Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Trondheim and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,836 in Trondheim, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Trondheim
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,836
/mo nomad
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,526
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,836 per month in Trondheim vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Trondheim $2,836
  • Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $4,192 per month in Trondheim vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Trondheim $4,192
  • Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $5,548 per month in Trondheim vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Trondheim $5,548
  • Istanbul $3,272

Trondheim costs about 86% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Trondheim and Istanbul sit above the global median – Trondheim by 112%, Istanbul by 14%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Trondheim
Istanbul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.83 NOK 199
$11.88 ₺585
75.34%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$105 NOK 1,001
$55.1 ₺2,714
90.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.41 NOK 147
$9.14 ₺450
68.60%
Cappuccino
$5.40 NOK 51.6
$4.24 ₺209
27.36%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.72 NOK 54.7
$1.75 ₺86.0
226.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.19 NOK 40.05
$0.54 ₺26.83
675.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$13.00 NOK 124
$4.69 ₺231
177.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$12.71 NOK 121
$5.97 ₺294
112.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Trondheim
Istanbul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.48 NOK 23.68
$1.26 ₺62.1
96.83%
White Bread (500g)
$3.51 NOK 33.54
$0.95 ₺46.81
269.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.66 NOK 34.94
$2.31 ₺114
58.44%
Eggs
$4.85 NOK 46.34
$2.47 ₺122
96.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.86 NOK 123
$10.55 ₺520
21.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$16.04 NOK 153
$5.60 ₺276
186.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$31.35 NOK 299
$21.21 ₺1,045
47.81%
Apples (1kg)
$3.95 NOK 37.71
$1.93 ₺95.1
104.66%
Banana (1kg)
$2.81 NOK 26.81
$2.29 ₺113
22.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.75 NOK 35.79
$1.28 ₺63.1
192.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.69 NOK 54.3
$1.84 ₺90.8
209.24%
Potato (1kg)
$2.88 NOK 27.46
$0.67 ₺32.86
329.85%
Onion (1kg)
$3.05 NOK 29.16
$0.59 ₺29.31
416.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.92 NOK 27.91
$1.33 ₺65.4
119.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.23 NOK 21.27
$0.59 ₺29.10
277.97%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$17.05 NOK 163
$2.36 ₺116
622.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.35 NOK 175
$13.47 ₺664
36.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.61 NOK 34.49
$2.42 ₺119
49.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.49 NOK 42.89
$3.54 ₺174
26.84%
🚌 Getting Around
Trondheim
Istanbul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.67 NOK 44.57
$0.83 ₺40.64
462.65%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$99.7 NOK 952
$66.5 ₺3,273
50.08%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$9.12 NOK 87.1
$1.35 ₺66.6
575.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.55 NOK 14.82
$0.85 ₺42.05
82.35%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$59.6 NOK 569
$10.86 ₺535
449.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.44 NOK 23.28
$1.47 ₺72.3
65.99%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$45.7K NOK 436.7K
$51.6K ₺2.5M
-11.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.1K NOK 420.7K
$44.4K ₺2.2M
-0.88%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Trondheim
Istanbul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$274 NOK 2,618
$89.2 ₺4,395
207.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.85 NOK 333
$11.60 ₺572
200.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$81.9 NOK 782
$16.10 ₺793
408.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Trondheim
Istanbul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.04 NOK 411
$77.3 ₺3,805
-44.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$39.57 NOK 378
$22.66 ₺1,116
74.62%
Cinema Ticket
$20.68 NOK 198
$8.34 ₺411
147.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Trondheim
Istanbul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$291 NOK 2,776
$974 ₺48.0K
-70.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,315 NOK 41.2K
$25.8K ₺1.3M
-83.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Trondheim
Istanbul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$107 NOK 1,021
$52.7 ₺2,597
102.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.6 NOK 483
$39.16 ₺1,929
29.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 NOK 1,122
$103 ₺5,083
13.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$156 NOK 1,493
$96.6 ₺4,759
61.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Trondheim
Istanbul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,432 NOK 13.7K
$994 ₺49.0K
44.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,121 NOK 10.7K
$629 ₺31.0K
78.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,196 NOK 21.0K
$2,024 ₺99.7K
8.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,647 NOK 15.7K
$1,155 ₺56.9K
42.59%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,325 NOK 60.4K
$3,160 ₺155.7K
100.16%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,083 NOK 48.5K
$1,838 ₺90.5K
176.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Trondheim
Istanbul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,213 NOK 40.2K
$1,203 ₺59.3K
250.06%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.32
41.09
-87.05%

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

Last update for Trondheim: October 5, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Trondheim
$1.1K
Istanbul
$629 43.8% $491
Groceries & Markets
Trondheim
$504
Istanbul
$264 47.6% $240
Eating Out
Trondheim
$408
Istanbul
$218 46.6% $190
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Trondheim
$391
Istanbul
$117 70.1% $274
Clothing & Footwear
Trondheim
$194
Istanbul
$131 32.4% $63
Getting Around
Trondheim
$135
Istanbul
$75 44.3% $60
Sport & Entertainment
Trondheim
$84
Istanbul
$94 11.3% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,432 in Trondheim versus $994 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 250% higher in Trondheim, 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 $105 in Trondheim versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $504 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇳🇴 Trondheim
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🕒 Local time
08:30 8:30 AM
09:30 9:30 AM
1 h ahead of Trondheim
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
215,121
15,701,602
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.55 NOK (1 NOK = 0.105 USD). 1 EUR = 10.71 NOK (100 NOK = 9.34 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Trondheim Istanbul 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Trondheim
  • 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
Trondheim vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Istanbul cheaper than Trondheim?
Yes – Trondheim is pricier by about 86%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,254 per month in Trondheim and $2,289 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $291 per month in Trondheim and $974 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Trondheim and in Istanbul?
Groceries cost about 91% more in Trondheim, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Trondheim or in Istanbul?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Trondheim at $2,836. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Trondheim it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Trondheim or Istanbul more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Trondheim or Istanbul?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Trondheim makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Trondheim vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?