Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Biel and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,826 in Biel, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Biel
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Biel Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Biel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,826

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,826 per month in Biel vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Biel $2,826
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $4,452 per month in Biel vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Biel $4,452
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $6,078 per month in Biel vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Biel $6,078
Istanbul $3,281

Biel costs about 82% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Biel and Istanbul sit above the global median – Biel by 109%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.08 CHF 24.77

$12.30 ₺609

144.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 CHF 88.9

$54.7 ₺2,708

97.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.28 CHF 15.06

$9.22 ₺456

98.26%

Cappuccino

$6.07 CHF 5.00

$4.40 ₺218

37.95%

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

$5.17 CHF 4.26

$1.68 ₺83.1

207.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 CHF 3.40

$0.59 ₺29.40

600.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 CHF 6.40

$4.70 ₺233

65.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 CHF 4.04

$5.91 ₺292

-16.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 CHF 1.72

$1.21 ₺60.0

72.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 CHF 3.11

$0.89 ₺44.10

324.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.30 CHF 2.72

$2.19 ₺108

50.68%

Eggs

$7.19 CHF 5.92

$2.35 ₺116

205.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.93 CHF 18.06

$10.42 ₺516

110.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.12 CHF 22.34

$5.65 ₺280

380.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.83 CHF 31.98

$20.94 ₺1,037

85.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 CHF 2.52

$1.90 ₺94.1

61.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$2.31 ₺114

-11.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 CHF 2.02

$1.28 ₺63.1

92.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 CHF 2.55

$1.80 ₺89.0

72.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 CHF 1.21

$0.65 ₺32.16

126.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 CHF 1.49

$0.64 ₺31.91

182.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$1.25 ₺62.1

63.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 CHF 0.87

$0.56 ₺27.58

87.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.99 CHF 9.05

$2.37 ₺118

363.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.90 CHF 12.28

$13.42 ₺664

11.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 CHF 0.76

$2.40 ₺119

-61.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 CHF 1.46

$3.48 ₺172

-49.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.91 CHF 4.04

$0.89 ₺43.84

451.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.3 CHF 76.9

$67.4 ₺3,338

38.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.84 CHF 6.46

$1.29 ₺64.1

507.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.53 CHF 3.73

$0.92 ₺45.70

392.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.0 CHF 68.4

$10.96 ₺542

657.66%

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)

$41.7K CHF 34.4K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-17.85%

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

$34.8K CHF 28.7K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-21.77%

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

$137 CHF 113

$88.6 ₺4,387

55.10%

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

$35.74 CHF 29.43

$11.59 ₺574

208.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.2 CHF 41.30

$15.81 ₺783

217.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 CHF 63.6

$77.2 ₺3,820

0.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$21.92 CHF 18.05

$8.14 ₺403

169.29%

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

$2,620 CHF 2,158

$1,008 ₺49.9K

159.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.2K CHF 30.6K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

45.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 CHF 89.2

$54.0 ₺2,671

100.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.74 CHF 33.56

$40.83 ₺2,021

-0.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 CHF 112

$98.9 ₺4,895

37.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$219 CHF 180

$96.6 ₺4,783

126.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CHF 1,022

$985 ₺48.7K

25.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,120 CHF 922

$650 ₺32.2K

72.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,275 CHF 1,874

$1,983 ₺98.2K

14.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,035 CHF 1,676

$1,180 ₺58.4K

72.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,683 CHF 7,975

$3,138 ₺155.4K

208.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,818 CHF 6,439

$1,780 ₺88.1K

339.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,516 CHF 4,543

$1,205 ₺59.7K

357.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.68

40.92

-95.89%

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

Last update for Biel: October 12, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Biel

$1.1K 39.6%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 42% $470

Groceries & Markets

Biel

$538 19%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 51.7% $278

Eating Out

Biel

$454 16.1%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 50.8% $231

Clothing & Footwear

Biel

$227 8%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 42.4% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Biel

$223 7.9%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 48% $107

Getting Around

Biel

$143 5.1%

Istanbul

$77 5% 46.4% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Biel

$121 4.3%

Istanbul

$93 6% 22.8% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Biel 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 358% higher in Biel, 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 $108 in Biel versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $538 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Biel

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

06:23 6:23 AM

07:23 7:23 AM

1 h ahead of Biel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,378

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 20, 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 20, 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

Biel Istanbul 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Biel
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

Biel vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Biel is pricier by about 82%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,240 per month in Biel 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 38% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,620 per month in Biel 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 Biel at $2,826. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Biel it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Istanbul – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Biel makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.