Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karmøy and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,516 a month against $2,641 in Karmøy, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Karmøy
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Karmøy Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Karmøy

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,641

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karmøy and in Istanbul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Karmøy and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,641 per month in Karmøy vs $1,516 in Istanbul, rent included.

Karmøy $2,641
Istanbul $1,516

A couple spends around $4,032 per month in Karmøy vs $2,356 in Istanbul, rent included.

Karmøy $4,032
Istanbul $2,356

A family of three spends $5,423 per month in Karmøy vs $3,197 in Istanbul, rent included.

Karmøy $5,423
Istanbul $3,197

Karmøy costs about 74% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Karmøy and Istanbul sit above the global median – Karmøy by 94%, Istanbul by 11%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.23 NOK 197

$11.59 ₺577

83.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 NOK 1,135

$54.7 ₺2,725

123.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.23 NOK 151

$9.39 ₺468

72.84%

Cappuccino

$6.16 NOK 57.3

$4.23 ₺211

45.63%

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

$3.80 NOK 35.34

$1.72 ₺85.6

120.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 NOK 27.02

$0.57 ₺28.26

410.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.67 NOK 108

$4.65 ₺232

150.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.22 NOK 104

$6.84 ₺341

64.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 NOK 21.55

$1.20 ₺60.0

93.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.87 NOK 35.94

$0.94 ₺46.97

311.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 NOK 31.29

$2.24 ₺112

50.45%

Eggs

$4.39 NOK 40.75

$2.42 ₺121

81.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.31 NOK 114

$10.24 ₺510

20.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.45 NOK 144

$5.38 ₺268

187.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$29.85 NOK 277

$21.19 ₺1,056

40.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 NOK 30.53

$1.89 ₺94.3

74.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 NOK 22.03

$2.22 ₺111

6.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 NOK 28.29

$1.26 ₺62.7

142.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.55 NOK 42.32

$1.81 ₺90.0

151.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 NOK 23.35

$0.70 ₺34.84

258.57%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 NOK 27.91

$0.64 ₺32.13

368.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.44 NOK 31.92

$1.22 ₺60.9

181.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 NOK 23.13

$0.55 ₺27.35

352.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.07 NOK 186

$2.32 ₺116

765.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.00 NOK 158

$13.31 ₺663

27.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.89 NOK 36.11

$2.33 ₺116

66.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.95 NOK 45.99

$3.46 ₺172

43.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.66 NOK 43.32

$0.91 ₺45.18

412.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.3 NOK 783

$66.3 ₺3,306

27.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$13.42 NOK 125

$1.29 ₺64.2

940.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 NOK 17.09

$0.86 ₺42.66

113.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$63.7 NOK 592

$11.09 ₺553

474.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.52 NOK 23.41

$1.42 ₺70.8

77.46%

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

$50.9K NOK 472.5K

$49.2K ₺2.5M

3.40%

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

$41.1K NOK 381.6K

$42.8K ₺2.1M

-4.04%

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

$243 NOK 2,259

$87.7 ₺4,373

177.18%

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

$30.54 NOK 284

$11.28 ₺562

170.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.76 NOK 434

$15.89 ₺792

194.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.24 NOK 457

$75.9 ₺3,783

-35.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.02 NOK 381

$23.04 ₺1,148

78.04%

Cinema Ticket

$16.70 NOK 155

$8.20 ₺409

103.66%

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

$259 NOK 2,405

$1,028 ₺51.2K

-74.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K NOK 113.3K

$26.0K ₺1.3M

-53.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.0 NOK 892

$53.3 ₺2,658

79.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.63 NOK 461

$39.69 ₺1,978

25.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 NOK 1,031

$99.8 ₺4,972

11.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NOK 1,429

$93.5 ₺4,661

64.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,262 NOK 11.7K

$1,003 ₺50.0K

25.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,044 NOK 9,703

$628 ₺31.3K

66.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,068 NOK 19.2K

$1,963 ₺97.8K

5.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,688 NOK 15.7K

$1,122 ₺55.9K

50.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,242 NOK 58.0K

$3,075 ₺153.2K

103.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,136 NOK 38.4K

$1,753 ₺87.3K

135.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,114 NOK 38.2K

$1,180 ₺58.8K

248.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

40.69

-87.86%

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

Last update for Karmøy: October 27, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Karmøy

$1K 39.6%

Istanbul

$628 41.5% 39.8% $416

Groceries & Markets

Karmøy

$483 18.3%

Istanbul

$258 17% 46.5% $225

Eating Out

Karmøy

$400 15.2%

Istanbul

$218 14.4% 45.6% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karmøy

$321 12.1%

Istanbul

$115 7.6% 64.1% $206

Clothing & Footwear

Karmøy

$185 7%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 30.2% $56

Getting Around

Karmøy

$126 4.8%

Istanbul

$76 5% 39.8% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Karmøy

$83 3.1%

Istanbul

$92 6.1% 11.7% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,262 in Karmøy versus $1,003 in Istanbul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Karmøy are about 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Karmøy versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $483 vs $258 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Karmøy

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

16:56 4:56 PM

2 h ahead of Karmøy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,404

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.29 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.34 NOK (100 NOK = 9.67 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.46 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karmøy Istanbul 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Karmøy
Istanbul

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

Karmøy vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Karmøy is pricier by about 74%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,961 per month in Karmøy and $2,274 in Istanbul. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,003 there versus $1,262 in Karmøy.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Karmøy and $1,028 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 87% more in Karmøy, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,641 in Karmøy and $1,516 in Istanbul. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,516 in Istanbul to $2,641 in Karmøy. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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