Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buchs and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $3,009 in Buchs, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Buchs
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Buchs Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Buchs

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,009

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,009 in Buchs versus $1,525 in Istanbul.

Buchs $3,009
Istanbul $1,525

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,535 in Buchs versus $2,390 in Istanbul.

Buchs $4,535
Istanbul $2,390

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,062 in Buchs versus $3,256 in Istanbul.

Buchs $6,062
Istanbul $3,256

Living in Buchs is roughly 97% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buchs 122% above, Istanbul 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.43 CHF 19.30

$11.96 ₺592

95.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 CHF 69.4

$57.2 ₺2,834

47.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.36 CHF 12.65

$9.51 ₺471

61.51%

Cappuccino

$4.71 CHF 3.88

$4.40 ₺218

7.05%

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

$3.77 CHF 3.10

$1.75 ₺86.6

115.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 CHF 2.63

$0.56 ₺27.57

471.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.13 CHF 5.04

$4.71 ₺233

30.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.39 CHF 4.44

$6.14 ₺304

-12.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 CHF 1.66

$1.24 ₺61.6

62.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 CHF 3.24

$0.95 ₺47.25

314.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.64 CHF 3.82

$2.28 ₺113

103.51%

Eggs

$7.32 CHF 6.03

$2.45 ₺121

198.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$32.21 CHF 26.53

$10.56 ₺523

205.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.51 CHF 15.24

$5.50 ₺272

236.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.47 CHF 26.74

$21.65 ₺1,072

49.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 CHF 2.91

$1.83 ₺90.6

92.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$2.29 ₺113

-6.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 CHF 2.59

$1.28 ₺63.4

145.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.70 CHF 5.52

$1.82 ₺90.1

268.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 CHF 1.46

$0.66 ₺32.74

169.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 CHF 2.10

$0.63 ₺31.14

303.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$1.27 ₺62.8

92.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 CHF 1.00

$0.56 ₺27.62

116.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.84 CHF 8.92

$2.36 ₺117

359.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 CHF 10.46

$12.98 ₺642

-2.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.28 CHF 2.70

$2.48 ₺123

32.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 CHF 3.22

$3.50 ₺174

11.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.17 CHF 4.25

$0.82 ₺40.77

530.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 CHF 4.42

$1.33 ₺65.7

303.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.46 CHF 2.85

$0.90 ₺44.60

284.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.2 CHF 50.4

$10.91 ₺540

460.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.83

$1.43 ₺70.7

55.94%

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

$42.5K CHF 35.0K

$49.6K ₺2.5M

-14.17%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$43.2K ₺2.1M

-8.38%

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

$184 CHF 152

$88.8 ₺4,395

107.73%

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

$31.24 CHF 25.73

$11.69 ₺579

167.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.2 CHF 55.4

$16.09 ₺797

317.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$15.20 CHF 12.52

$8.26 ₺409

84.02%

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

$611 CHF 503

$1,015 ₺50.2K

-39.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K CHF 17.0K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-20.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 CHF 88.0

$53.3 ₺2,636

100.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.70 CHF 19.52

$40.55 ₺2,008

-41.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 CHF 78.4

$100 ₺4,956

-4.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 CHF 140

$93.5 ₺4,630

81.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,828 CHF 1,505

$977 ₺48.4K

87.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 CHF 1,285

$627 ₺31.0K

148.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,690 CHF 2,216

$1,980 ₺98.0K

35.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,746 CHF 2,261

$1,147 ₺56.8K

139.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,480 CHF 6,984

$1,213 ₺60.1K

599.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.93

40.69

-95.26%

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

Last update for Buchs: October 18, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buchs

$1.6K 51.9%

Istanbul

$627 41.1% 59.8% $934

Groceries & Markets

Buchs

$555 18.4%

Istanbul

$263 17.2% 52.7% $292

Eating Out

Buchs

$359 11.9%

Istanbul

$222 14.6% 38.2% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buchs

$283 9.4%

Istanbul

$117 7.6% 58.8% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Buchs

$178 5.9%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 27.3% $49

Getting Around

Buchs

$43 * 1.4%

Istanbul

$74 4.9% 71.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Buchs

$30 * 1%

Istanbul

$93 6.1% 205% $62

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 $1,828 in Buchs and $977 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buchs pays 599% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $84.0 in Buchs vs $57.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $555 vs $263 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Buchs

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

23:18 11:18 PM

00:18 12:18 AM

1 h ahead of Buchs

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,187

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 →

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Between locations

Buchs Istanbul 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Buchs
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

Buchs vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buchs and Istanbul differ by about 97% in total monthly costs ($3,009 vs $1,525 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 599% higher in Buchs, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,828 in Buchs versus $977 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $611 in Buchs versus $1,015 in Istanbul. 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 $57.0 versus $84.0 in Buchs. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,525 in Istanbul versus $3,009 in Buchs, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Buchs. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul 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, Buchs and Istanbul 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 97% less than in Buchs. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.