Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Buchs

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $3,009 in Buchs, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 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
146

Cost of Living Index in Buchs
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Buchs Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Buchs

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Buchs

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,525 in Istanbul versus $3,009 in Buchs.

Istanbul $1,525
Buchs $3,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,390 in Istanbul versus $4,535 in Buchs.

Istanbul $2,390
Buchs $4,535

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,256 in Istanbul versus $6,062 in Buchs.

Istanbul $3,256
Buchs $6,062

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 49% less than in Buchs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 13% above, Buchs 122% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$23.43 CHF 19.30

-48.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$84.3 CHF 69.4

-32.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$15.36 CHF 12.65

-38.09%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$4.71 CHF 3.88

-6.58%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$3.77 CHF 3.10

-53.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$3.20 CHF 2.63

-82.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$6.13 CHF 5.04

-23.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$5.39 CHF 4.44

13.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$2.01 CHF 1.66

-38.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$3.94 CHF 3.24

-75.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$4.64 CHF 3.82

-50.86%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$7.32 CHF 6.03

-66.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$32.21 CHF 26.53

-67.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$18.51 CHF 15.24

-70.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$32.47 CHF 26.74

-33.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$3.53 CHF 2.91

-48.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.14 CHF 1.76

7.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$3.14 CHF 2.59

-59.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$6.70 CHF 5.52

-72.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$1.78 CHF 1.46

-62.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$2.54 CHF 2.10

-75.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$2.44 CHF 2.01

-47.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$1.21 CHF 1.00

-53.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$10.84 CHF 8.92

-78.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$12.70 CHF 10.46

2.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$3.28 CHF 2.70

-24.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$3.91 CHF 3.22

-10.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$5.17 CHF 4.25

-84.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$5.36 CHF 4.42

-75.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$3.46 CHF 2.85

-73.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$61.2 CHF 50.4

-82.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$2.23 CHF 1.83

-35.87%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$42.5K CHF 35.0K

16.51%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

9.15%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$184 CHF 152

-51.86%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$31.24 CHF 25.73

-62.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$67.2 CHF 55.4

-76.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$15.20 CHF 12.52

-45.66%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$611 CHF 503

66.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$20.7K CHF 17.0K

25.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$107 CHF 88.0

-50.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$23.70 CHF 19.52

71.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$95.2 CHF 78.4

5.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$170 CHF 140

-44.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$1,828 CHF 1,505

-46.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$1,561 CHF 1,285

-59.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$2,690 CHF 2,216

-26.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$2,746 CHF 2,261

-58.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$8,480 CHF 6,984

-85.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

1.93

2008.29%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Buchs: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Buchs

$1.6K 51.9% 149% $934

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Buchs

$555 18.4% 111% $292

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Buchs

$359 11.9% 61.8% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Buchs

$178 5.9% 37.5% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Buchs

$283 9.4% 143% $166

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Buchs

$30 * 1% 67.2% $62

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Buchs

$43 * 1.4% 41.7% $31

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $977 in Istanbul and $1,828 in Buchs. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buchs pays 599% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $57.0 in Istanbul vs $84.0 in Buchs for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $263 vs $555 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇨🇭 Buchs

🕒 Local time

01:36 1:36 AM

00:36 12:36 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

12,187

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Istanbul
Buchs

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 Buchs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Buchs differ by about 97% in total monthly costs ($1,525 vs $3,009 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 599% lower in Buchs. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $977 in Istanbul versus $1,828 in Buchs. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,015 in Istanbul versus $611 in Buchs. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $57.0 versus $84.0 in Buchs. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,525 in Istanbul versus $3,009 in Buchs, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Buchs. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Buchs 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 97% less than in Buchs. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.