Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Hamm

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

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Hamm
Learn more

Hamm Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Hamm

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,481

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Hamm

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 Hamm actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Istanbul $1,550
Hamm $1,481

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

Istanbul $2,415
Hamm $2,219

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

Istanbul $3,281
Hamm $2,957

Living in Istanbul is roughly 5% more expensive than in Hamm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$13.40 €11.92

-8.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$66.0 €58.7

-17.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$18.02 €16.03

-48.83%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$4.49 €4.00

-2.00%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.83 €2.51

-40.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$2.38 €2.11

-75.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.77 €2.46

69.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.84 €3.41

53.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.24 €1.10

-2.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.10 €1.87

-57.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$3.92 €3.48

-44.13%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.41 €3.03

-31.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$14.30 €12.72

-27.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$10.69 €9.50

-47.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$25.33 €22.53

-17.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.43 €3.05

-44.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.24 €1.99

3.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.38 €2.12

-46.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$4.26 €3.79

-57.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.48 €1.32

-56.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.16 €1.03

-44.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.73 €1.54

-27.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.00 €0.89

-44.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$9.17 €8.16

-74.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$6.82 €6.07

96.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.11 €0.98

116.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.33 €1.18

161.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.05 €2.72

-70.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$60.8 €54.1

10.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.11 €4.55

-74.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.29 €2.04

-59.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$33.12 €29.46

-66.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.08 €1.85

-29.33%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$32.4K €28.8K

56.73%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$38.5K €34.3K

15.53%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$468 €416

-81.05%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$25.27 €22.48

-54.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$40.90 €36.38

-61.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$27.40 €24.38

181.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$13.51 €12.02

-39.75%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$164 €146

514.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$25.3K €22.5K

1.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$95.2 €84.7

-43.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$49.25 €43.81

-17.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$110 €97.4

-9.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$195 €174

-50.48%

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)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$2,045 €1,819

-41.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.96

933.33%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Hamm: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Hamm

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Hamm

$344 23.2% 32.4% $84

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Hamm

$258 17.4% 15.3% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Hamm

$202 13.6% 54.7% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Hamm

$534 36% 360% $418

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Hamm

$54 3.7% 41.7% $39

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Hamm

$90 6.1% 16.5% $13

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

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇩🇪 Hamm

🕒 Local time

18:54 6:54 PM

17:54 5:54 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

180,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

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Between locations

Istanbul Hamm 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Hamm

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 Hamm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 70% lower in Hamm. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $164 in Hamm. 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, Istanbul and Hamm 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.