Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and La Chaux-de-Fonds

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,965 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
144

Cost of Living Index in La Chaux-de-Fonds
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La Chaux-de-Fonds Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

La Chaux-de-Fonds

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in La Chaux-de-Fonds

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 La Chaux-de-Fonds actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $2,965 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
La Chaux-de-Fonds $2,965

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $4,731 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
La Chaux-de-Fonds $4,731

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $6,498 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
La Chaux-de-Fonds $6,498

Istanbul is about 48% cheaper than La Chaux-de-Fonds, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and La Chaux-de-Fonds sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, La Chaux-de-Fonds by 120%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$24.06 CHF 19.81

-48.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$84.7 CHF 69.8

-35.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$18.02 CHF 14.84

-48.83%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$4.67 CHF 3.85

-5.78%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$3.55 CHF 2.93

-52.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$4.48 CHF 3.69

-86.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$7.26 CHF 5.98

-35.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$5.85 CHF 4.82

1.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$2.18 CHF 1.79

-44.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.97 CHF 2.45

-70.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$3.22 CHF 2.65

-31.99%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$7.74 CHF 6.37

-69.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$25.32 CHF 20.85

-58.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$26.73 CHF 22.01

-78.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$41.67 CHF 34.32

-49.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.66 CHF 3.01

-48.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.35 CHF 1.93

-1.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.93 CHF 2.41

-56.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$4.50 CHF 3.70

-60.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.66 CHF 1.37

-60.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.90 CHF 1.57

-66.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$2.24 CHF 1.85

-44.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.56 CHF 1.28

-64.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$10.96 CHF 9.03

-78.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$11.96 CHF 9.85

12.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.44 CHF 2.01

-1.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.00 CHF 2.47

16.00%

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

$98.1 CHF 80.8

-31.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$7.72 CHF 6.36

-83.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$4.46 CHF 3.68

-79.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$84.5 CHF 69.6

-87.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.35 CHF 1.94

-37.45%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$42.9K CHF 35.4K

18.33%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

12.62%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$291 CHF 239

-69.51%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$45.30 CHF 37.31

-74.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$64.5 CHF 53.1

-75.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$73.2 CHF 60.3

5.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$45.07 CHF 37.12

-49.55%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$22.43 CHF 18.47

-63.71%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$2,924 CHF 2,408

-65.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$20.1K CHF 16.6K

26.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$147 CHF 121

-63.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$79.1 CHF 65.1

-48.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$161 CHF 133

-38.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$197 CHF 162

-50.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,463 CHF 1,205

-32.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$1,079 CHF 889

-39.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$3,904 CHF 3,215

-49.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$2,324 CHF 1,914

-49.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$16.2K CHF 13.4K

-80.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$12.3K CHF 10.1K

-85.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$5,068 CHF 4,174

-76.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

2.42

1590.91%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for La Chaux-de-Fonds: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$1.1K 36.4% 66.1% $430

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$575 19.4% 122% $315

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$383 12.9% 71.4% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$263 8.9% 101% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$400 13.5% 245% $284

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$118 4% 26.3% $25

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$147 5% 90.8% $70

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $1,463 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. 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 320% higher in La Chaux-de-Fonds, 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 $85.0 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $575 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇨🇭 La Chaux-de-Fonds

🕒 Local time

15:37 3:37 PM

14:37 2:37 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

39,027

💱 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 La Chaux-de-Fonds 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
La Chaux-de-Fonds

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 La Chaux-de-Fonds: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – La Chaux-de-Fonds is pricier by about 91%, 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 $4,447 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. 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.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $2,924 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in La Chaux-de-Fonds at $2,965. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in La Chaux-de-Fonds 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, La Chaux-de-Fonds makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.