Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Schaffhausen

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $3,125 in Schaffhausen, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 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
152

Cost of Living Index in Schaffhausen
Learn more

Schaffhausen Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Schaffhausen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,125

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Schaffhausen

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $3,125 in Schaffhausen, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Schaffhausen $3,125

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $5,038 in Schaffhausen, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Schaffhausen $5,038

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $6,951 in Schaffhausen, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Schaffhausen $6,951

Istanbul is about 51% cheaper than Schaffhausen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Schaffhausen sit above the global median – Istanbul by 13%, Schaffhausen by 131%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$29.70 CHF 24.46

-59.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$123 CHF 101

-53.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$18.03 CHF 14.85

-47.25%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$5.64 CHF 4.65

-21.99%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$5.52 CHF 4.55

-68.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$4.78 CHF 3.94

-88.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$8.22 CHF 6.77

-42.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$7.47 CHF 6.16

-17.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-42.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$4.06 CHF 3.35

-76.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$4.12 CHF 3.40

-44.66%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$7.94 CHF 6.54

-69.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$28.10 CHF 23.14

-62.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$30.57 CHF 25.18

-82.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$42.49 CHF 34.99

-49.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$3.85 CHF 3.17

-52.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.04 CHF 1.68

12.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$3.21 CHF 2.65

-60.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$5.54 CHF 4.57

-67.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$2.41 CHF 1.98

-72.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$2.14 CHF 1.77

-70.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$2.37 CHF 1.96

-46.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$1.18 CHF 0.97

-52.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$10.75 CHF 8.85

-78.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$12.87 CHF 10.60

0.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$2.91 CHF 2.40

-14.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$3.84 CHF 3.16

-8.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$4.04 CHF 3.33

-79.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$96.6 CHF 79.5

-32.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$6.02 CHF 4.95

-77.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$3.72 CHF 3.07

-75.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$61.4 CHF 50.5

-82.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$2.30 CHF 1.89

-37.83%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$43.0K CHF 35.4K

15.27%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

9.09%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$234 CHF 193

-62.06%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$31.93 CHF 26.30

-63.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$62.9 CHF 51.8

-74.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$107 CHF 88.5

-29.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

$47.27 CHF 38.93

-51.94%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$23.65 CHF 19.48

-65.07%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$3,112 CHF 2,563

-67.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$32.1K CHF 26.5K

-19.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$167 CHF 137

-68.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$54.3 CHF 44.73

-25.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$190 CHF 156

-47.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$149 CHF 122

-37.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$1,285 CHF 1,058

-23.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$1,165 CHF 960

-46.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$2,705 CHF 2,228

-26.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$2,362 CHF 1,946

-51.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$8,026 CHF 6,610

-61.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$8,459 CHF 6,967

-78.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$7,212 CHF 5,940

-83.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

2.48

1540.73%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Schaffhausen: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Schaffhausen

$1.2K 37.3% 85.8% $538

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Schaffhausen

$630 20.2% 140% $368

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Schaffhausen

$457 14.6% 106% $235

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Schaffhausen

$252 8.1% 94.6% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Schaffhausen

$329 10.5% 182% $212

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Schaffhausen

$155 5% 66.8% $62

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Schaffhausen

$137 4.4% 84.8% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $1,285 in Schaffhausen. 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 494% higher in Schaffhausen, 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 $123 in Schaffhausen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $630 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇨🇭 Schaffhausen

🕒 Local time

01:18 1:18 AM

00:18 12:18 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

35,927

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Schaffhausen 1,770 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Schaffhausen

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 Schaffhausen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Schaffhausen is pricier by about 105%, 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 $4,687 in Schaffhausen. 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 $3,112 in Schaffhausen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 140% more in Schaffhausen, 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 Schaffhausen at $3,125. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Schaffhausen 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, Schaffhausen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.