42.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 NOK 10.3K

$629 ₺31.0K

72.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,348 NOK 22.4K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

15.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,696 NOK 16.2K

$1,155 ₺56.9K

46.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,822 NOK 74.7K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

147.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,769 NOK 45.5K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

159.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,527 NOK 43.2K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

276.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.27

41.09

-87.17%

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

Last update for Bergen: October 3, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bergen

$1.1K 38.3%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 41.9% $454

Groceries & Markets

Bergen

$524 18.6%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 49.6% $260

Eating Out

Bergen

$417 14.8%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 47.8% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bergen

$390 13.8%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 70.1% $274

Clothing & Footwear

Bergen

$199 7%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 33.9% $67

Getting Around

Bergen

$129 4.6%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 41.4% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Bergen

$83 3%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 12.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,414 in Bergen and $994 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen pays 276% 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: $135 in Bergen vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $524 vs $264 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Bergen

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

14:22 2:22 PM

1 h ahead of Bergen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

292,482

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.47 USD

100 NOK = 9.34 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.55 NOK (1 NOK = 0.105 USD). 1 EUR = 10.7 NOK (100 NOK = 9.34 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bergen Istanbul 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bergen
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

Bergen vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 86% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 276% higher in Bergen, 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: $1,414 in Bergen versus $994 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $238 in Bergen versus $974 in Istanbul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 99% higher in Bergen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,526 in Istanbul versus $2,844 in Bergen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Bergen. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Istanbul is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bergen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Bergen 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 86% less than in Bergen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.