Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fribourg and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $3,310 in Fribourg, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Fribourg
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Fribourg Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Fribourg

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,310

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,310 per month in Fribourg vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Fribourg $3,310
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $4,866 per month in Fribourg vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Fribourg $4,866
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $6,423 per month in Fribourg vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Fribourg $6,423
Istanbul $3,281

Fribourg costs about 114% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Fribourg and Istanbul sit above the global median – Fribourg by 145%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.10 CHF 24.79

$12.30 ₺609

144.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 CHF 97.0

$54.7 ₺2,708

115.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.27 CHF 12.58

$9.22 ₺456

65.62%

Cappuccino

$6.14 CHF 5.06

$4.40 ₺218

39.55%

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

$4.89 CHF 4.03

$1.68 ₺83.1

191.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.12 CHF 4.22

$0.59 ₺29.40

767.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.18 CHF 5.91

$4.70 ₺233

52.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.45 CHF 5.31

$5.91 ₺292

9.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$1.21 ₺60.0

76.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 CHF 2.59

$0.89 ₺44.10

253.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 CHF 2.89

$2.19 ₺108

60.27%

Eggs

$7.23 CHF 5.96

$2.35 ₺116

207.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.79 CHF 19.60

$10.42 ₺516

128.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.77 CHF 20.40

$5.65 ₺280

338.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.43 CHF 30.01

$20.94 ₺1,037

73.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 CHF 2.90

$1.90 ₺94.1

85.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.39

$2.31 ₺114

-27.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 CHF 2.03

$1.28 ₺63.1

92.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.45 CHF 3.67

$1.80 ₺89.0

147.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 CHF 1.47

$0.65 ₺32.16

173.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 CHF 1.70

$0.64 ₺31.91

223.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 CHF 1.85

$1.25 ₺62.1

79.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 CHF 1.01

$0.56 ₺27.58

119.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 CHF 9.04

$2.37 ₺118

363.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 CHF 8.40

$13.42 ₺664

-23.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.45 CHF 2.84

$2.40 ₺119

43.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 CHF 1.92

$3.48 ₺172

-33.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.57 CHF 2.94

$0.89 ₺43.84

301.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.7 CHF 70.6

$67.4 ₺3,338

27.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.84 CHF 8.10

$1.29 ₺64.1

662.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.02 CHF 3.31

$0.92 ₺45.70

336.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$72.4 CHF 59.7

$10.96 ₺542

560.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 CHF 1.86

$1.47 ₺72.9

53.74%

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

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-17.89%

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

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-12.82%

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

$336 CHF 277

$88.6 ₺4,387

279.52%

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

$40.26 CHF 33.16

$11.59 ₺574

247.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.2 CHF 46.31

$15.81 ₺783

255.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.8 CHF 48.39

$77.2 ₺3,820

-23.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.82 CHF 24.56

$22.74 ₺1,126

31.13%

Cinema Ticket

$21.24 CHF 17.50

$8.14 ₺403

160.93%

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

$1,762 CHF 1,451

$1,008 ₺49.9K

74.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K CHF 29.5K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

40.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 CHF 83.0

$54.0 ₺2,671

86.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.0 CHF 46.97

$40.83 ₺2,021

39.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 131

$98.9 ₺4,895

61.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$189 CHF 156

$96.6 ₺4,783

95.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,570 CHF 1,293

$985 ₺48.7K

59.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,434 CHF 1,181

$650 ₺32.2K

120.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,450 CHF 2,018

$1,983 ₺98.2K

23.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,176 CHF 1,792

$1,180 ₺58.4K

84.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$20.6K CHF 16.9K

$3,138 ₺155.4K

555.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.3K

$1,780 ₺88.1K

671.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,808 CHF 5,607

$1,205 ₺59.7K

464.75%

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 Fribourg: 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

Fribourg

$1.4K 43.3%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 54.7% $784

Groceries & Markets

Fribourg

$536 16.2%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 51.5% $276

Eating Out

Fribourg

$449 13.6%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 50.3% $226

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fribourg

$433 13.1%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 73.2% $317

Clothing & Footwear

Fribourg

$228 6.9%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 42.6% $97

Getting Around

Fribourg

$130 3.9%

Istanbul

$77 5% 40.9% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Fribourg

$101 3.1%

Istanbul

$93 6% 7.7% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,570 in Fribourg 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 465% higher in Fribourg, 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 $118 in Fribourg versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $536 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Fribourg

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

13:33 1:33 PM

14:33 2:33 PM

1 h ahead of Fribourg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,485

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 →

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Between locations

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

From you

Fribourg
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

Fribourg vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fribourg costs about 114% 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 $4,965 per month in Fribourg 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.

Kindergarten costs $1,762 per month in Fribourg and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 106% more in Fribourg, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Fribourg at $3,310. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fribourg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Istanbul costs $1,550 versus $3,310 in Fribourg. 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, Fribourg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.