Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamont-Achel and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,197 in Hamont-Achel, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hamont-Achel
🇧🇪 Belgium
$2,197
/mo nomad
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,550
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,197 in Hamont-Achel versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

  • Hamont-Achel $2,197
  • Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,229 in Hamont-Achel versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

  • Hamont-Achel $3,229
  • Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,260 in Hamont-Achel versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

  • Hamont-Achel $4,260
  • Istanbul $3,281

Living in Hamont-Achel is roughly 42% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hamont-Achel 63% above, Istanbul 15% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hamont-Achel
Istanbul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.39 €19.92
$12.30 ₺609
82.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$89.9 €80.0
$54.7 ₺2,708
64.42%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.97 €13.32
$9.22 ₺456
62.36%
Cappuccino
$4.42 €3.93
$4.40 ₺218
0.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.74 €3.33
$1.68 ₺83.1
122.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.07 €2.73
$0.59 ₺29.40
420.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.44 €4.84
$4.70 ₺233
15.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.69 €5.07
$5.91 ₺292
-3.72%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hamont-Achel
Istanbul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.29 €1.15
$1.21 ₺60.0
6.61%
White Bread (500g)
$2.67 €2.38
$0.89 ₺44.10
200.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.70 €2.40
$2.19 ₺108
23.29%
Eggs
$5.23 €4.65
$2.35 ₺116
122.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.95 €15.97
$10.42 ₺516
72.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.48 €11.99
$5.65 ₺280
138.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.51 €19.13
$20.94 ₺1,037
2.72%
Apples (1kg)
$3.02 €2.69
$1.90 ₺94.1
58.95%
Banana (1kg)
$2.33 €2.07
$2.31 ₺114
0.87%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.74 €2.44
$1.28 ₺63.1
114.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.09 €3.64
$1.80 ₺89.0
127.22%
Potato (1kg)
$2.48 €2.21
$0.65 ₺32.16
281.54%
Onion (1kg)
$2.23 €1.98
$0.64 ₺31.91
248.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.85 €1.64
$1.25 ₺62.1
48.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 €1.12
$0.56 ₺27.58
125.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.66 €12.15
$2.37 ₺118
476.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.03 €8.92
$13.42 ₺664
-25.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.68 €2.39
$2.40 ₺119
11.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 €2.70
$3.48 ₺172
-12.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Hamont-Achel
Istanbul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.44 €3.06
$0.89 ₺43.84
286.52%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$67.4 ₺3,338
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.87 €2.55
$1.29 ₺64.1
122.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.31 €2.06
$0.92 ₺45.70
151.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.99 €35.57
$10.96 ₺542
264.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.07 €1.84
$1.47 ₺72.9
40.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.5K €31.6K
$50.8K ₺2.5M
-30.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.9K €30.1K
$44.5K ₺2.2M
-23.98%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hamont-Achel
Istanbul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$284 €253
$88.6 ₺4,387
220.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.92 €19.50
$11.59 ₺574
89.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.1 €46.30
$15.81 ₺783
229.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hamont-Achel
Istanbul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.80 €32.73
$77.2 ₺3,820
-52.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.59 €15.64
$22.74 ₺1,126
-22.65%
Cinema Ticket
$16.31 €14.51
$8.14 ₺403
100.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hamont-Achel
Istanbul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,609 €1,431
$1,008 ₺49.9K
59.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$37.4K €33.3K
$25.6K ₺1.3M
46.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hamont-Achel
Istanbul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$103 €91.2
$54.0 ₺2,671
90.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.41 €41.28
$40.83 ₺2,021
13.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 €97.9
$98.9 ₺4,895
11.29%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$144 €128
$96.6 ₺4,783
48.63%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hamont-Achel
Istanbul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,051 €935
$985 ₺48.7K
6.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$825 €734
$650 ₺32.2K
27.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,476 €1,313
$1,983 ₺98.2K
-25.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,200 €1,067
$1,180 ₺58.4K
1.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,593 €3,196
$3,138 ₺155.4K
14.48%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,851 €2,536
$1,780 ₺88.1K
60.16%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hamont-Achel
Istanbul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,205 ₺59.7K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.71
40.92
-90.93%

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

Last update for Hamont-Achel: 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
Hamont-Achel
$825
Istanbul
$650 21.3% $176
Groceries & Markets
Hamont-Achel
$392
Istanbul
$260 33.7% $132
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hamont-Achel
$358
Istanbul
$116 67.6% $242
Eating Out
Hamont-Achel
$343
Istanbul
$223 34.9% $120
Clothing & Footwear
Hamont-Achel
$181
Istanbul
$131 27.9% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Hamont-Achel
$69
Istanbul
$93 34.6% $24
Getting Around
Hamont-Achel
$28 *
Istanbul
$77 173% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Hamont-Achel and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $90.0 in Hamont-Achel vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $260 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇪 Hamont-Achel
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🕒 Local time
01:07 1:07 AM
02:07 2:07 AM
1 h ahead of Hamont-Achel
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
14,000
15,701,602
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hamont-Achel Istanbul 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Hamont-Achel
  • 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
Hamont-Achel vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Istanbul cheaper than Hamont-Achel?
Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 42% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $3,295 in Hamont-Achel and $2,325 in Istanbul to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Hamont-Achel and Istanbul?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,051 in Hamont-Achel versus $985 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $1,609 in Hamont-Achel versus $1,008 in Istanbul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Hamont-Achel or in Istanbul?
Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $90.0 in Hamont-Achel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Hamont-Achel or in Istanbul?
At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,197 in Hamont-Achel, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Hamont-Achel. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Hamont-Achel or Istanbul more family-friendly?
For families, Istanbul is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Hamont-Achel, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Hamont-Achel or Istanbul?
Safety-wise, Hamont-Achel 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Istanbul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Hamont-Achel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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