Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Mo i Rana

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,493 in Mo i Rana, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Mo i Rana
Learn more

Mo i Rana Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Mo i Rana

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,493

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Mo i Rana

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 Mo i Rana actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $2,493 in Mo i Rana, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Mo i Rana $2,493

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $3,920 in Mo i Rana, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Mo i Rana $3,920

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $5,347 in Mo i Rana, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Mo i Rana $5,347

Istanbul is about 38% cheaper than Mo i Rana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Mo i Rana sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Mo i Rana by 85%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$15.46 NOK 146

-20.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$73.4 NOK 690

-25.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$16.20 NOK 152

-43.09%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$4.95 NOK 46.62

-11.11%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.61 NOK 24.57

-35.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.69 NOK 15.95

-65.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$11.55 NOK 109

-59.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$10.62 NOK 100.0

-44.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$2.32 NOK 21.86

-47.84%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$4.28 NOK 40.28

-79.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$4.03 NOK 37.95

-45.66%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$4.93 NOK 46.38

-52.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$14.03 NOK 132

-25.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$18.59 NOK 175

-69.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$31.53 NOK 297

-33.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.32 NOK 31.25

-42.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.69 NOK 25.31

-14.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.56 NOK 33.54

-64.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$4.70 NOK 44.21

-61.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$2.95 NOK 27.80

-77.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.77 NOK 26.06

-76.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$2.91 NOK 27.42

-57.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$2.38 NOK 22.38

-76.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$16.63 NOK 157

-85.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$16.76 NOK 158

-19.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$3.38 NOK 31.85

-28.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$4.72 NOK 44.46

-26.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$4.49 NOK 42.28

-80.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$84.9 NOK 799

-20.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$12.58 NOK 118

-89.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.07 NOK 19.46

-55.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$76.5 NOK 720

-85.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.28 NOK 21.50

-35.53%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$53.0K NOK 498.9K

-4.18%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$42.3K NOK 398.6K

5.17%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$262 NOK 2,468

-66.20%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$33.93 NOK 319

-65.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$52.1 NOK 490

-69.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$49.69 NOK 468

55.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$39.23 NOK 369

-42.03%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$19.18 NOK 181

-57.56%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$231 NOK 2,179

335.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$11.9K NOK 112.1K

114.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$99.1 NOK 933

-45.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$63.5 NOK 598

-35.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$133 NOK 1,255

-25.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$149 NOK 1,399

-34.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,218 NOK 11.5K

-19.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$887 NOK 8,346

-26.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,943 NOK 18.3K

2.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,846 NOK 17.4K

-36.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$5,445 NOK 51.3K

-42.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$3,666 NOK 34.5K

-51.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

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 Mo i Rana: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Mo i Rana

$887 35.6% 36.4% $237

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Mo i Rana

$516 20.7% 98.9% $257

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Mo i Rana

$328 13.2% 46.9% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Mo i Rana

$200 8% 53.2% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Mo i Rana

$348 14% 200% $232

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Mo i Rana

$88 3.5% 5.8% $5.4

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Mo i Rana

$126 5% 63.5% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $1,218 in Mo i Rana. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $73.0 in Mo i Rana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $516 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇳🇴 Mo i Rana

🕒 Local time

01:18 1:18 AM

00:18 12:18 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

18,755

💱 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 = 55.66 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 Mo i Rana 2,960 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Mo i Rana

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 Mo i Rana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mo i Rana is pricier by about 61%, 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 $3,739 in Mo i Rana. 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 $231 in Mo i Rana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 99% more in Mo i Rana, 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 Mo i Rana at $2,493. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mo i Rana 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, Mo i Rana makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.