Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamrun and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,670 in Hamrun, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hamrun outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Hamrun
🇲🇹 Malta
$1,670
/mo nomad
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,550
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,670 in Hamrun versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

  • Hamrun $1,670
  • Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,558 in Hamrun versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

  • Hamrun $2,558
  • Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,445 in Hamrun versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

  • Hamrun $3,445
  • Istanbul $3,281

Living in Hamrun is roughly 8% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hamrun 24% above, Istanbul 15% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hamrun
Istanbul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.76 €11.35
$12.30 ₺609
3.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.7 €49.50
$54.7 ₺2,708
1.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.69 €7.73
$9.22 ₺456
-5.75%
Cappuccino
$1.99 €1.77
$4.40 ₺218
-54.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.00 €1.78
$1.68 ₺83.1
19.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.21
$0.59 ₺29.40
130.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.91 €1.70
$4.70 ₺233
-59.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 €2.01
$5.91 ₺292
-61.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hamrun
Istanbul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.27 €1.13
$1.21 ₺60.0
4.96%
White Bread (500g)
$1.32 €1.17
$0.89 ₺44.10
48.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.26 €3.79
$2.19 ₺108
94.52%
Eggs
$4.36 €3.87
$2.35 ₺116
85.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.38 €7.45
$10.42 ₺516
-19.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.25 €9.12
$5.65 ₺280
81.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.10 €16.10
$20.94 ₺1,037
-13.56%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 €3.60
$1.90 ₺94.1
113.16%
Banana (1kg)
$2.71 €2.41
$2.31 ₺114
17.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.54 €3.15
$1.28 ₺63.1
176.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.43 €3.05
$1.80 ₺89.0
90.56%
Potato (1kg)
$2.42 €2.15
$0.65 ₺32.16
272.31%
Onion (1kg)
$1.96 €1.74
$0.64 ₺31.91
206.25%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.26 €2.01
$1.25 ₺62.1
80.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.35 €1.20
$0.56 ₺27.58
141.07%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.85
$2.37 ₺118
177.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.91 €7.03
$13.42 ₺664
-41.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.55
$2.40 ₺119
-27.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 €2.14
$3.48 ₺172
-30.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Hamrun
Istanbul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.47 €2.20
$0.89 ₺43.84
177.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$67.4 ₺3,338
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.54 €4.92
$1.29 ₺64.1
329.46%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.29 €2.03
$0.92 ₺45.70
148.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.03 €24.04
$10.96 ₺542
146.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 €1.35
$1.47 ₺72.9
3.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.4K €33.3K
$50.8K ₺2.5M
-26.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.5K €34.2K
$44.5K ₺2.2M
-13.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hamrun
Istanbul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$101 €89.7
$88.6 ₺4,387
13.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.10 €22.33
$11.59 ₺574
116.57%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.69 €24.63
$15.81 ₺783
75.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hamrun
Istanbul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$61.2 €54.4
$77.2 ₺3,820
-20.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$22.74 ₺1,126
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.86 €8.77
$8.14 ₺403
21.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hamrun
Istanbul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$363 €323
$1,008 ₺49.9K
-63.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K €10.0K
$25.6K ₺1.3M
-55.91%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hamrun
Istanbul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.6 €78.8
$54.0 ₺2,671
64.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.07 €36.53
$40.83 ₺2,021
0.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100.0 €88.9
$98.9 ₺4,895
1.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.0 €69.4
$96.6 ₺4,783
-19.23%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hamrun
Istanbul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$834 €742
$985 ₺48.7K
-15.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$767 €682
$650 ₺32.2K
17.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,564 €1,391
$1,983 ₺98.2K
-21.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,333 €1,186
$1,180 ₺58.4K
12.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,965 €3,527
$3,138 ₺155.4K
26.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,772 €2,466
$1,780 ₺88.1K
55.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hamrun
Istanbul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,205 ₺59.7K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.9
40.92
-92.91%

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

Last update for Hamrun: 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
Hamrun
$767
Istanbul
$650 15.2% $117
Groceries & Markets
Hamrun
$325
Istanbul
$260 20% $65
Eating Out
Hamrun
$180
Istanbul
$223 24.3% $44
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hamrun
$154
Istanbul
$116 24.5% $38
Clothing & Footwear
Hamrun
$138
Istanbul
$131 5.6% $7.8
Sport & Entertainment
Hamrun
$81
Istanbul
$93 15.5% $13
Getting Around
Hamrun
$27 *
Istanbul
$77 186% $50

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 $834 in Hamrun and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56.0 in Hamrun vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $260 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇹 Hamrun
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🕒 Local time
18:26 6:26 PM
19:26 7:26 PM
1 h ahead of Hamrun
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,000
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 = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hamrun Istanbul 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Hamrun
  • 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
Hamrun vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Istanbul cheaper than Hamrun?
Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $2,506 in Hamrun 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 Hamrun and Istanbul?
Rent for a central apartment: $834 in Hamrun versus $985 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Hamrun and in Istanbul?
Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Hamrun. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Hamrun and in Istanbul?
All in, you'll spend $1,670 per month in Hamrun versus $1,550 in Istanbul – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Hamrun or in Istanbul?
At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,670 in Hamrun, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Hamrun. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Hamrun or Istanbul more family-friendly?
For families, Istanbul is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Hamrun, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Hamrun or Istanbul?
Safety-wise, Hamrun 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 8% less than in Hamrun. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Hamrun vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

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