Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haugesund and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,654 in Haugesund, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Haugesund
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,654
/mo nomad
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,550
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,654 per month in Haugesund vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Haugesund $2,654
  • Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $3,956 per month in Haugesund vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Haugesund $3,956
  • Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $5,259 per month in Haugesund vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Haugesund $5,259
  • Istanbul $3,281

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

Both Haugesund and Istanbul sit above the global median – Haugesund by 97%, Istanbul by 15%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Haugesund
Istanbul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.97 NOK 207
$12.30 ₺609
78.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$105 NOK 987
$54.7 ₺2,708
91.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.38 NOK 135
$9.22 ₺456
55.97%
Cappuccino
$4.59 NOK 43.19
$4.40 ₺218
4.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.08 NOK 47.78
$1.68 ₺83.1
202.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.98 NOK 37.48
$0.59 ₺29.40
574.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$11.63 NOK 109
$4.70 ₺233
147.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$10.31 NOK 97.0
$5.91 ₺292
74.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Haugesund
Istanbul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.18 NOK 20.52
$1.21 ₺60.0
80.17%
White Bread (500g)
$3.80 NOK 35.73
$0.89 ₺44.10
326.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.50 NOK 32.92
$2.19 ₺108
59.82%
Eggs
$4.79 NOK 45.06
$2.35 ₺116
103.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.80 NOK 111
$10.42 ₺516
13.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$15.02 NOK 141
$5.65 ₺280
165.84%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$33.81 NOK 318
$20.94 ₺1,037
61.46%
Apples (1kg)
$3.08 NOK 29.02
$1.90 ₺94.1
62.11%
Banana (1kg)
$2.12 NOK 20.00
$2.31 ₺114
-8.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.44 NOK 32.37
$1.28 ₺63.1
168.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.21 NOK 39.58
$1.80 ₺89.0
133.89%
Potato (1kg)
$2.42 NOK 22.77
$0.65 ₺32.16
272.31%
Onion (1kg)
$3.32 NOK 31.23
$0.64 ₺31.91
418.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.00 NOK 28.20
$1.25 ₺62.1
140.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.83 NOK 17.26
$0.56 ₺27.58
226.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$17.21 NOK 162
$2.37 ₺118
626.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.47 NOK 136
$13.42 ₺664
7.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.58 NOK 33.70
$2.40 ₺119
49.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.16 NOK 39.17
$3.48 ₺172
19.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Haugesund
Istanbul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.56 NOK 33.51
$0.89 ₺43.84
300.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$67.4 NOK 635
$67.4 ₺3,338
0.01%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$12.19 NOK 115
$1.29 ₺64.1
844.96%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.79 NOK 16.81
$0.92 ₺45.70
94.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.2 NOK 529
$10.96 ₺542
412.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.45 NOK 23.03
$1.47 ₺72.9
66.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$44.3K NOK 417.0K
$50.8K ₺2.5M
-12.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$43.5K NOK 409.6K
$44.5K ₺2.2M
-2.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Haugesund
Istanbul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$275 NOK 2,591
$88.6 ₺4,387
210.65%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.80 NOK 309
$11.59 ₺574
183.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.8 NOK 525
$15.81 ₺783
252.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Haugesund
Istanbul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.71 NOK 468
$77.2 ₺3,820
-35.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$36.17 NOK 341
$22.74 ₺1,126
59.06%
Cinema Ticket
$16.92 NOK 159
$8.14 ₺403
107.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Haugesund
Istanbul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$241 NOK 2,269
$1,008 ₺49.9K
-76.08%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,918 NOK 27.5K
$25.6K ₺1.3M
-88.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Haugesund
Istanbul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$97.4 NOK 917
$54.0 ₺2,671
80.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.6 NOK 504
$40.83 ₺2,021
31.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.1 NOK 820
$98.9 ₺4,895
-11.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$155 NOK 1,463
$96.6 ₺4,783
60.88%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Haugesund
Istanbul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,576 NOK 14.8K
$985 ₺48.7K
60.06%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,067 NOK 10.0K
$650 ₺32.2K
64.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,099 NOK 19.8K
$1,983 ₺98.2K
5.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,668 NOK 15.7K
$1,180 ₺58.4K
41.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,302 NOK 59.3K
$3,138 ₺155.4K
100.83%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,637 NOK 43.6K
$1,780 ₺88.1K
160.51%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Haugesund
Istanbul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,952 NOK 37.2K
$1,205 ₺59.7K
227.86%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.2
40.92
-87.29%

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

Last update for Haugesund: 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
Haugesund
$1.1K
Istanbul
$650 39.1% $417
Groceries & Markets
Haugesund
$471
Istanbul
$260 44.8% $211
Eating Out
Haugesund
$389
Istanbul
$223 42.6% $166
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Haugesund
$364
Istanbul
$116 68.1% $248
Clothing & Footwear
Haugesund
$177
Istanbul
$131 26.2% $46
Getting Around
Haugesund
$103
Istanbul
$77 25.2% $26
Sport & Entertainment
Haugesund
$84
Istanbul
$93 11.8% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,576 in Haugesund 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 228% higher in Haugesund, 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 $105 in Haugesund versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $471 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇳🇴 Haugesund
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🕒 Local time
14:33 2:33 PM
15:33 3:33 PM
1 h ahead of Haugesund
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
38,362
15,701,602
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Haugesund Istanbul 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Haugesund
  • 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
Haugesund vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Haugesund or Istanbul?
Haugesund costs about 71% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Haugesund and in Istanbul?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,981 per month in Haugesund and $2,325 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Haugesund or Istanbul?
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.
Are groceries more expensive in Haugesund or in Istanbul?
Groceries cost about 81% more in Haugesund, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
How do dining costs compare in Haugesund and in Istanbul?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Haugesund and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Haugesund or in Istanbul?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Haugesund at $2,654. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Haugesund it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Haugesund or Istanbul?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Istanbul costs $1,550 versus $2,654 in Haugesund. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Haugesund compared to Istanbul?
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.
Should I move to Haugesund or to Istanbul?
If budget matters most, go with Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Haugesund makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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