Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Alesund

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,329 in Alesund, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Alesund
Learn more

Alesund Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Alesund

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,329

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Alesund

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Istanbul and in Alesund actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $2,329 in Alesund, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Alesund $2,329

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $3,663 in Alesund, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Alesund $3,663

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $4,997 in Alesund, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Alesund $4,997

Istanbul is about 33% cheaper than Alesund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Alesund sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Alesund by 72%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$21.26 NOK 200

-42.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$88.8 NOK 836

-38.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$13.23 NOK 125

-30.31%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$4.07 NOK 38.31

8.11%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.08 NOK 19.55

-19.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$2.35 NOK 22.12

-74.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$11.33 NOK 107

-58.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$9.62 NOK 90.6

-38.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$2.21 NOK 20.78

-45.25%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$3.04 NOK 28.64

-70.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$3.08 NOK 28.99

-28.90%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$4.38 NOK 41.27

-46.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$14.88 NOK 140

-29.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$13.80 NOK 130

-59.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$20.84 NOK 196

0.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.63 NOK 24.72

-27.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.27 NOK 21.34

1.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.26 NOK 21.28

-43.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.66 NOK 34.46

-50.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$2.45 NOK 23.10

-73.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.54 NOK 14.45

-58.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$3.00 NOK 28.19

-58.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.82 NOK 17.11

-69.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$14.98 NOK 141

-84.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$18.89 NOK 178

-28.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$3.48 NOK 32.73

-31.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.93 NOK 36.99

-11.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$5.07 NOK 47.76

-82.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$87.3 NOK 822

-22.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$12.15 NOK 114

-89.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.91 NOK 18.03

-51.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$73.0 NOK 687

-84.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.19 NOK 20.59

-32.88%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$48.5K NOK 456.6K

4.71%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$42.8K NOK 402.5K

4.14%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$285 NOK 2,683

-68.91%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$32.82 NOK 309

-64.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$59.2 NOK 557

-73.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$58.6 NOK 552

31.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$31.12 NOK 293

-26.93%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$17.43 NOK 164

-53.30%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$235 NOK 2,209

329.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$2,542 NOK 23.9K

905.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$86.7 NOK 816

-37.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$45.43 NOK 428

-10.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$115 NOK 1,082

-13.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$139 NOK 1,312

-30.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,090 NOK 10.3K

-9.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$783 NOK 7,368

-16.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,159 NOK 10.9K

71.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,615 NOK 15.2K

-26.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$4,476 NOK 42.1K

-29.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,399 NOK 22.6K

-25.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$4,224 NOK 39.8K

-71.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.22

869.67%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Alesund: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Alesund

$783 33.6% 20.5% $133

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Alesund

$420 18% 61.7% $160

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Alesund

$352 15.1% 57.8% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Alesund

$174 7.5% 33.1% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Alesund

$377 16.2% 225% $261

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Alesund

$93 4% 0% $0

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Alesund

$129 5.6% 68.2% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $1,090 in Alesund. 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 250% higher in Alesund, 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $89.0 in Alesund. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $420 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇳🇴 Alesund

🕒 Local time

19:39 7:39 PM

18:39 6:39 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

58,683

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

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).

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).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Alesund 2,810 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Alesund

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

Istanbul vs Alesund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul, $2,329 in Alesund – roughly 50% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $3,493 in Alesund. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $89.0 in Alesund. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,550 in Istanbul and $2,329 in Alesund. That's a gap of about 50%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Alesund at $2,329. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alesund it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Alesund has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,550 in Istanbul to $2,329 in Alesund. 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, Alesund makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.