Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Hamra

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamra: $979 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Hamra
Learn more

Hamra Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Hamra

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Hamra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $979 in Hamra.

Istanbul $1,519
Hamra $979

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $1,584 in Hamra.

Istanbul $2,365
Hamra $1,584

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $2,189 in Hamra.

Istanbul $3,212
Hamra $2,189

Living in Istanbul is roughly 55% more expensive than in Hamra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 12% above, Hamra is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$12.03 LBP 1.1M

-1.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$69.9 LBP 6.3M

-21.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$9.98 LBP 893.0K

-7.21%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$4.48 LBP 401.1K

-4.02%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.39 LBP 214.1K

-25.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.84 LBP 75.0K

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$4.90 LBP 438.1K

-4.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$4.87 LBP 436.2K

46.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.98 LBP 176.9K

-36.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.92 LBP 82.6K

-4.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.23 LBP 199.3K

-1.35%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.62 LBP 323.8K

-32.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$11.26 LBP 1.0M

-6.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$10.45 LBP 935.1K

-49.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$14.83 LBP 1.3M

42.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$3.11 LBP 278.3K

-40.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.66 LBP 148.2K

38.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.63 LBP 145.7K

-25.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.54 LBP 137.9K

16.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.26 LBP 113.1K

-45.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.55 LBP 139.1K

-58.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.22 LBP 109.2K

11.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.72 LBP 64.3K

-19.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.96 LBP 264.6K

-20.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$10.80 LBP 967.0K

20.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.32 LBP 118.1K

78.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.47 LBP 220.7K

34.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$4.99 LBP 446.3K

-74.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$2.29 LBP 204.5K

-62.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$22.59 LBP 2.0M

-50.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.09 LBP 97.4K

35.78%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$52.6K LBP 4.7B

-7.51%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$32.9K LBP 2.9B

27.68%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$210 LBP 18.8M

-55.88%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$23.48 LBP 2.1M

-52.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$38.34 LBP 3.4M

-58.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$9.96 LBP 891.0K

-19.18%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$686 LBP 61.4M

38.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$10.6K LBP 949.0M

248.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$68.4 LBP 6.1M

-21.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$48.64 LBP 4.4M

-14.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$136 LBP 12.2M

-26.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$118 LBP 10.6M

-22.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

267.45%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hamra: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Hamra

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Hamra

$276 28.2% 6.9% $18

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Hamra

$227 23.2% 2.8% $6.1

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Hamra

$167 17.1% 29.3% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Hamra

$272 27.8% 127% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Hamra

$20 * 2% 78.1% $71

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Hamra

$16 * 1.7% 78.2% $59

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $70 in Hamra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $276 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇧 Hamra

🕒 Local time

11:45 11:45 AM

10:45 10:45 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

1,251,739

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.95 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,517 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.95 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Hamra 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Hamra

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 Hamra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,519 in Istanbul and $979 in Hamra, so Hamra is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,278 in Istanbul and $1,468 in Hamra 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.

Childcare runs $948 in Istanbul versus $686 in Hamra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55 versus $70 in Hamra. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $979 in Hamra versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Hamra but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Hamra 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.