Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and St. Gallen

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $3,632 in St. Gallen, rent and utilities included – about $25,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
178

Cost of Living Index in St. Gallen
Learn more

St. Gallen Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

St. Gallen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,632

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in St. Gallen

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $3,632 in St. Gallen, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
St. Gallen $3,632

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $5,284 in St. Gallen, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
St. Gallen $5,284

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $6,937 in St. Gallen, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
St. Gallen $6,937

Istanbul is about 58% cheaper than St. Gallen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and St. Gallen sit above the global median – Istanbul by 14%, St. Gallen by 171%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$29.41 CHF 24.41

-59.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$145 CHF 121

-62.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$17.82 CHF 14.79

-48.71%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$5.99 CHF 4.97

-29.22%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$5.81 CHF 4.83

-69.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$5.33 CHF 4.42

-89.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$9.23 CHF 7.66

-49.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$6.17 CHF 5.12

-3.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$2.23 CHF 1.85

-43.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$3.18 CHF 2.64

-70.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$3.68 CHF 3.06

-37.23%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$7.68 CHF 6.37

-67.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$25.41 CHF 21.09

-58.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$28.97 CHF 24.05

-80.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$38.85 CHF 32.25

-45.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$3.16 CHF 2.62

-38.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.61 CHF 1.33

42.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.31 CHF 1.92

-44.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$6.01 CHF 4.99

-69.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.70 CHF 1.41

-60.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$2.16 CHF 1.80

-72.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$2.16 CHF 1.79

-38.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$1.18 CHF 0.98

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$10.65 CHF 8.84

-77.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$11.32 CHF 9.39

18.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$2.18 CHF 1.81

11.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.31 CHF 1.92

53.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$4.17 CHF 3.46

-80.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$128 CHF 106

-48.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$6.64 CHF 5.51

-79.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$4.79 CHF 3.98

-82.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$77.3 CHF 64.2

-85.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$2.22 CHF 1.84

-33.78%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$35.3K CHF 29.3K

46.17%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$39.5K CHF 32.7K

12.65%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$305 CHF 253

-70.75%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$38.46 CHF 31.92

-69.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$54.2 CHF 44.95

-70.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$80.7 CHF 67.0

-4.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$30.32 CHF 25.16

-72.49%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$2,308 CHF 1,915

-57.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$31.8K CHF 26.4K

-18.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$146 CHF 122

-64.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$64.6 CHF 53.7

-39.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$147 CHF 122

-29.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$179 CHF 148

-45.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$1,734 CHF 1,439

-42.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$1,698 CHF 1,410

-62.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$2,854 CHF 2,369

-29.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$2,153 CHF 1,787

-46.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$12.1K CHF 10.0K

-73.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$9,070 CHF 7,528

-79.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$6,528 CHF 5,418

-81.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

2.1

1856.67%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for St. Gallen: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

St. Gallen

$1.7K 46% 170% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

St. Gallen

$572 15.5% 117% $308

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

St. Gallen

$464 12.6% 113% $246

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

St. Gallen

$242 6.6% 84.1% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

St. Gallen

$398 10.8% 240% $281

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

St. Gallen

$141 3.8% 50.5% $47

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

St. Gallen

$176 4.8% 133% $100

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $1,734 in St. Gallen. 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 442% higher in St. Gallen, 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 $145 in St. Gallen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $572 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇨🇭 St. Gallen

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

12:29 12:29 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

78,213

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1 CHF = 1.2 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 0.93 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul St. Gallen 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
St. Gallen

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 St. Gallen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – St. Gallen is pricier by about 138%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $5,447 in St. Gallen. 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 $974 per month in Istanbul and $2,308 in St. Gallen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 117% more in St. Gallen, 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 $1,526, than in St. Gallen at $3,632. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Gallen 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, St. Gallen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.