Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Rapperswil

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,516 a month against $3,330 in Rapperswil, rent and utilities included – about $21,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
161

Cost of Living Index in Rapperswil
Learn more

Rapperswil Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Rapperswil

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,330

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Rapperswil

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

A single person spends $1,516 per month in Istanbul vs $3,330 in Rapperswil, rent included.

Istanbul $1,516
Rapperswil $3,330

A couple spends around $2,356 per month in Istanbul vs $5,029 in Rapperswil, rent included.

Istanbul $2,356
Rapperswil $5,029

A family of three spends $3,197 per month in Istanbul vs $6,729 in Rapperswil, rent included.

Istanbul $3,197
Rapperswil $6,729

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

Both Istanbul and Rapperswil sit above the global median – Istanbul by 11%, Rapperswil by 145%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 ₺577

$23.80 CHF 19.74

-51.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,725

$95.5 CHF 79.3

-42.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 ₺468

$16.02 CHF 13.29

-41.39%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₺211

$6.08 CHF 5.04

-30.43%

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

$1.72 ₺85.6

$4.70 CHF 3.90

-63.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₺28.26

$4.82 CHF 4.00

-88.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 ₺232

$8.65 CHF 7.17

-46.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 ₺341

$6.00 CHF 4.98

14.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺60.0

$2.14 CHF 1.78

-43.93%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₺46.97

$3.39 CHF 2.81

-72.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ₺112

$4.35 CHF 3.61

-48.51%

Eggs

$2.42 ₺121

$7.80 CHF 6.47

-68.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 ₺510

$26.76 CHF 22.20

-61.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.38 ₺268

$26.19 CHF 21.73

-79.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.19 ₺1,056

$40.71 CHF 33.77

-47.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₺94.3

$3.60 CHF 2.99

-47.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 ₺111

$2.15 CHF 1.79

3.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺62.7

$2.62 CHF 2.17

-51.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ₺90.0

$4.81 CHF 3.99

-62.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ₺34.84

$2.04 CHF 1.69

-65.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.13

$2.19 CHF 1.82

-70.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ₺60.9

$2.32 CHF 1.92

-47.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₺27.35

$1.37 CHF 1.14

-59.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₺116

$10.74 CHF 8.91

-78.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 ₺663

$13.18 CHF 10.94

0.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₺116

$2.25 CHF 1.87

3.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₺172

$3.44 CHF 2.86

0.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ₺45.18

$4.37 CHF 3.62

-79.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,306

$100.0 CHF 82.9

-33.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.2

$7.56 CHF 6.27

-82.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₺42.66

$4.97 CHF 4.13

-82.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺553

$88.3 CHF 73.3

-87.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₺70.8

$2.17 CHF 1.80

-34.56%

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

$49.2K ₺2.5M

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

24.33%

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

$42.8K ₺2.1M

$38.9K CHF 32.3K

10.09%

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

$87.7 ₺4,373

$237 CHF 196

-62.91%

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

$11.28 ₺562

$31.70 CHF 26.30

-64.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺792

$65.1 CHF 54.0

-75.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 ₺3,783

$88.7 CHF 73.6

-14.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,148

$45.22 CHF 37.52

-49.05%

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 ₺409

$21.76 CHF 18.05

-62.32%

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

$1,028 ₺51.2K

$2,879 CHF 2,389

-64.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K ₺1.3M

$43.7K CHF 36.3K

-40.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,658

$141 CHF 117

-62.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ₺1,978

$88.1 CHF 73.0

-54.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 ₺4,972

$149 CHF 124

-33.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,661

$174 CHF 144

-46.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 ₺50.0K

$1,769 CHF 1,468

-43.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₺31.3K

$1,478 CHF 1,226

-57.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 ₺97.8K

$2,984 CHF 2,475

-34.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺55.9K

$2,524 CHF 2,094

-55.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,075 ₺153.2K

$16.6K CHF 13.7K

-81.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 ₺87.3K

$12.6K CHF 10.5K

-86.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,180 ₺58.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

1.72

2265.70%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Last update for Rapperswil: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$628 41.5%

Rapperswil

$1.5K 44.4% 135% $850

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Rapperswil

$583 17.5% 126% $325

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.4%

Rapperswil

$405 12.2% 85.9% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Rapperswil

$248 7.5% 92.8% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$115 7.6%

Rapperswil

$333 10% 190% $219

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$92 6.1%

Rapperswil

$132 4% 43.2% $40

Getting Around

Istanbul

$76 5%

Rapperswil

$150 4.5% 98.4% $74

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,003 in Istanbul versus $1,769 in Rapperswil. 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 in Istanbul versus $96 in Rapperswil. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $583 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇨🇭 Rapperswil

🕒 Local time

23:18 11:18 PM

21:18 9:18 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

26,354

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 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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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Rapperswil 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Rapperswil

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 Rapperswil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rapperswil is pricier by about 120%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,274 per month in Istanbul and $4,995 in Rapperswil. 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 $1,003 there versus $1,769 in Rapperswil.

Kindergarten costs $1,028 per month in Istanbul and $2,879 in Rapperswil. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 126% more in Rapperswil, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,516 in Istanbul and $3,330 in Rapperswil. 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.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Istanbul is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 54% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.