Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fredrikstad and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,983 in Fredrikstad, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in Fredrikstad
Learn more

Fredrikstad Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Fredrikstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,983

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,983 in Fredrikstad versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Fredrikstad $2,983
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,345 in Fredrikstad versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Fredrikstad $4,345
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,707 in Fredrikstad versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Fredrikstad $5,707
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Fredrikstad is roughly 92% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fredrikstad 121% above, Istanbul 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.28 NOK 247

$12.30 ₺609

113.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 NOK 1,170

$54.7 ₺2,708

127.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.65 NOK 119

$9.22 ₺456

37.20%

Cappuccino

$6.77 NOK 63.7

$4.40 ₺218

53.86%

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

$5.55 NOK 52.3

$1.68 ₺83.1

230.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 NOK 41.36

$0.59 ₺29.40

644.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.55 NOK 109

$4.70 ₺233

145.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.57 NOK 90.1

$5.91 ₺292

61.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 NOK 22.00

$1.21 ₺60.0

93.39%

White Bread (500g)

$4.31 NOK 40.56

$0.89 ₺44.10

384.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.43 NOK 32.31

$2.19 ₺108

56.62%

Eggs

$5.82 NOK 54.8

$2.35 ₺116

147.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.06 NOK 123

$10.42 ₺516

25.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.96 NOK 169

$5.65 ₺280

217.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$34.38 NOK 324

$20.94 ₺1,037

64.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 NOK 31.71

$1.90 ₺94.1

77.37%

Banana (1kg)

$3.64 NOK 34.24

$2.31 ₺114

57.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.30 NOK 40.49

$1.28 ₺63.1

235.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.00 NOK 47.06

$1.80 ₺89.0

177.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 NOK 24.74

$0.65 ₺32.16

304.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 NOK 25.53

$0.64 ₺31.91

323.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 NOK 26.50

$1.25 ₺62.1

125.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 NOK 21.95

$0.56 ₺27.58

316.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.51 NOK 146

$2.37 ₺118

554.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.16 NOK 209

$13.42 ₺664

65.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.49 NOK 32.81

$2.40 ₺119

45.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 NOK 41.34

$3.48 ₺172

26.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.11 NOK 38.71

$0.89 ₺43.84

361.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.5 NOK 607

$67.4 ₺3,338

-4.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.56 NOK 118

$1.29 ₺64.1

873.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 NOK 18.79

$0.92 ₺45.70

117.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.1 NOK 660

$10.96 ₺542

539.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 NOK 21.64

$1.47 ₺72.9

56.46%

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

$49.8K NOK 468.4K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-2.03%

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

$46.9K NOK 441.1K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

5.22%

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

$331 NOK 3,118

$88.6 ₺4,387

273.82%

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

$45.60 NOK 429

$11.59 ₺574

293.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 NOK 630

$15.81 ₺783

323.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.3 NOK 549

$77.2 ₺3,820

-24.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.86 NOK 385

$22.74 ₺1,126

79.68%

Cinema Ticket

$20.19 NOK 190

$8.14 ₺403

148.03%

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

$168 NOK 1,579

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-83.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K NOK 117.8K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-51.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$155 NOK 1,459

$54.0 ₺2,671

187.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.7 NOK 741

$40.83 ₺2,021

92.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$144 NOK 1,358

$98.9 ₺4,895

45.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 NOK 1,051

$96.6 ₺4,783

15.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,329 NOK 12.5K

$985 ₺48.7K

34.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 NOK 10.6K

$650 ₺32.2K

74.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,822 NOK 17.1K

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-8.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 NOK 14.3K

$1,180 ₺58.4K

28.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,022 NOK 56.7K

$3,138 ₺155.4K

91.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,131 NOK 38.9K

$1,780 ₺88.1K

132.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,372 NOK 31.7K

$1,205 ₺59.7K

179.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.95

40.92

-87.90%

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

Last update for Fredrikstad: October 11, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fredrikstad

$1.1K 37.9%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 42.6% $481

Groceries & Markets

Fredrikstad

$540 18.1%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 51.9% $280

Eating Out

Fredrikstad

$446 15%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 49.9% $223

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fredrikstad

$444 14.9%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 73.9% $328

Clothing & Footwear

Fredrikstad

$220 7.4%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 40.7% $90

Getting Around

Fredrikstad

$103 3.5%

Istanbul

$77 5% 25.7% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Fredrikstad

$99 3.3%

Istanbul

$93 6% 5.3% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,329 in Fredrikstad and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fredrikstad pays 180% 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: $124 in Fredrikstad vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $540 vs $260 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Fredrikstad

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

16:46 4:46 PM

17:46 5:46 PM

1 h ahead of Fredrikstad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,267

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Fredrikstad Istanbul 2,380 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Fredrikstad
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

Fredrikstad vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 92% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 180% higher in Fredrikstad, 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: $1,329 in Fredrikstad versus $985 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $168 in Fredrikstad 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 108% higher in Fredrikstad. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,983 in Fredrikstad, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Fredrikstad. 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 Fredrikstad, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Fredrikstad 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 92% less than in Fredrikstad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.