Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Altstätten

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $3,362 in Altstätten, rent and utilities included – about $21,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
165

Cost of Living Index in Altstätten
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Altstätten Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Altstätten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,362

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Altstätten

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Istanbul and in Altstätten actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $3,362 in Altstätten, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Altstätten $3,362

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $5,134 in Altstätten, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Altstätten $5,134

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $6,905 in Altstätten, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Altstätten $6,905

Istanbul is about 54% cheaper than Altstätten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Altstätten sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Altstätten by 149%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$29.51 CHF 24.30

-58.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$118 CHF 97.2

-53.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$17.80 CHF 14.66

-48.20%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$5.94 CHF 4.89

-25.93%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$5.13 CHF 4.22

-67.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$4.86 CHF 4.01

-87.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$9.25 CHF 7.62

-49.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$7.32 CHF 6.03

-19.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$2.19 CHF 1.80

-44.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$3.56 CHF 2.93

-75.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$3.68 CHF 3.03

-40.49%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$7.71 CHF 6.35

-69.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$25.63 CHF 21.11

-59.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$28.49 CHF 23.47

-80.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$40.80 CHF 33.60

-48.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.60 CHF 2.96

-47.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.03 CHF 1.67

13.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.68 CHF 2.21

-52.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$4.75 CHF 3.91

-62.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.84 CHF 1.52

-64.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.10 CHF 1.73

-69.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$2.22 CHF 1.83

-43.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.29 CHF 1.07

-56.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$10.72 CHF 8.83

-77.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$12.90 CHF 10.63

4.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.82 CHF 2.32

-14.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.11 CHF 2.56

11.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$4.63 CHF 3.81

-80.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$100 CHF 82.7

-32.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$7.47 CHF 6.15

-82.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$4.66 CHF 3.84

-80.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$74.3 CHF 61.2

-85.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.24 CHF 1.84

-34.38%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$40.5K CHF 33.4K

25.33%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

12.51%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$277 CHF 228

-68.00%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$32.44 CHF 26.72

-64.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$55.8 CHF 45.95

-71.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$91.5 CHF 75.4

-15.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$44.93 CHF 37.01

-49.39%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$22.65 CHF 18.66

-64.06%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$2,646 CHF 2,179

-61.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$34.1K CHF 28.1K

-25.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$143 CHF 118

-62.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$57.4 CHF 47.30

-28.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$149 CHF 123

-33.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$185 CHF 152

-47.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,668 CHF 1,374

-40.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$1,419 CHF 1,168

-54.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$2,868 CHF 2,362

-30.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$2,429 CHF 2,000

-51.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$15.7K CHF 12.9K

-80.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$12.2K CHF 10.0K

-85.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

2.07

1876.81%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Altstätten: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Altstätten

$1.4K 42.2% 118% $769

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Altstätten

$590 17.5% 127% $330

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Altstätten

$462 13.7% 107% $238

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Altstätten

$241 7.2% 84.2% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Altstätten

$365 10.9% 215% $249

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Altstätten

$137 4.1% 46.4% $43

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Altstätten

$150 4.5% 94.7% $73

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $1,668 in Altstätten. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $118 in Altstätten. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $590 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇨🇭 Altstätten

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

06:22 6:22 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

11,145

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

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).

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).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Istanbul
Altstätten

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

Istanbul vs Altstätten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Altstätten is pricier by about 117%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $5,043 in Altstätten. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,550 in Istanbul and $3,362 in Altstätten. That's a gap of about 117%.

Public transport costs about 49% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Altstätten at $3,362. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Altstätten 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, Altstätten makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.