Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Drammen

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.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Drammen
Learn more

Drammen Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Drammen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,644

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Drammen

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 Drammen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Istanbul $1,550
Drammen $2,644

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

Istanbul $2,415
Drammen $3,996

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

Istanbul $3,281
Drammen $5,349

Istanbul is about 41% cheaper than Drammen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$21.14 NOK 199

-41.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$124 NOK 1,170

-56.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.71 NOK 101

-13.91%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$5.04 NOK 47.44

-12.70%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$3.94 NOK 37.13

-57.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.99 NOK 18.71

-70.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$11.22 NOK 106

-58.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$6.98 NOK 65.7

-15.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$2.48 NOK 23.30

-51.21%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$4.19 NOK 39.48

-78.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$4.73 NOK 44.52

-53.70%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$4.64 NOK 43.71

-49.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$13.55 NOK 128

-23.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$15.24 NOK 143

-62.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$30.80 NOK 290

-32.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.23 NOK 30.42

-41.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.71 NOK 25.47

-14.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.37 NOK 31.71

-62.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$5.81 NOK 54.7

-69.02%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$2.61 NOK 24.61

-75.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.89 NOK 27.23

-77.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$3.03 NOK 28.51

-58.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$2.35 NOK 22.14

-76.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$16.74 NOK 158

-85.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$15.55 NOK 146

-13.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$3.36 NOK 31.58

-28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$4.15 NOK 39.11

-16.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.37 NOK 31.68

-73.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$91.5 NOK 862

-26.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$11.86 NOK 112

-89.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.81 NOK 17.07

-49.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$69.4 NOK 653

-84.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.27 NOK 21.35

-35.24%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$45.6K NOK 429.1K

11.43%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$45.1K NOK 424.8K

-1.33%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$261 NOK 2,459

-66.08%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$33.66 NOK 317

-65.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$53.0 NOK 499

-70.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$78.6 NOK 740

-1.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$17.96 NOK 169

-54.68%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$236 NOK 2,225

326.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$15.5K NOK 145.5K

65.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$98.9 NOK 931

-45.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$59.2 NOK 557

-31.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$131 NOK 1,233

-24.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$150 NOK 1,414

-35.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,346 NOK 12.7K

-26.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$1,004 NOK 9,447

-35.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$2,043 NOK 19.2K

-2.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,560 NOK 14.7K

-24.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$10.4K NOK 97.5K

-69.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$6,335 NOK 59.6K

-71.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$3,627 NOK 34.1K

-66.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.54

801.32%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Drammen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Drammen

$1K 38% 54.5% $354

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Drammen

$499 18.9% 92% $239

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Drammen

$356 13.5% 59.2% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Drammen

$198 7.5% 51.3% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Drammen

$348 13.2% 200% $232

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Drammen

$114 4.3% 22.5% $21

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Drammen

$126 4.8% 63.8% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $1,346 in Drammen. 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $124 in Drammen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $499 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇳🇴 Drammen

🕒 Local time

22:24 10:24 PM

21:24 9:24 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

104,625

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

From you

Istanbul
Drammen

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 Drammen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $3,965 in Drammen. 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 $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $236 in Drammen. 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. Istanbul 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.