Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Jessheim

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,844 in Jessheim, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Jessheim
Learn more

Jessheim Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Jessheim

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Jessheim

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $2,844 in Jessheim, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Jessheim $2,844

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $4,074 in Jessheim, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Jessheim $4,074

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $5,303 in Jessheim, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Jessheim $5,303

Istanbul is about 46% cheaper than Jessheim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Jessheim sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Jessheim by 111%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$20.70 NOK 195

-40.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$78.8 NOK 742

-30.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$15.64 NOK 147

-41.05%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$5.95 NOK 56.1

-26.05%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$4.06 NOK 38.18

-58.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$2.98 NOK 28.07

-80.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$10.36 NOK 97.6

-54.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$12.30 NOK 116

-51.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$2.45 NOK 23.07

-50.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$4.21 NOK 39.64

-78.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.65 NOK 24.98

-17.36%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.69 NOK 34.71

-36.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$14.71 NOK 138

-29.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$15.73 NOK 148

-64.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$30.61 NOK 288

-31.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.23 NOK 30.41

-41.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.56 NOK 24.05

-9.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.38 NOK 31.86

-62.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$4.13 NOK 38.89

-56.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$2.54 NOK 23.91

-74.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.93 NOK 27.62

-78.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$3.13 NOK 29.49

-60.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$2.36 NOK 22.26

-76.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$18.61 NOK 175

-87.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$16.25 NOK 153

-17.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$3.48 NOK 32.78

-31.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$4.20 NOK 39.54

-17.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$4.64 NOK 43.68

-80.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$99.0 NOK 932

-31.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$11.73 NOK 110

-89.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.78 NOK 16.72

-48.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$69.8 NOK 657

-84.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.41 NOK 22.72

-39.00%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$47.5K NOK 447.1K

6.92%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$40.4K NOK 380.0K

10.32%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$415 NOK 3,904

-78.64%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$33.18 NOK 312

-65.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$52.9 NOK 498

-70.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$16.27 NOK 153

-49.97%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$240 NOK 2,259

319.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$15.7K NOK 148.1K

62.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$99.2 NOK 933

-45.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$60.8 NOK 572

-32.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$124 NOK 1,169

-20.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$156 NOK 1,464

-37.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,382 NOK 13.0K

-28.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$1,102 NOK 10.4K

-41.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,887 NOK 17.8K

5.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,698 NOK 16.0K

-30.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$8,112 NOK 76.4K

-61.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$3,750 NOK 35.3K

-67.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.94

728.34%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Jessheim: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Jessheim

$1.1K 38.7% 69.5% $452

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Jessheim

$485 17.1% 86.8% $225

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Jessheim

$389 13.7% 74% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Jessheim

$198 7% 51.5% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Jessheim

$501 17.6% 332% $385

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Jessheim

$33 * 1.1% 65.2% $61

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Jessheim

$138 4.9% 79.7% $61

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $1,382 in Jessheim. 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 211% higher in Jessheim, 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 $79.0 in Jessheim. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $485 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇳🇴 Jessheim

🕒 Local time

22:52 10:52 PM

21:52 9:52 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

24,547

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

From you

Istanbul
Jessheim

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 Jessheim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Jessheim is pricier by about 84%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $4,267 in Jessheim. 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 $240 in Jessheim. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 87% more in Jessheim, 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 Jessheim at $2,844. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Jessheim it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Istanbul – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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