Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Glarus

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $3,297 in Glarus, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 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
160

Cost of Living Index in Glarus
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Glarus Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Glarus

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Glarus

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $3,297 in Glarus, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Glarus $3,297

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $4,996 in Glarus, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Glarus $4,996

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $6,696 in Glarus, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Glarus $6,696

Istanbul is about 53% cheaper than Glarus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Glarus sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Glarus by 144%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$29.24 CHF 24.08

-57.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$122 CHF 100

-55.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$17.09 CHF 14.07

-46.05%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$5.88 CHF 4.84

-25.17%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$3.76 CHF 3.10

-55.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$3.82 CHF 3.15

-84.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$9.11 CHF 7.50

-48.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$6.26 CHF 5.15

-5.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$2.20 CHF 1.81

-45.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$3.14 CHF 2.58

-71.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.82 CHF 2.32

-22.34%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$7.70 CHF 6.34

-69.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$8.58 CHF 7.06

21.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$14.56 CHF 11.99

-61.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$37.65 CHF 31.01

-44.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.04 CHF 2.51

-37.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.55 CHF 1.27

49.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.40 CHF 1.98

-46.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$5.41 CHF 4.46

-66.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.64 CHF 1.35

-60.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.09 CHF 1.72

-69.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$2.19 CHF 1.80

-42.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.18 CHF 0.97

-52.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$11.00 CHF 9.06

-78.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$11.23 CHF 9.25

19.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.15 CHF 1.77

11.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.32 CHF 1.91

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$5.89 CHF 4.85

-84.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$221 CHF 182

-69.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$6.50 CHF 5.36

-80.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$4.71 CHF 3.88

-80.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$77.2 CHF 63.6

-85.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.18 CHF 1.79

-32.57%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$34.3K CHF 28.3K

47.97%

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

$311 CHF 256

-71.49%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$38.06 CHF 31.35

-69.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$53.5 CHF 44.03

-70.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$160 CHF 132

-51.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$41.77 CHF 34.40

-45.56%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$25.57 CHF 21.06

-68.17%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$2,254 CHF 1,857

-55.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$31.7K CHF 26.1K

-19.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$103 CHF 84.5

-47.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$41.84 CHF 34.46

-2.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$131 CHF 108

-24.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$96.4 CHF 79.4

0.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,676 CHF 1,380

-41.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$1,359 CHF 1,120

-52.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$2,950 CHF 2,430

-32.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$2,306 CHF 1,899

-48.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

2.1

1848.57%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Glarus: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Glarus

$1.4K 41.3% 109% $710

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Glarus

$438 13.3% 68.6% $178

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Glarus

$444 13.5% 98.9% $221

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Glarus

$167 5.1% 28.2% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Glarus

$402 12.2% 247% $286

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Glarus

$211 6.4% 126% $117

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Glarus

$274 8.3% 257% $198

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $1,676 in Glarus. 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 $122 in Glarus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $438 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇨🇭 Glarus

🕒 Local time

10:09 10:09 AM

09:09 9:09 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

12,500

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Istanbul
Glarus

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 Glarus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Glarus is pricier by about 113%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $4,945 in Glarus. 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.

Public transport costs about 227% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $2,254 in Glarus. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Glarus at $3,297. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Glarus 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, Glarus makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.