Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Narvik

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,460 in Narvik, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in Narvik
Learn more

Narvik Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Narvik

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,460

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Narvik

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $2,460 in Narvik, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Narvik $2,460

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $3,763 in Narvik, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Narvik $3,763

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $5,067 in Narvik, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Narvik $5,067

Istanbul is about 37% cheaper than Narvik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Narvik sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Narvik by 82%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$31.93 NOK 301

-61.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$93.7 NOK 882

-41.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$15.68 NOK 148

-41.20%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$4.96 NOK 46.67

-11.29%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.91 NOK 27.37

-42.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$2.95 NOK 27.79

-80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$11.36 NOK 107

-58.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$12.04 NOK 113

-50.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$2.43 NOK 22.89

-50.21%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$3.27 NOK 30.77

-72.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.69 NOK 25.28

-18.59%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$5.21 NOK 49.07

-54.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$12.05 NOK 113

-13.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$14.83 NOK 140

-61.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$22.51 NOK 212

-6.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.88 NOK 36.57

-51.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.05 NOK 19.30

12.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$4.77 NOK 44.95

-73.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$4.39 NOK 41.35

-59.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$2.52 NOK 23.71

-74.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$4.88 NOK 45.96

-86.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$2.90 NOK 27.27

-56.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$2.18 NOK 20.50

-74.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$16.29 NOK 153

-85.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$16.93 NOK 159

-20.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$3.39 NOK 31.92

-29.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.61 NOK 33.98

-3.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$4.63 NOK 43.61

-80.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$89.0 NOK 838

-24.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$15.46 NOK 146

-91.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.14 NOK 20.15

-57.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$51.8 NOK 488

-78.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.28 NOK 21.44

-35.53%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$39.6K NOK 372.8K

28.23%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$36.9K NOK 346.9K

20.82%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$261 NOK 2,453

-65.99%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$49.95 NOK 470

-76.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$81.9 NOK 771

-80.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$55.3 NOK 521

39.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$26.34 NOK 248

-13.67%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$17.44 NOK 164

-53.33%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$308 NOK 2,903

226.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$7,612 NOK 71.7K

235.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$123 NOK 1,157

-56.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$34.34 NOK 323

18.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$138 NOK 1,299

-28.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$161 NOK 1,520

-40.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$912 NOK 8,583

7.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$719 NOK 6,771

-9.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,643 NOK 15.5K

20.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,224 NOK 11.5K

-3.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$5,156 NOK 48.5K

-39.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$4,755 NOK 44.8K

-62.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$3,517 NOK 33.1K

-65.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

5.01

716.77%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Narvik: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Narvik

$719 29.2% 10.7% $69

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Narvik

$452 18.4% 74.2% $193

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Narvik

$466 19% 109% $243

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Narvik

$205 8.4% 57.3% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Narvik

$392 16% 238% $276

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Narvik

$90 3.7% 3.5% $3.3

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Narvik

$134 5.4% 73.9% $57

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $912 in Narvik. 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 192% higher in Narvik, 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 $94.0 in Narvik. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $452 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇳🇴 Narvik

🕒 Local time

20:17 8:17 PM

19:17 7:17 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

14,183

💱 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 Narvik 3,130 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Narvik

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 Narvik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Narvik is pricier by about 59%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $3,689 in Narvik. 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 $308 in Narvik. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 74% more in Narvik, 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 Narvik at $2,460. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Narvik 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, Narvik makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.