Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Haugesund

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.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Haugesund
Learn more

Haugesund Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Haugesund

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,654

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Haugesund

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

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

Istanbul $1,550
Haugesund $2,654

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

Istanbul $2,415
Haugesund $3,956

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

Istanbul $3,281
Haugesund $5,259

Istanbul is about 42% cheaper than Haugesund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$21.97 NOK 207

-44.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$105 NOK 987

-47.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$14.38 NOK 135

-35.88%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$4.59 NOK 43.19

-4.14%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$5.08 NOK 47.78

-66.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$3.98 NOK 37.48

-85.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$11.63 NOK 109

-59.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$10.31 NOK 97.0

-42.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$2.18 NOK 20.52

-44.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$3.80 NOK 35.73

-76.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$3.50 NOK 32.92

-37.43%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$4.79 NOK 45.06

-50.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$11.80 NOK 111

-11.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$15.02 NOK 141

-62.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$33.81 NOK 318

-38.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.08 NOK 29.02

-38.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.12 NOK 20.00

8.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.44 NOK 32.37

-62.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$4.21 NOK 39.58

-57.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$2.42 NOK 22.77

-73.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$3.32 NOK 31.23

-80.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$3.00 NOK 28.20

-58.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.83 NOK 17.26

-69.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$17.21 NOK 162

-86.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$14.47 NOK 136

-7.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$3.58 NOK 33.70

-32.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$4.16 NOK 39.17

-16.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.56 NOK 33.51

-75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$67.4 NOK 635

-0.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$12.19 NOK 115

-89.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.79 NOK 16.81

-48.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$56.2 NOK 529

-80.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.45 NOK 23.03

-40.00%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$44.3K NOK 417.0K

14.65%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$43.5K NOK 409.6K

2.34%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$275 NOK 2,591

-67.81%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$32.80 NOK 309

-64.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$55.8 NOK 525

-71.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$49.71 NOK 468

55.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$36.17 NOK 341

-37.13%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$16.92 NOK 159

-51.89%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$241 NOK 2,269

318.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$2,918 NOK 27.5K

776.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$97.4 NOK 917

-44.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$53.6 NOK 504

-23.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$87.1 NOK 820

13.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$155 NOK 1,463

-37.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,576 NOK 14.8K

-37.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$1,067 NOK 10.0K

-39.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$2,099 NOK 19.8K

-5.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,668 NOK 15.7K

-29.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$6,302 NOK 59.3K

-50.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$4,637 NOK 43.6K

-61.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$3,952 NOK 37.2K

-69.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

5.2

686.92%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Haugesund: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Haugesund

$1.1K 40.2% 64.2% $417

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Haugesund

$471 17.7% 81.3% $211

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Haugesund

$389 14.7% 74.2% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Haugesund

$177 6.7% 35.6% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Haugesund

$364 13.7% 214% $248

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Haugesund

$84 3.2% 10.6% $9.9

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Haugesund

$103 3.9% 33.7% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $1,576 in Haugesund. 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $105 in Haugesund. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $471 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇳🇴 Haugesund

🕒 Local time

15:32 3:32 PM

14:32 2:32 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

38,362

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Haugesund 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Haugesund

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 Haugesund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $3,981 in Haugesund. 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.

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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $105 in Haugesund. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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.

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.

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, Haugesund makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.