Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Hamar

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.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Hamar
Learn more

Hamar Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Hamar

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,380

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Hamar

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Istanbul and in Hamar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Istanbul $1,550
Hamar $2,380

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

Istanbul $2,415
Hamar $3,750

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

Istanbul $3,281
Hamar $5,120

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 35% less than in Hamar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$21.18 NOK 199

-41.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$125 NOK 1,180

-56.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$15.83 NOK 149

-41.76%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$5.76 NOK 54.2

-23.61%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$4.21 NOK 39.63

-60.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$3.28 NOK 30.85

-82.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$11.49 NOK 108

-59.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$8.07 NOK 76.0

-26.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$2.50 NOK 23.53

-51.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.93 NOK 27.57

-69.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.06 NOK 19.36

6.31%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$5.76 NOK 54.3

-59.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$11.05 NOK 104

-5.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$12.20 NOK 115

-53.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$31.42 NOK 296

-33.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.21 NOK 30.26

-40.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.57 NOK 24.17

-10.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.05 NOK 28.74

-58.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$5.89 NOK 55.5

-69.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$2.48 NOK 23.34

-73.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.44 NOK 22.95

-73.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$2.12 NOK 19.97

-41.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.99 NOK 18.74

-71.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$18.94 NOK 178

-87.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$16.40 NOK 154

-18.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$3.38 NOK 31.78

-28.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$4.18 NOK 39.37

-16.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$4.66 NOK 43.87

-80.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$67.5 NOK 635

-0.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$11.92 NOK 112

-89.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.78 NOK 16.76

-48.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$69.5 NOK 654

-84.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.37 NOK 22.32

-37.97%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$47.8K NOK 449.5K

6.35%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$43.6K NOK 410.2K

2.19%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$223 NOK 2,104

-60.35%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$33.07 NOK 311

-64.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$54.1 NOK 509

-70.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$58.2 NOK 548

32.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$29.40 NOK 277

-22.65%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$19.79 NOK 186

-58.87%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$207 NOK 1,948

387.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$15.8K NOK 148.3K

62.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$102 NOK 959

-47.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$59.5 NOK 560

-31.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$131 NOK 1,230

-24.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$104 NOK 977

-6.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,227 NOK 11.6K

-19.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$847 NOK 7,973

-23.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,578 NOK 14.9K

25.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,489 NOK 14.0K

-20.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$4,302 NOK 40.5K

-27.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$3,421 NOK 32.2K

-47.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$4,269 NOK 40.2K

-71.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.94

728.34%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Hamar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Hamar

$847 35.6% 30.4% $197

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Hamar

$450 18.9% 73.2% $190

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Hamar

$390 16.4% 74.5% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Hamar

$178 7.5% 36.4% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Hamar

$311 13.1% 168% $195

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Hamar

$98 4.1% 4.6% $4.3

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Hamar

$107 4.5% 39.1% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $1,227 in Hamar. 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: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $125 in Hamar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $450 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇳🇴 Hamar

🕒 Local time

22:24 10:24 PM

21:24 9:24 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

33,059

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

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).

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).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Istanbul
Hamar

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

Istanbul vs Hamar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 254% lower in Hamar. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $1,227 in Hamar. 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, Istanbul and Hamar 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.