Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Arbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $3,464 in Arbon, rent and utilities included – about $23,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
167

Cost of Living Index in Arbon
Learn more

Arbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Arbon

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,464

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Arbon

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 Arbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $3,464 in Arbon, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Arbon $3,464

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $5,192 in Arbon, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Arbon $5,192

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $6,920 in Arbon, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Arbon $6,920

Istanbul is about 55% cheaper than Arbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Arbon sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Arbon by 157%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$29.53 CHF 24.33

-58.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$144 CHF 118

-61.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$18.95 CHF 15.61

-51.35%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$6.11 CHF 5.03

-27.99%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$5.74 CHF 4.73

-70.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$5.09 CHF 4.19

-88.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$9.00 CHF 7.42

-47.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$6.17 CHF 5.08

-4.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-43.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$3.15 CHF 2.60

-71.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$3.79 CHF 3.12

-42.22%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$7.88 CHF 6.49

-70.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$25.14 CHF 20.71

-58.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$28.42 CHF 23.41

-80.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$41.09 CHF 33.84

-49.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.42 CHF 2.82

-44.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.00 CHF 1.65

15.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.39 CHF 1.97

-46.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$5.28 CHF 4.35

-65.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$2.04 CHF 1.68

-68.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.19 CHF 1.80

-70.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$2.28 CHF 1.88

-45.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.22 CHF 1.01

-54.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$10.64 CHF 8.77

-77.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$16.47 CHF 13.57

-18.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.12 CHF 1.75

13.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.25 CHF 1.85

54.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$4.81 CHF 3.96

-81.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$96.0 CHF 79.1

-29.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$6.50 CHF 5.35

-80.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$4.73 CHF 3.89

-80.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$36.17 CHF 29.79

-69.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-35.81%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$34.5K CHF 28.4K

47.42%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

13.34%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$275 CHF 227

-67.82%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$38.11 CHF 31.39

-69.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$54.4 CHF 44.78

-70.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$90.0 CHF 74.1

-14.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$39.06 CHF 32.17

-41.78%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$23.43 CHF 19.29

-65.26%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$2,250 CHF 1,853

-55.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$31.3K CHF 25.8K

-18.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$143 CHF 118

-62.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$65.1 CHF 53.6

-37.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$143 CHF 118

-31.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$177 CHF 146

-45.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,561 CHF 1,286

-36.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$1,521 CHF 1,253

-57.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$2,904 CHF 2,392

-31.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$2,322 CHF 1,912

-49.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$13.9K CHF 11.5K

-77.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

-86.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$11.1K CHF 9,124

-89.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

1.9

2053.68%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Arbon: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Arbon

$1.5K 43.9% 134% $871

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Arbon

$588 17% 127% $328

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Arbon

$467 13.5% 109% $244

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Arbon

$238 6.9% 82.2% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Arbon

$368 10.6% 217% $252

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Arbon

$137 4% 46.5% $43

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Arbon

$145 4.2% 89.2% $69

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $1,561 in Arbon. 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 819% higher in Arbon, 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $144 in Arbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $588 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇨🇭 Arbon

🕒 Local time

15:25 3:25 PM

14:25 2:25 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

15,853

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Arbon 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Arbon

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 Arbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul, $3,464 in Arbon – roughly 124% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $5,197 in Arbon. 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 $3,464 in Arbon. That's a gap of about 124%.

Public transport costs about 42% 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 Arbon at $3,464. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,550 in Istanbul to $3,464 in Arbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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