Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Hamrun

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.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Hamrun
Learn more

Hamrun Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Hamrun

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,670

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Hamrun

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

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

Istanbul $1,550
Hamrun $1,670

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

Istanbul $2,415
Hamrun $2,558

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

Istanbul $3,281
Hamrun $3,445

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 7% less than in Hamrun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$12.76 €11.35

-3.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$55.7 €49.50

-1.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$8.69 €7.73

6.10%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.99 €1.77

121.11%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.00 €1.78

-16.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.36 €1.21

-56.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.91 €1.70

146.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.26 €2.01

161.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.27 €1.13

-4.72%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.32 €1.17

-32.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$4.26 €3.79

-48.59%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$4.36 €3.87

-46.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$8.38 €7.45

24.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$10.25 €9.12

-44.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$18.10 €16.10

15.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$4.05 €3.60

-53.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.71 €2.41

-14.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.54 €3.15

-63.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.43 €3.05

-47.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$2.42 €2.15

-73.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.96 €1.74

-67.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$2.26 €2.01

-44.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.35 €1.20

-58.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.58 €5.85

-63.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.91 €7.03

69.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.74 €1.55

37.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.41 €2.14

44.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$2.47 €2.19

-63.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.54 €4.92

-76.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.29 €2.03

-59.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$27.03 €24.04

-59.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.52 €1.35

-3.29%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$37.4K €33.3K

35.71%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$38.5K €34.2K

15.79%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$101 €89.7

-12.13%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$25.10 €22.33

-53.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$27.69 €24.63

-42.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$61.2 €54.4

26.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$9.86 €8.77

-17.44%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$363 €323

177.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$11.3K €10.0K

126.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$88.6 €78.8

-39.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$41.07 €36.53

-0.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$100.0 €88.9

-1.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$78.0 €69.4

23.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$834 €742

18.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$767 €682

-15.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,564 €1,391

26.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,333 €1,185

-11.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$3,965 €3,527

-20.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,772 €2,465

-35.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

2.9

1311.03%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Hamrun: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Hamrun

$767 45.9% 18% $117

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Hamrun

$325 19.4% 25% $65

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Hamrun

$180 10.8% 19.6% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Hamrun

$138 8.3% 6% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Hamrun

$154 9.2% 32.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Hamrun

$81 4.8% 13.4% $13

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Hamrun

$27 * 1.6% 65.1% $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 $985 in Istanbul and $834 in Hamrun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇹 Hamrun

🕒 Local time

20:59 8:59 PM

19:59 7:59 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

9,000

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

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

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Hamrun 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Hamrun

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 Hamrun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,325 in Istanbul and $2,506 in Hamrun 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $834 in Hamrun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Hamrun. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,550 per month in Istanbul versus $1,670 in Hamrun – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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.

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.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Hamrun 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 8% less than in Hamrun. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.