Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Lancy

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $3,280 in Lancy, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
164

Cost of Living Index in Lancy
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Lancy Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Lancy

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,280

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Lancy

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $3,280 in Lancy, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Lancy $3,280

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $5,151 in Lancy, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Lancy $5,151

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $7,023 in Lancy, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Lancy $7,023

Istanbul is about 54% cheaper than Lancy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Lancy sit above the global median – Istanbul by 13%, Lancy by 142%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺595

$28.74 CHF 23.68

-58.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,847

$124 CHF 102

-53.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺473

$15.64 CHF 12.89

-39.19%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺219

$6.32 CHF 5.20

-30.38%

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

$1.75 ₺87.0

$4.56 CHF 3.76

-61.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.70

$4.01 CHF 3.30

-86.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺234

$9.28 CHF 7.64

-49.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺305

$7.72 CHF 6.36

-20.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.9

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-44.39%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.47

$2.90 CHF 2.39

-67.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺114

$3.13 CHF 2.57

-27.16%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺122

$7.57 CHF 6.24

-67.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺525

$24.10 CHF 19.85

-56.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺274

$29.41 CHF 24.23

-81.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,077

$39.04 CHF 32.16

-44.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺91.0

$3.54 CHF 2.92

-48.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺114

$1.65 CHF 1.36

38.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.7

$2.74 CHF 2.25

-53.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.5

$4.76 CHF 3.92

-61.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.89

$1.58 CHF 1.30

-58.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.28

$2.05 CHF 1.69

-69.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺63.1

$2.21 CHF 1.82

-42.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.75

$1.35 CHF 1.12

-58.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$10.84 CHF 8.93

-78.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺645

$12.17 CHF 10.03

6.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$2.17 CHF 1.79

14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$2.91 CHF 2.40

20.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.96

$3.90 CHF 3.21

-78.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,243

$94.7 CHF 78.0

-31.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺66.0

$7.73 CHF 6.37

-82.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.81

$3.78 CHF 3.12

-76.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺542

$64.6 CHF 53.2

-83.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺71.0

$2.33 CHF 1.92

-38.63%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$38.8K CHF 31.9K

27.85%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

9.23%

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

$88.8 ₺4,415

$276 CHF 227

-67.83%

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

$11.69 ₺582

$27.82 CHF 22.92

-57.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺800

$55.1 CHF 45.42

-70.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,793

$90.5 CHF 74.5

-15.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,130

$46.39 CHF 38.22

-51.02%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺411

$24.28 CHF 20.00

-65.98%

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

$1,015 ₺50.5K

$2,430 CHF 2,002

-58.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$30.3K CHF 25.0K

-14.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,648

$135 CHF 111

-60.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,017

$61.0 CHF 50.2

-33.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,979

$158 CHF 130

-36.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,652

$188 CHF 154

-50.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.6K

$1,798 CHF 1,481

-45.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.2K

$1,384 CHF 1,140

-54.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.5K

$2,926 CHF 2,410

-32.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺57.0K

$2,610 CHF 2,150

-56.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺154.0K

$17.9K CHF 14.7K

-82.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.9K

$11.4K CHF 9,367

-84.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

1.98

1955.05%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lancy: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Lancy

$1.4K 42.2% 121% $757

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Lancy

$568 17.3% 116% $305

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Lancy

$449 13.7% 102% $227

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Lancy

$244 7.4% 88.4% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Lancy

$359 10.9% 208% $242

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Lancy

$139 4.2% 49.8% $46

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Lancy

$137 4.2% 84.2% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $1,798 in Lancy. 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 $124 in Lancy. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $568 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇨🇭 Lancy

🕒 Local time

12:12 12:12 PM

10:12 10:12 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

10,919

💱 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 49.74 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.8 TRY (100 TRY = 1.79 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.924 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Lancy 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Lancy

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 Lancy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lancy is pricier by about 115%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $4,919 in Lancy. 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 $1,798 in Lancy.

Kindergarten costs $1,015 per month in Istanbul and $2,430 in Lancy. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 116% more in Lancy, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,525 in Istanbul and $3,280 in Lancy. 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.

For expats, Istanbul is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 115% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.