Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lillestrom and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $2,615 in Lillestrom, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Lillestrom
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Lillestrom Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Lillestrom

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,615

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lillestrom 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 Lillestrom and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,615 per month in Lillestrom vs $1,525 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lillestrom $2,615
Istanbul $1,525

A couple spends around $4,023 per month in Lillestrom vs $2,390 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lillestrom $4,023
Istanbul $2,390

A family of three spends $5,432 per month in Lillestrom vs $3,256 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lillestrom $5,432
Istanbul $3,256

Lillestrom costs about 72% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lillestrom and Istanbul sit above the global median – Lillestrom by 93%, Istanbul by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.91 NOK 197

$11.96 ₺592

74.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$121 NOK 1,135

$57.2 ₺2,834

110.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 NOK 104

$9.51 ₺471

16.19%

Cappuccino

$6.17 NOK 58.1

$4.40 ₺218

40.23%

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

$4.05 NOK 38.09

$1.75 ₺86.6

131.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 NOK 29.36

$0.56 ₺27.57

457.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.80 NOK 111

$4.71 ₺233

150.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.45 NOK 98.4

$6.14 ₺304

70.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.45 NOK 23.10

$1.24 ₺61.6

97.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 NOK 34.06

$0.95 ₺47.25

281.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.08 NOK 38.37

$2.28 ₺113

78.95%

Eggs

$5.73 NOK 53.9

$2.45 ₺121

133.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 NOK 123

$10.56 ₺523

23.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.77 NOK 130

$5.50 ₺272

150.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$27.30 NOK 257

$21.65 ₺1,072

26.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 NOK 32.55

$1.83 ₺90.6

89.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 NOK 26.45

$2.29 ₺113

22.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 NOK 38.40

$1.28 ₺63.4

218.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.45 NOK 51.3

$1.82 ₺90.1

199.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 NOK 25.85

$0.66 ₺32.74

316.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 NOK 34.71

$0.63 ₺31.14

485.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 NOK 16.80

$1.27 ₺62.8

40.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 NOK 21.44

$0.56 ₺27.62

307.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.49 NOK 165

$2.36 ₺117

641.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.88 NOK 159

$12.98 ₺642

30.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.57 NOK 52.5

$2.48 ₺123

124.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.86 NOK 55.1

$3.50 ₺174

67.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.46 NOK 42.01

$0.82 ₺40.77

443.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.8 NOK 789

$65.2 ₺3,228

28.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.92 NOK 112

$1.33 ₺65.7

796.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 NOK 17.44

$0.90 ₺44.60

105.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$69.1 NOK 650

$10.91 ₺540

533.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 NOK 21.53

$1.43 ₺70.7

60.14%

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

$48.5K NOK 456.4K

$49.6K ₺2.5M

-2.19%

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

$44.4K NOK 418.1K

$43.2K ₺2.1M

2.84%

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

$269 NOK 2,532

$88.8 ₺4,395

202.99%

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

$32.87 NOK 309

$11.69 ₺579

181.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 NOK 494

$16.09 ₺797

226.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.58 NOK 467

$76.3 ₺3,776

-34.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.47 NOK 343

$22.72 ₺1,125

60.52%

Cinema Ticket

$17.09 NOK 161

$8.26 ₺409

106.90%

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

$238 NOK 2,244

$1,015 ₺50.2K

-76.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K NOK 122.8K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-49.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 NOK 955

$53.3 ₺2,636

90.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 NOK 525

$40.55 ₺2,008

37.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 NOK 1,186

$100 ₺4,956

25.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 NOK 1,484

$93.5 ₺4,630

68.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,245 NOK 11.7K

$977 ₺48.4K

27.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$982 NOK 9,242

$627 ₺31.0K

56.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 NOK 18.3K

$1,980 ₺98.0K

-1.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,658 NOK 15.6K

$1,147 ₺56.8K

44.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,206 NOK 58.4K

$3,095 ₺153.2K

100.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,015 NOK 37.8K

$1,787 ₺88.5K

124.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,767 NOK 35.5K

$1,213 ₺60.1K

210.55%

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 Lillestrom: October 18, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lillestrom

$982 37.5%

Istanbul

$627 41.1% 36.1% $355

Groceries & Markets

Lillestrom

$491 18.8%

Istanbul

$263 17.2% 46.5% $229

Eating Out

Lillestrom

$383 14.7%

Istanbul

$222 14.6% 42% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lillestrom

$354 13.6%

Istanbul

$117 7.6% 67.1% $238

Clothing & Footwear

Lillestrom

$198 7.6%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 34.8% $69

Getting Around

Lillestrom

$123 4.7%

Istanbul

$74 4.9% 39.5% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Lillestrom

$84 3.2%

Istanbul

$93 6.1% 10.8% $9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,245 in Lillestrom versus $977 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 run about 211% higher in Lillestrom, 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 $121 in Lillestrom versus $57.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $491 vs $263 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Lillestrom

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

21:34 9:34 PM

22:34 10:34 PM

1 h ahead of Lillestrom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

94,585

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

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Between locations

Lillestrom Istanbul 2,430 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lillestrom
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

Lillestrom vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lillestrom is pricier by about 72%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,923 per month in Lillestrom and $2,287 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $238 per month in Lillestrom and $1,015 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 Lillestrom, 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 $1,525, than in Lillestrom at $2,615. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lillestrom 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, Lillestrom makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.