Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Brissago

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $3,504 in Brissago, rent and utilities included – about $23,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
166

Cost of Living Index in Brissago
Learn more

Brissago Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Brissago

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Brissago

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $3,504 in Brissago, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Brissago $3,504

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $5,141 in Brissago, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Brissago $5,141

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $6,777 in Brissago, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Brissago $6,777

Istanbul is about 56% cheaper than Brissago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Brissago sit above the global median – Istanbul by 13%, Brissago by 159%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺595

$29.38 CHF 24.32

-59.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,849

$123 CHF 102

-53.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺473

$15.55 CHF 12.87

-38.84%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺219

$6.77 CHF 5.61

-35.01%

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

$1.75 ₺87.1

$6.33 CHF 5.24

-72.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.72

$7.21 CHF 5.97

-92.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺234

$9.14 CHF 7.57

-48.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺306

$7.99 CHF 6.61

-23.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺62.0

$2.12 CHF 1.75

-41.51%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.50

$3.00 CHF 2.48

-68.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺114

$3.14 CHF 2.60

-27.39%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺122

$7.88 CHF 6.53

-68.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺526

$24.67 CHF 20.42

-57.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺274

$29.66 CHF 24.55

-81.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,078

$39.72 CHF 32.88

-45.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺91.1

$4.03 CHF 3.34

-54.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺114

$2.00 CHF 1.65

14.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.7

$2.76 CHF 2.28

-53.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.6

$4.76 CHF 3.94

-61.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.91

$1.66 CHF 1.37

-60.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.31

$2.07 CHF 1.72

-69.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺63.2

$2.30 CHF 1.90

-44.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.77

$1.35 CHF 1.12

-58.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$11.12 CHF 9.20

-78.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺646

$12.14 CHF 10.05

6.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$2.19 CHF 1.81

13.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$2.99 CHF 2.48

17.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.99

$4.69 CHF 3.88

-82.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,245

$92.5 CHF 76.6

-29.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺66.1

$8.06 CHF 6.67

-83.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.84

$4.57 CHF 3.79

-80.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺543

$108 CHF 89.0

-89.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺71.1

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-37.55%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

25.19%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$39.2K CHF 32.5K

10.15%

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

$88.8 ₺4,418

$279 CHF 231

-68.23%

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

$11.69 ₺582

$28.26 CHF 23.39

-58.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺801

$56.1 CHF 46.44

-71.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,796

$79.8 CHF 66.0

-4.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,131

$42.62 CHF 35.27

-46.69%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺411

$24.22 CHF 20.04

-65.90%

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

$1,015 ₺50.5K

$3,145 CHF 2,603

-67.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$30.8K CHF 25.5K

-16.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,650

$141 CHF 117

-62.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,018

$61.7 CHF 51.1

-34.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,982

$154 CHF 128

-35.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,655

$197 CHF 163

-52.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.6K

$1,807 CHF 1,496

-45.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.2K

$1,563 CHF 1,293

-59.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.6K

$2,635 CHF 2,181

-24.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺57.1K

$2,281 CHF 1,888

-49.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺154.1K

$18.9K CHF 15.6K

-83.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.9K

$10.9K CHF 9,050

-83.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

2.46

1554.07%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Brissago: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Brissago

$1.6K 44.6% 149% $936

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Brissago

$579 16.5% 121% $317

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Brissago

$479 13.7% 116% $257

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Brissago

$249 7.1% 92.6% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Brissago

$364 10.4% 212% $247

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Brissago

$128 3.7% 38.2% $35

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Brissago

$142 4.1% 91.3% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $1,807 in Brissago. 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 $57 in Istanbul versus $123 in Brissago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $579 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇨🇭 Brissago

🕒 Local time

04:32 4:32 AM

02:32 2:32 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

1,800

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.79 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 27, 2026: 1 USD = 49.77 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.73 TRY (100 TRY = 1.79 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 0.828 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.927 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Brissago 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Brissago

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 Brissago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,525 in Istanbul, $3,504 in Brissago – roughly 130% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $5,256 in Brissago. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $977 there versus $1,807 in Brissago.

Groceries cost about 121% more in Brissago, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in Istanbul and $123 in Brissago. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,525 in Istanbul and $3,504 in Brissago. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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.

For expats, Istanbul is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 130% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.