Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aarau and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,794 in Aarau, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

135

Cost of Living Index in Aarau
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Aarau Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Aarau

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,794

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,794 per month in Aarau vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Aarau $2,794
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $4,568 per month in Aarau vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Aarau $4,568
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $6,342 per month in Aarau vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Aarau $6,342
Istanbul $3,281

Aarau costs about 80% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Aarau and Istanbul sit above the global median – Aarau by 107%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.07 CHF 23.94

$12.30 ₺609

136.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 CHF 87.6

$54.7 ₺2,708

94.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.63 CHF 14.52

$9.22 ₺456

91.21%

Cappuccino

$5.80 CHF 4.78

$4.40 ₺218

31.82%

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

$5.22 CHF 4.30

$1.68 ₺83.1

210.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 CHF 3.87

$0.59 ₺29.40

696.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.15 CHF 5.06

$4.70 ₺233

30.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 CHF 5.44

$5.91 ₺292

11.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 CHF 1.69

$1.21 ₺60.0

69.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 CHF 2.98

$0.89 ₺44.10

306.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 CHF 2.13

$2.19 ₺108

18.26%

Eggs

$7.22 CHF 5.95

$2.35 ₺116

207.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$30.30 CHF 24.96

$10.42 ₺516

190.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.34 CHF 24.16

$5.65 ₺280

419.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.30 CHF 33.19

$20.94 ₺1,037

92.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 CHF 2.38

$1.90 ₺94.1

52.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 CHF 1.46

$2.31 ₺114

-22.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$1.28 ₺63.1

90.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.50 CHF 4.53

$1.80 ₺89.0

205.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 CHF 1.37

$0.65 ₺32.16

155.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 CHF 1.61

$0.64 ₺31.91

206.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 CHF 1.87

$1.25 ₺62.1

82.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 CHF 0.98

$0.56 ₺27.58

112.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.86 CHF 8.94

$2.37 ₺118

358.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.21 CHF 8.41

$13.42 ₺664

-23.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 CHF 2.05

$2.40 ₺119

3.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 CHF 2.36

$3.48 ₺172

-17.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.11 CHF 4.20

$0.89 ₺43.84

474.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$146 CHF 120

$67.4 ₺3,338

116.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.84 CHF 5.64

$1.29 ₺64.1

430.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.32 CHF 2.74

$0.92 ₺45.70

260.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.8 CHF 48.45

$10.96 ₺542

436.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.83

$1.47 ₺72.9

51.02%

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

$42.9K CHF 35.4K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-15.48%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-11.79%

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

$120 CHF 98.9

$88.6 ₺4,387

35.54%

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

$30.84 CHF 25.40

$11.59 ₺574

166.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 CHF 45.84

$15.81 ₺783

251.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$97.9 CHF 80.6

$77.2 ₺3,820

26.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$59.6 CHF 49.04

$22.74 ₺1,126

161.87%

Cinema Ticket

$21.42 CHF 17.64

$8.14 ₺403

163.14%

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

$3,152 CHF 2,596

$1,008 ₺49.9K

212.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.4K CHF 26.7K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

26.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 CHF 73.0

$54.0 ₺2,671

64.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.6 CHF 58.2

$40.83 ₺2,021

72.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 CHF 90.1

$98.9 ₺4,895

10.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$169 CHF 140

$96.6 ₺4,783

75.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 CHF 1,052

$985 ₺48.7K

29.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 CHF 851

$650 ₺32.2K

58.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,290 CHF 1,886

$1,983 ₺98.2K

15.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,114 CHF 1,742

$1,180 ₺58.4K

79.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K CHF 9,759

$1,780 ₺88.1K

565.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,801 CHF 5,601

$1,205 ₺59.7K

464.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.31

40.92

-94.35%

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

Last update for Aarau: October 10, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aarau

$1K 37%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 37.1% $383

Groceries & Markets

Aarau

$588 21%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 55.8% $328

Eating Out

Aarau

$439 15.7%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 49.1% $215

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aarau

$207 7.4%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 43.8% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Aarau

$197 7.1%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 33.8% $67

Getting Around

Aarau

$190 6.8%

Istanbul

$77 5% 59.5% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Aarau

$141 5%

Istanbul

$93 6% 33.6% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,277 in Aarau versus $985 in Istanbul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 464% higher in Aarau, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $106 in Aarau versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $588 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Aarau

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

02:08 2:08 AM

03:08 3:08 AM

1 h ahead of Aarau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,191

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Aarau Istanbul 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Aarau
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

Aarau vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aarau costs about 80% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,191 per month in Aarau and $2,325 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Istanbul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 117% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $3,152 per month in Aarau and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Aarau at $2,794. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aarau it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Istanbul costs $1,550 versus $2,794 in Aarau. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Aarau makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.