Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Olten

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $3,049 in Olten, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Olten
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Olten Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Olten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Olten

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $3,049 in Olten, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Olten $3,049

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $4,812 in Olten, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Olten $4,812

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $6,576 in Olten, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Olten $6,576

Istanbul is about 50% cheaper than Olten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Olten sit above the global median – Istanbul by 13%, Olten by 125%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$33.18 CHF 27.33

-63.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$122 CHF 100

-53.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$17.69 CHF 14.57

-46.24%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$6.29 CHF 5.18

-30.05%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$5.51 CHF 4.54

-68.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$5.21 CHF 4.29

-89.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$9.22 CHF 7.59

-48.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$7.52 CHF 6.19

-18.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$2.11 CHF 1.73

-41.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$3.87 CHF 3.19

-75.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$3.81 CHF 3.14

-40.16%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$8.37 CHF 6.90

-70.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$26.10 CHF 21.50

-59.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$26.77 CHF 22.05

-79.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$46.34 CHF 38.16

-53.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$4.02 CHF 3.31

-54.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.69 CHF 2.22

-14.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$2.97 CHF 2.45

-56.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$4.69 CHF 3.86

-61.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$2.49 CHF 2.05

-73.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$2.14 CHF 1.76

-70.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$2.55 CHF 2.10

-50.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$1.29 CHF 1.06

-56.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$10.85 CHF 8.93

-78.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$14.12 CHF 11.63

-8.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$2.79 CHF 2.30

-11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$3.25 CHF 2.68

7.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$5.30 CHF 4.37

-84.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$107 CHF 88.3

-39.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$8.39 CHF 6.91

-84.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$4.53 CHF 3.73

-80.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$90.2 CHF 74.3

-87.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-33.80%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

25.34%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

9.90%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$275 CHF 227

-67.76%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$32.97 CHF 27.15

-64.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$47.51 CHF 39.13

-66.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$80.2 CHF 66.1

-4.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$21.01 CHF 17.30

-60.69%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$3,608 CHF 2,971

-71.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

-38.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$143 CHF 118

-62.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$59.3 CHF 48.81

-31.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$167 CHF 137

-39.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$210 CHF 173

-55.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$1,210 CHF 997

-19.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$1,035 CHF 852

-39.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$1,968 CHF 1,621

0.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$1,948 CHF 1,605

-41.13%

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

$5,837 CHF 4,808

-79.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

2.07

1865.70%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Olten: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Olten

$1K 34% 65.1% $408

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Olten

$617 20.3% 135% $355

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Olten

$498 16.3% 124% $276

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Olten

$261 8.6% 102% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Olten

$356 11.7% 205% $239

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Olten

$122 4% 31.8% $29

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Olten

$160 5.2% 115% $85

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $1,210 in Olten. 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 381% higher in Olten, 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 $57.0 in Istanbul versus $122 in Olten. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $617 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇨🇭 Olten

🕒 Local time

20:46 8:46 PM

19:46 7:46 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

17,280

💱 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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Between locations

Istanbul Olten 1,820 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Olten

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 Olten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Olten is pricier by about 100%, 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 $4,573 in Olten. 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 $1,015 per month in Istanbul and $3,608 in Olten. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 135% more in Olten, 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 $1,525, than in Olten at $3,049. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Olten 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, Olten makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.