Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cham and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $3,527 in Cham, rent and utilities included – about $24,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

171

Cost of Living Index in Cham
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Cham Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Cham

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,527

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,527 in Cham versus $1,525 in Istanbul.

Cham $3,527
Istanbul $1,525

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,432 in Cham versus $2,390 in Istanbul.

Cham $5,432
Istanbul $2,390

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,337 in Cham versus $3,256 in Istanbul.

Cham $7,337
Istanbul $3,256

Living in Cham is roughly 131% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cham 160% above, Istanbul 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.40 CHF 25.04

$11.96 ₺592

154.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 101

$57.2 ₺2,834

113.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.19 CHF 14.98

$9.51 ₺471

91.27%

Cappuccino

$6.17 CHF 5.09

$4.40 ₺218

40.23%

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

$5.52 CHF 4.55

$1.75 ₺86.6

215.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.81 CHF 3.96

$0.56 ₺27.57

758.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.62 CHF 7.10

$4.71 ₺233

83.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 CHF 5.44

$6.14 ₺304

7.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$1.24 ₺61.6

72.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.80 CHF 3.13

$0.95 ₺47.25

300.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.86 CHF 3.18

$2.28 ₺113

69.30%

Eggs

$7.26 CHF 5.98

$2.45 ₺121

196.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.70 CHF 21.99

$10.56 ₺523

152.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.37 CHF 23.37

$5.50 ₺272

415.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.48 CHF 34.98

$21.65 ₺1,072

96.21%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 CHF 3.48

$1.83 ₺90.6

130.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 CHF 1.75

$2.29 ₺113

-7.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.28 CHF 2.70

$1.28 ₺63.4

156.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 CHF 3.78

$1.82 ₺90.1

152.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.42 CHF 1.99

$0.66 ₺32.74

266.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$0.63 ₺31.14

242.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 CHF 2.03

$1.27 ₺62.8

93.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 CHF 0.95

$0.56 ₺27.62

107.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 CHF 9.05

$2.36 ₺117

365.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.73 CHF 10.48

$12.98 ₺642

-1.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 CHF 2.29

$2.48 ₺123

12.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 CHF 2.59

$3.50 ₺174

-10.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.95 CHF 4.08

$0.82 ₺40.77

503.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$149 CHF 122

$65.2 ₺3,228

128.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 CHF 4.36

$1.33 ₺65.7

297.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.40 CHF 2.80

$0.90 ₺44.60

277.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.7 CHF 50.8

$10.91 ₺540

465.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 CHF 1.91

$1.43 ₺70.7

62.24%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

$49.6K ₺2.5M

-21.26%

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

$39.1K CHF 32.2K

$43.2K ₺2.1M

-9.57%

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

$279 CHF 230

$88.8 ₺4,395

214.28%

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

$30.94 CHF 25.48

$11.69 ₺579

164.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.9 CHF 46.04

$16.09 ₺797

247.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.5 CHF 74.5

$76.3 ₺3,776

18.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$49.67 CHF 40.90

$22.72 ₺1,125

118.62%

Cinema Ticket

$25.71 CHF 21.18

$8.26 ₺409

211.26%

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

$1,791 CHF 1,475

$1,015 ₺50.2K

76.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.2K CHF 26.5K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

24.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 118

$53.3 ₺2,636

169.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.7 CHF 48.31

$40.55 ₺2,008

44.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$168 CHF 138

$100 ₺4,956

67.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 CHF 208

$93.5 ₺4,630

169.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,739 CHF 1,432

$977 ₺48.4K

77.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,475 CHF 1,214

$627 ₺31.0K

135.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,977 CHF 2,452

$1,980 ₺98.0K

50.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,600 CHF 2,142

$1,147 ₺56.8K

126.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.9K CHF 13.9K

$3,095 ₺153.2K

444.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.3K CHF 10.9K

$1,787 ₺88.5K

643.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.07

40.69

-94.91%

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

Last update for Cham: October 19, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cham

$1.5K 41.8%

Istanbul

$627 41.1% 57.5% $848

Groceries & Markets

Cham

$604 17.1%

Istanbul

$263 17.2% 56.5% $341

Eating Out

Cham

$470 13.3%

Istanbul

$222 14.6% 52.7% $247

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cham

$366 10.4%

Istanbul

$117 7.6% 68.1% $249

Clothing & Footwear

Cham

$280 7.9%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 53.8% $151

Getting Around

Cham

$191 5.4%

Istanbul

$74 4.9% 61% $116

Sport & Entertainment

Cham

$142 4%

Istanbul

$93 6.1% 34.6% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,739 in Cham and $977 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $122 in Cham vs $57.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $604 vs $263 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Cham

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

23:44 11:44 PM

00:44 12:44 AM

1 h ahead of Cham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,060

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

Cham Istanbul 1,770 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cham
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

Cham vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 131% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $5,290 in Cham and $2,287 in Istanbul 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: $1,739 in Cham versus $977 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,791 in Cham versus $1,015 in Istanbul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 130% higher in Cham. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,525 in Istanbul versus $3,527 in Cham, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Cham. 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 Cham, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cham 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 131% less than in Cham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.