Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Meilen

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $3,372 in Meilen, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 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
163

Cost of Living Index in Meilen
Learn more

Meilen Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Meilen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Meilen

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $3,372 in Meilen, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Meilen $3,372

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $5,942 in Meilen, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Meilen $5,942

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $8,512 in Meilen, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Meilen $8,512

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

Both Istanbul and Meilen sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Meilen by 150%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$32.47 CHF 26.74

-62.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$122 CHF 101

-55.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$16.33 CHF 13.45

-43.54%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$6.31 CHF 5.19

-30.27%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$5.68 CHF 4.67

-70.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$5.01 CHF 4.13

-88.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$8.46 CHF 6.97

-44.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$8.29 CHF 6.83

-28.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$2.21 CHF 1.82

-45.25%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$3.27 CHF 2.69

-72.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$3.78 CHF 3.11

-42.06%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$7.49 CHF 6.17

-68.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$26.56 CHF 21.87

-60.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$25.69 CHF 21.16

-78.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$40.25 CHF 33.15

-47.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.42 CHF 2.82

-44.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.03 CHF 1.67

13.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.67 CHF 2.20

-52.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$4.58 CHF 3.77

-60.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.96 CHF 1.61

-66.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-70.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$2.32 CHF 1.91

-46.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.25 CHF 1.03

-55.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$11.03 CHF 9.09

-78.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$13.25 CHF 10.91

1.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.26 CHF 1.86

6.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.23 CHF 2.66

7.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$4.59 CHF 3.78

-80.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$96.8 CHF 79.7

-30.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$7.55 CHF 6.21

-82.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$4.50 CHF 3.71

-79.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$88.0 CHF 72.5

-87.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-34.96%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

31.32%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

12.97%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$235 CHF 194

-62.35%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$36.06 CHF 29.70

-67.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$65.3 CHF 53.8

-75.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$88.1 CHF 72.6

-12.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$44.50 CHF 36.65

-48.90%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$21.90 CHF 18.04

-62.83%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$2,816 CHF 2,319

-64.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$42.3K CHF 34.8K

-39.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$137 CHF 113

-60.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$59.2 CHF 48.77

-31.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$144 CHF 118

-31.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$174 CHF 143

-44.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,690 CHF 1,392

-41.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$1,471 CHF 1,211

-55.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$2,831 CHF 2,332

-29.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$4,065 CHF 3,348

-70.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$15.8K CHF 13.0K

-80.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$11.9K CHF 9,812

-85.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$8,259 CHF 6,802

-85.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

1.72

2279.07%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Meilen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Meilen

$1.5K 43.6% 126% $821

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Meilen

$570 16.9% 120% $311

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Meilen

$486 14.4% 118% $263

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Meilen

$231 6.9% 77.1% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Meilen

$337 10% 190% $221

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Meilen

$132 3.9% 41.2% $38

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Meilen

$145 4.3% 88.9% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $1,690 in Meilen. 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 585% higher in Meilen, 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 $122 in Meilen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $570 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇨🇭 Meilen

🕒 Local time

19:38 7:38 PM

18:38 6:38 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

13,515

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 17, 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 Meilen 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Meilen

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 Meilen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Meilen is pricier by about 118%, 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 $5,059 in Meilen. 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 $2,816 in Meilen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 120% more in Meilen, 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 Meilen at $3,372. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Meilen 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, Meilen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.