Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Harstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $2,553 in Harstad, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Harstad
Learn more

Harstad Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Harstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,553

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Harstad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,525 in Istanbul versus $2,553 in Harstad.

Istanbul $1,525
Harstad $2,553

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,390 in Istanbul versus $3,807 in Harstad.

Istanbul $2,390
Harstad $3,807

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,256 in Istanbul versus $5,061 in Harstad.

Istanbul $3,256
Harstad $5,061

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 40% less than in Harstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 13% above, Harstad 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$14.18 NOK 133

-15.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$103 NOK 969

-44.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$15.83 NOK 149

-39.92%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$6.29 NOK 59.2

-30.05%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$3.63 NOK 34.15

-51.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$3.14 NOK 29.58

-82.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$12.57 NOK 118

-62.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$13.53 NOK 127

-54.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$2.46 NOK 23.20

-49.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$3.25 NOK 30.60

-70.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$3.22 NOK 30.27

-29.19%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$4.31 NOK 40.61

-43.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$10.71 NOK 101

-1.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$14.37 NOK 135

-61.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$41.47 NOK 390

-47.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$4.15 NOK 39.10

-55.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.85 NOK 26.81

-19.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$3.69 NOK 34.75

-65.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$4.65 NOK 43.74

-60.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$2.06 NOK 19.36

-67.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$2.04 NOK 19.21

-69.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$2.98 NOK 28.02

-57.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$2.34 NOK 22.00

-76.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$16.03 NOK 151

-85.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$15.88 NOK 149

-18.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$3.82 NOK 35.99

-35.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$4.89 NOK 46.04

-28.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$6.09 NOK 57.3

-86.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$81.8 NOK 770

-20.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$15.86 NOK 149

-91.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$1.86 NOK 17.47

-51.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$55.0 NOK 517

-80.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$2.29 NOK 21.60

-37.55%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$36.4K NOK 343.0K

36.04%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$30.9K NOK 291.0K

39.70%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$167 NOK 1,568

-46.71%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$33.30 NOK 313

-64.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$77.4 NOK 729

-79.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$48.78 NOK 459

56.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

$37.22 NOK 350

-38.96%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$17.10 NOK 161

-51.70%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$237 NOK 2,231

328.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$5,116 NOK 48.2K

405.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$67.4 NOK 635

-21.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$34.87 NOK 328

16.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$118 NOK 1,111

-15.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$161 NOK 1,513

-41.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$1,335 NOK 12.6K

-26.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$1,035 NOK 9,740

-39.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$2,281 NOK 21.5K

-13.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$1,526 NOK 14.4K

-24.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$6,018 NOK 56.6K

-48.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$3,991 NOK 37.6K

-55.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$3,383 NOK 31.8K

-64.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

713.80%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Harstad: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Harstad

$1K 40.5% 65% $408

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Harstad

$502 19.7% 91.3% $240

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Harstad

$353 13.8% 59.1% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Harstad

$171 6.7% 32.6% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Harstad

$277 10.9% 138% $161

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Harstad

$83 3.3% 10.6% $9.8

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Harstad

$131 5.1% 76.7% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $977 in Istanbul and $1,335 in Harstad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Harstad pays 179% 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: $57.0 in Istanbul vs $103 in Harstad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $263 vs $502 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇳🇴 Harstad

🕒 Local time

23:36 11:36 PM

22:36 10:36 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

25,119

💱 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 20, 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 Harstad 3,180 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Harstad

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 Harstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 67% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 179% lower in Harstad. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $977 in Istanbul versus $1,335 in Harstad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 91% higher in Harstad. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $57.0 versus $103 in Harstad. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,525 in Istanbul versus $2,553 in Harstad, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Harstad. 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 Harstad, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Harstad 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 67% less than in Harstad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.