Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarpsborg and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $2,841 in Sarpsborg, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

135

Cost of Living Index in Sarpsborg
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Sarpsborg Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Sarpsborg

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,841

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,841 per month in Sarpsborg vs $1,525 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sarpsborg $2,841
Istanbul $1,525

A couple spends around $4,154 per month in Sarpsborg vs $2,390 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sarpsborg $4,154
Istanbul $2,390

A family of three spends $5,467 per month in Sarpsborg vs $3,256 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sarpsborg $5,467
Istanbul $3,256

Sarpsborg costs about 86% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sarpsborg and Istanbul sit above the global median – Sarpsborg by 110%, Istanbul by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$40.33 NOK 380

$11.96 ₺592

237.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.6 NOK 938

$57.2 ₺2,834

74.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.43 NOK 183

$9.51 ₺471

104.31%

Cappuccino

$5.72 NOK 53.8

$4.40 ₺218

30.00%

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

$2.78 NOK 26.16

$1.75 ₺86.6

58.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 NOK 24.48

$0.56 ₺27.57

364.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.25 NOK 58.8

$4.71 ₺233

32.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.41 NOK 79.1

$6.14 ₺304

36.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.80 NOK 26.36

$1.24 ₺61.6

125.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.33 NOK 31.37

$0.95 ₺47.25

250.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.13 NOK 38.86

$2.28 ₺113

81.14%

Eggs

$4.28 NOK 40.27

$2.45 ₺121

74.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 NOK 119

$10.56 ₺523

19.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.89 NOK 150

$5.50 ₺272

188.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.18 NOK 341

$21.65 ₺1,072

67.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.76 NOK 35.39

$1.83 ₺90.6

105.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 NOK 26.60

$2.29 ₺113

23.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 NOK 36.55

$1.28 ₺63.4

203.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.00 NOK 47.07

$1.82 ₺90.1

174.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 NOK 28.05

$0.66 ₺32.74

351.52%

Onion (1kg)

$3.32 NOK 31.28

$0.63 ₺31.14

426.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 NOK 24.45

$1.27 ₺62.8

104.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 NOK 24.58

$0.56 ₺27.62

366.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.94 NOK 169

$2.36 ₺117

660.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.77 NOK 167

$12.98 ₺642

36.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.30 NOK 31.02

$2.48 ₺123

33.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 NOK 43.22

$3.50 ₺174

31.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 NOK 25.40

$0.82 ₺40.77

229.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.1 NOK 707

$65.2 ₺3,228

15.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.17 NOK 115

$1.33 ₺65.7

815.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 NOK 18.10

$0.90 ₺44.60

113.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.9 NOK 592

$10.91 ₺540

476.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 NOK 21.00

$1.43 ₺70.7

55.94%

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

$54.3K NOK 511.0K

$49.6K ₺2.5M

9.51%

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

$43.0K NOK 405.0K

$43.2K ₺2.1M

-0.38%

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

$299 NOK 2,815

$88.8 ₺4,395

236.85%

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

$31.27 NOK 294

$11.69 ₺579

167.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 NOK 509

$16.09 ₺797

236.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 NOK 472

$76.3 ₺3,776

-34.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.34 NOK 380

$22.72 ₺1,125

77.55%

Cinema Ticket

$19.99 NOK 188

$8.26 ₺409

142.01%

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

$243 NOK 2,286

$1,015 ₺50.2K

-76.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K NOK 123.0K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-49.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 NOK 1,073

$53.3 ₺2,636

113.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 NOK 586

$40.55 ₺2,008

53.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 NOK 1,086

$100 ₺4,956

15.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$178 NOK 1,679

$93.5 ₺4,630

90.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 NOK 11.6K

$977 ₺48.4K

26.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NOK 9,537

$627 ₺31.0K

61.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 NOK 14.7K

$1,980 ₺98.0K

-21.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,370 NOK 12.9K

$1,147 ₺56.8K

19.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,847 NOK 55.0K

$3,095 ₺153.2K

88.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,175 NOK 39.3K

$1,787 ₺88.5K

133.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,626 NOK 24.7K

$1,213 ₺60.1K

116.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.18

40.69

-87.27%

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

Last update for Sarpsborg: October 19, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sarpsborg

$1K 35.7%

Istanbul

$627 41.1% 38.1% $386

Eating Out

Sarpsborg

$519 18.3%

Istanbul

$222 14.6% 57.2% $297

Groceries & Markets

Sarpsborg

$516 18.1%

Istanbul

$263 17.2% 49.1% $253

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sarpsborg

$384 13.5%

Istanbul

$117 7.6% 69.7% $268

Clothing & Footwear

Sarpsborg

$211 7.4%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 38.8% $82

Getting Around

Sarpsborg

$108 3.8%

Istanbul

$74 4.9% 30.9% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Sarpsborg

$90 3.2%

Istanbul

$93 6.1% 3% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,232 in Sarpsborg 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 116% higher in Sarpsborg, 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 $100 in Sarpsborg versus $57.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $516 vs $263 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Sarpsborg

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

00:39 12:39 AM

01:39 1:39 AM

1 h ahead of Sarpsborg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,906

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 →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sarpsborg Istanbul 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sarpsborg
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

Sarpsborg vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sarpsborg is pricier by about 86%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,262 per month in Sarpsborg 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 $243 per month in Sarpsborg 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 96% more in Sarpsborg, 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 Sarpsborg at $2,841. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sarpsborg 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, Sarpsborg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.