Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamar and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,380 in Hamar, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Hamar
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Hamar Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Hamar

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,380

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,380 in Hamar versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Hamar $2,380
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,750 in Hamar versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Hamar $3,750
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,120 in Hamar versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Hamar $5,120
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Hamar is roughly 54% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hamar 76% above, Istanbul 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.18 NOK 199

$12.30 ₺609

72.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 NOK 1,180

$54.7 ₺2,708

129.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.83 NOK 149

$9.22 ₺456

71.69%

Cappuccino

$5.76 NOK 54.2

$4.40 ₺218

30.91%

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

$4.21 NOK 39.63

$1.68 ₺83.1

150.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 NOK 30.85

$0.59 ₺29.40

455.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.49 NOK 108

$4.70 ₺233

144.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 NOK 76.0

$5.91 ₺292

36.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.50 NOK 23.53

$1.21 ₺60.0

106.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.93 NOK 27.57

$0.89 ₺44.10

229.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 NOK 19.36

$2.19 ₺108

-5.94%

Eggs

$5.76 NOK 54.3

$2.35 ₺116

145.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.05 NOK 104

$10.42 ₺516

6.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.20 NOK 115

$5.65 ₺280

115.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.42 NOK 296

$20.94 ₺1,037

50.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 NOK 30.26

$1.90 ₺94.1

68.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 NOK 24.17

$2.31 ₺114

11.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 NOK 28.74

$1.28 ₺63.1

138.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.89 NOK 55.5

$1.80 ₺89.0

227.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 NOK 23.34

$0.65 ₺32.16

281.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 NOK 22.95

$0.64 ₺31.91

281.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 NOK 19.97

$1.25 ₺62.1

69.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 NOK 18.74

$0.56 ₺27.58

255.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.94 NOK 178

$2.37 ₺118

699.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.40 NOK 154

$13.42 ₺664

22.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.38 NOK 31.78

$2.40 ₺119

40.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 NOK 39.37

$3.48 ₺172

20.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.66 NOK 43.87

$0.89 ₺43.84

423.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.5 NOK 635

$67.4 ₺3,338

0.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.92 NOK 112

$1.29 ₺64.1

824.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 NOK 16.76

$0.92 ₺45.70

93.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$69.5 NOK 654

$10.96 ₺542

534.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.37 NOK 22.32

$1.47 ₺72.9

61.22%

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

$47.8K NOK 449.5K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-5.97%

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

$43.6K NOK 410.2K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-2.14%

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

$223 NOK 2,104

$88.6 ₺4,387

152.18%

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

$33.07 NOK 311

$11.59 ₺574

185.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 NOK 509

$15.81 ₺783

242.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.2 NOK 548

$77.2 ₺3,820

-24.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.40 NOK 277

$22.74 ₺1,126

29.29%

Cinema Ticket

$19.79 NOK 186

$8.14 ₺403

143.12%

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

$207 NOK 1,948

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-79.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K NOK 148.3K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-38.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 NOK 959

$54.0 ₺2,671

88.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.5 NOK 560

$40.83 ₺2,021

45.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 NOK 1,230

$98.9 ₺4,895

32.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NOK 977

$96.6 ₺4,783

7.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 NOK 11.6K

$985 ₺48.7K

24.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$847 NOK 7,973

$650 ₺32.2K

30.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 NOK 14.9K

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-20.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,489 NOK 14.0K

$1,180 ₺58.4K

26.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,302 NOK 40.5K

$3,138 ₺155.4K

37.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,421 NOK 32.2K

$1,780 ₺88.1K

92.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,269 NOK 40.2K

$1,205 ₺59.7K

254.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

40.92

-87.93%

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

Last update for Hamar: October 11, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamar

$847 35.6%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 23.3% $197

Groceries & Markets

Hamar

$450 18.9%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 42.3% $190

Eating Out

Hamar

$390 16.4%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 42.7% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamar

$311 13.1%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 62.6% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Hamar

$178 7.5%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 26.7% $48

Getting Around

Hamar

$107 4.5%

Istanbul

$77 5% 28.1% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Hamar

$98 4.1%

Istanbul

$93 6% 4.4% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,227 in Hamar and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hamar pays 254% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $125 in Hamar vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $450 vs $260 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Hamar

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

20:09 8:09 PM

21:09 9:09 PM

1 h ahead of Hamar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,059

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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Hamar Istanbul 2,530 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Hamar
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

Hamar vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamar and Istanbul differ by about 54% in total monthly costs ($2,380 vs $1,550 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 254% higher in Hamar, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,227 in Hamar versus $985 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 73% higher in Hamar. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $125 in Hamar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,380 in Hamar, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Hamar. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Hamar and Istanbul are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Istanbul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Hamar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.