Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Longyearbyen

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,733 in Longyearbyen, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
134

Cost of Living Index in Longyearbyen
Learn more

Longyearbyen Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Longyearbyen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,733

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Longyearbyen

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $2,733 in Longyearbyen, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Longyearbyen $2,733

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $4,180 in Longyearbyen, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Longyearbyen $4,180

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $5,627 in Longyearbyen, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Longyearbyen $5,627

Istanbul is about 43% cheaper than Longyearbyen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Longyearbyen sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Longyearbyen by 102%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$20.05 NOK 189

-38.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$106 NOK 996

-48.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$18.00 NOK 169

-48.78%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$6.85 NOK 64.5

-35.77%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$6.11 NOK 57.5

-72.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$5.58 NOK 52.5

-89.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$7.43 NOK 70.0

-36.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$8.96 NOK 84.3

-34.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$2.40 NOK 22.57

-49.58%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$3.71 NOK 34.95

-76.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$4.33 NOK 40.78

-49.42%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$4.97 NOK 46.82

-52.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$14.26 NOK 134

-26.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$20.30 NOK 191

-72.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$31.52 NOK 297

-33.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$6.42 NOK 60.5

-70.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.55 NOK 24.03

-9.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$6.85 NOK 64.5

-81.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$6.66 NOK 62.7

-72.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$5.49 NOK 51.7

-88.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$4.53 NOK 42.66

-85.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$4.51 NOK 42.50

-72.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$3.53 NOK 33.23

-84.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$17.34 NOK 163

-86.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$14.45 NOK 136

-7.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$3.54 NOK 33.31

-32.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$4.24 NOK 39.93

-17.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$5.27 NOK 49.65

-83.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$86.2 NOK 811

-21.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$9.06 NOK 85.3

-85.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.80 NOK 16.93

-48.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$73.7 NOK 694

-85.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.13 NOK 20.05

-30.99%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$50.3K NOK 473.1K

1.05%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$41.3K NOK 388.9K

7.78%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$242 NOK 2,274

-63.32%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$32.99 NOK 311

-64.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$54.1 NOK 509

-70.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$50.5 NOK 475

52.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$36.19 NOK 341

-37.16%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$14.85 NOK 140

-45.19%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$200 NOK 1,887

402.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$14.2K NOK 133.8K

79.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$104 NOK 981

-48.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$56.3 NOK 530

-27.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$125 NOK 1,179

-21.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$154 NOK 1,447

-37.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,104 NOK 10.4K

-10.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$1,017 NOK 9,569

-36.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,983 NOK 18.7K

0.02%

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

$6,197 NOK 58.3K

-49.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$4,017 NOK 37.8K

-55.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$2,931 NOK 27.6K

-58.88%

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 Longyearbyen: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Longyearbyen

$1K 37.2% 56.4% $367

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Longyearbyen

$586 21.5% 126% $327

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Longyearbyen

$398 14.6% 78.5% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Longyearbyen

$198 7.2% 51.4% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Longyearbyen

$329 12% 183% $213

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Longyearbyen

$80 2.9% 14.2% $13

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Longyearbyen

$125 4.6% 63% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $1,104 in Longyearbyen. 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 143% higher in Longyearbyen, 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 $106 in Longyearbyen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $586 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇳🇴 Longyearbyen

🕒 Local time

21:12 9:12 PM

20:12 8:12 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

2,400

💱 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 Longyearbyen 4,180 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Longyearbyen

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 Longyearbyen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Longyearbyen is pricier by about 76%, 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 $4,100 in Longyearbyen. 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 $200 in Longyearbyen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 126% more in Longyearbyen, 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 Longyearbyen at $2,733. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Longyearbyen 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, Longyearbyen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.