Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Drammen and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,644 in Drammen, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Drammen
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Drammen Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Drammen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,644

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,644 per month in Drammen vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Drammen $2,644
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $3,996 per month in Drammen vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Drammen $3,996
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $5,349 per month in Drammen vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Drammen $5,349
Istanbul $3,281

Drammen costs about 71% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Drammen and Istanbul sit above the global median – Drammen by 96%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.14 NOK 199

$12.30 ₺609

71.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 NOK 1,170

$54.7 ₺2,708

127.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 NOK 101

$9.22 ₺456

16.16%

Cappuccino

$5.04 NOK 47.44

$4.40 ₺218

14.55%

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

$3.94 NOK 37.13

$1.68 ₺83.1

134.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 NOK 18.71

$0.59 ₺29.40

237.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.22 NOK 106

$4.70 ₺233

138.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.98 NOK 65.7

$5.91 ₺292

18.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.48 NOK 23.30

$1.21 ₺60.0

104.96%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 NOK 39.48

$0.89 ₺44.10

370.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.73 NOK 44.52

$2.19 ₺108

115.98%

Eggs

$4.64 NOK 43.71

$2.35 ₺116

97.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 NOK 128

$10.42 ₺516

30.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.24 NOK 143

$5.65 ₺280

169.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$30.80 NOK 290

$20.94 ₺1,037

47.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 NOK 30.42

$1.90 ₺94.1

70.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.71 NOK 25.47

$2.31 ₺114

17.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 NOK 31.71

$1.28 ₺63.1

163.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.81 NOK 54.7

$1.80 ₺89.0

222.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 NOK 24.61

$0.65 ₺32.16

301.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 NOK 27.23

$0.64 ₺31.91

351.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.03 NOK 28.51

$1.25 ₺62.1

142.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 NOK 22.14

$0.56 ₺27.58

319.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.74 NOK 158

$2.37 ₺118

606.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.55 NOK 146

$13.42 ₺664

15.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.36 NOK 31.58

$2.40 ₺119

40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 NOK 39.11

$3.48 ₺172

19.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.37 NOK 31.68

$0.89 ₺43.84

278.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.5 NOK 862

$67.4 ₺3,338

35.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.86 NOK 112

$1.29 ₺64.1

819.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 NOK 17.07

$0.92 ₺45.70

96.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$69.4 NOK 653

$10.96 ₺542

533.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.27 NOK 21.35

$1.47 ₺72.9

54.42%

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

$45.6K NOK 429.1K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-10.26%

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

$45.1K NOK 424.8K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

1.35%

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

$261 NOK 2,459

$88.6 ₺4,387

194.83%

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

$33.66 NOK 317

$11.59 ₺574

190.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 NOK 499

$15.81 ₺783

235.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.6 NOK 740

$77.2 ₺3,820

1.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$17.96 NOK 169

$8.14 ₺403

120.64%

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

$236 NOK 2,225

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-76.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K NOK 145.5K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-39.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.9 NOK 931

$54.0 ₺2,671

83.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.2 NOK 557

$40.83 ₺2,021

44.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 NOK 1,233

$98.9 ₺4,895

32.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 NOK 1,414

$96.6 ₺4,783

55.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 NOK 12.7K

$985 ₺48.7K

36.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 NOK 9,447

$650 ₺32.2K

54.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,043 NOK 19.2K

$1,983 ₺98.2K

3.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,560 NOK 14.7K

$1,180 ₺58.4K

32.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.4K NOK 97.5K

$3,138 ₺155.4K

229.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,335 NOK 59.6K

$1,780 ₺88.1K

255.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,627 NOK 34.1K

$1,205 ₺59.7K

200.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

40.92

-88.91%

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

Last update for Drammen: 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

Drammen

$1K 38%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 35.3% $354

Groceries & Markets

Drammen

$499 18.9%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 47.9% $239

Eating Out

Drammen

$356 13.5%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 37.2% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Drammen

$348 13.2%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 66.7% $232

Clothing & Footwear

Drammen

$198 7.5%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 33.9% $67

Getting Around

Drammen

$126 4.8%

Istanbul

$77 5% 38.9% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Drammen

$114 4.3%

Istanbul

$93 6% 18.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,346 in Drammen 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 201% higher in Drammen, 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 $124 in Drammen versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $499 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Drammen

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

16:42 4:42 PM

17:42 5:42 PM

1 h ahead of Drammen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

104,625

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

Drammen Istanbul 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Drammen
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

Drammen vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,644 in Drammen, $1,550 in Istanbul – roughly 71% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,965 per month in Drammen 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.

Kindergarten costs $236 per month in Drammen and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 92% more in Drammen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Drammen at $2,644. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Drammen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Drammen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,550 in Istanbul to $2,644 in Drammen. 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, Drammen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.