Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamm and Istanbul

For one person, living costs are similar in Hamm and in Istanbul: $1,481 and $1,550 a month, rent and utilities included.

71

Cost of Living Index in Hamm
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Hamm Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Hamm

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,481

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,481 in Hamm versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Hamm $1,481
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,219 in Hamm versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Hamm $2,219
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,957 in Hamm versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Hamm $2,957
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Hamm costs roughly 4% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hamm 10% above, Istanbul 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.40 €11.92

$12.30 ₺609

8.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.7

$54.7 ₺2,708

20.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.02 €16.03

$9.22 ₺456

95.44%

Cappuccino

$4.49 €4.00

$4.40 ₺218

2.05%

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

$2.83 €2.51

$1.68 ₺83.1

68.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.11

$0.59 ₺29.40

303.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 €2.46

$4.70 ₺233

-41.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 €3.41

$5.91 ₺292

-35.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.21 ₺60.0

2.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.89 ₺44.10

135.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.92 €3.48

$2.19 ₺108

79.00%

Eggs

$3.41 €3.03

$2.35 ₺116

45.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.30 €12.72

$10.42 ₺516

37.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.69 €9.50

$5.65 ₺280

89.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.33 €22.53

$20.94 ₺1,037

20.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 €3.05

$1.90 ₺94.1

80.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$2.31 ₺114

-3.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.28 ₺63.1

85.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 €3.79

$1.80 ₺89.0

136.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.65 ₺32.16

127.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 €1.03

$0.64 ₺31.91

81.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.25 ₺62.1

38.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$0.56 ₺27.58

78.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.17 €8.16

$2.37 ₺118

286.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.82 €6.07

$13.42 ₺664

-49.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 €0.98

$2.40 ₺119

-53.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.18

$3.48 ₺172

-61.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 €2.72

$0.89 ₺43.84

242.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 €54.1

$67.4 ₺3,338

-9.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 €4.55

$1.29 ₺64.1

296.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 €2.04

$0.92 ₺45.70

148.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.12 €29.46

$10.96 ₺542

202.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.47 ₺72.9

41.50%

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

$32.4K €28.8K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-36.20%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-13.44%

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

$468 €416

$88.6 ₺4,387

427.83%

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

$25.27 €22.48

$11.59 ₺574

118.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.90 €36.38

$15.81 ₺783

158.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.40 €24.38

$77.2 ₺3,820

-64.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$13.51 €12.02

$8.14 ₺403

65.97%

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

$164 €146

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-83.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.3K €22.5K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-1.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.2 €84.7

$54.0 ₺2,671

76.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.25 €43.81

$40.83 ₺2,021

20.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €97.4

$98.9 ₺4,895

10.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 €174

$96.6 ₺4,783

101.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,045 €1,819

$1,205 ₺59.7K

69.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

40.92

-90.32%

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

Last update for Hamm: October 12, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamm

$534 36%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 78.3% $418

Groceries & Markets

Hamm

$344 23.2%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 24.5% $84

Eating Out

Hamm

$258 17.4%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 13.3% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Hamm

$202 13.6%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 35.4% $71

Getting Around

Hamm

$90 6.1%

Istanbul

$77 5% 14.2% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Hamm

$54 3.7%

Istanbul

$93 6% 71.7% $39

Accommodation & Living

Hamm

- * 0%

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Hamm pays 70% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Hamm vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $260 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Hamm

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

20:28 8:28 PM

21:28 9:28 PM

1 h ahead of Hamm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

180,000

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Hamm Istanbul 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Hamm
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

Hamm vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamm and Istanbul differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,481 vs $1,550 including rent). Hamm is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 70% higher in Hamm, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $164 in Hamm versus $1,008 in Istanbul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Istanbul pay roughly 32% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,481 in Hamm versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hamm but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Hamm 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, Hamm 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 Hamm gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.