Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Schaffhausen and Istanbul

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.

152

Cost of Living Index in Schaffhausen
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Schaffhausen Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Schaffhausen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,125

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Schaffhausen and in Istanbul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Schaffhausen and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Schaffhausen $3,125
Istanbul $1,525

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

Schaffhausen $5,038
Istanbul $2,390

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

Schaffhausen $6,951
Istanbul $3,256

Schaffhausen costs about 105% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.70 CHF 24.46

$11.96 ₺592

148.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$123 CHF 101

$57.2 ₺2,834

114.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.03 CHF 14.85

$9.51 ₺471

89.59%

Cappuccino

$5.64 CHF 4.65

$4.40 ₺218

28.18%

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

$5.52 CHF 4.55

$1.75 ₺86.6

215.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.78 CHF 3.94

$0.56 ₺27.57

753.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.22 CHF 6.77

$4.71 ₺233

74.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.47 CHF 6.16

$6.14 ₺304

21.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$1.24 ₺61.6

74.19%

White Bread (500g)

$4.06 CHF 3.35

$0.95 ₺47.25

327.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.12 CHF 3.40

$2.28 ₺113

80.70%

Eggs

$7.94 CHF 6.54

$2.45 ₺121

224.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.10 CHF 23.14

$10.56 ₺523

166.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$30.57 CHF 25.18

$5.50 ₺272

455.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.49 CHF 34.99

$21.65 ₺1,072

96.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 CHF 3.17

$1.83 ₺90.6

110.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$2.29 ₺113

-10.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.21 CHF 2.65

$1.28 ₺63.4

150.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.54 CHF 4.57

$1.82 ₺90.1

204.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 CHF 1.98

$0.66 ₺32.74

265.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.77

$0.63 ₺31.14

239.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 CHF 1.96

$1.27 ₺62.8

86.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 CHF 0.97

$0.56 ₺27.62

110.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.75 CHF 8.85

$2.36 ₺117

355.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 CHF 10.60

$12.98 ₺642

-0.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 CHF 2.40

$2.48 ₺123

17.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 CHF 3.16

$3.50 ₺174

9.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.04 CHF 3.33

$0.82 ₺40.77

392.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.6 CHF 79.5

$65.2 ₺3,228

48.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.02 CHF 4.95

$1.33 ₺65.7

352.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.72 CHF 3.07

$0.90 ₺44.60

313.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.4 CHF 50.5

$10.91 ₺540

462.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 CHF 1.89

$1.43 ₺70.7

60.84%

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

$43.0K CHF 35.4K

$49.6K ₺2.5M

-13.25%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$43.2K ₺2.1M

-8.33%

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

$234 CHF 193

$88.8 ₺4,395

163.57%

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

$31.93 CHF 26.30

$11.69 ₺579

173.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.9 CHF 51.8

$16.09 ₺797

290.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$107 CHF 88.5

$76.3 ₺3,776

40.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.27 CHF 38.93

$22.72 ₺1,125

108.05%

Cinema Ticket

$23.65 CHF 19.48

$8.26 ₺409

186.32%

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

$3,112 CHF 2,563

$1,015 ₺50.2K

206.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.1K CHF 26.5K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

24.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$167 CHF 137

$53.3 ₺2,636

213.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 CHF 44.73

$40.55 ₺2,008

33.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$190 CHF 156

$100 ₺4,956

89.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 CHF 122

$93.5 ₺4,630

58.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 CHF 1,058

$977 ₺48.4K

31.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,165 CHF 960

$627 ₺31.0K

85.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,705 CHF 2,228

$1,980 ₺98.0K

36.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,362 CHF 1,946

$1,147 ₺56.8K

105.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,026 CHF 6,610

$3,095 ₺153.2K

159.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,459 CHF 6,967

$1,787 ₺88.5K

373.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,212 CHF 5,940

$1,213 ₺60.1K

494.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.48

40.69

-93.91%

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

Last update for Schaffhausen: October 18, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Schaffhausen

$1.2K 37.3%

Istanbul

$627 41.1% 46.2% $538

Groceries & Markets

Schaffhausen

$630 20.2%

Istanbul

$263 17.2% 58.3% $368

Eating Out

Schaffhausen

$457 14.6%

Istanbul

$222 14.6% 51.4% $235

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Schaffhausen

$329 10.5%

Istanbul

$117 7.6% 64.5% $212

Clothing & Footwear

Schaffhausen

$252 8.1%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 48.6% $122

Sport & Entertainment

Schaffhausen

$155 5%

Istanbul

$93 6.1% 40% $62

Getting Around

Schaffhausen

$137 4.4%

Istanbul

$74 4.9% 45.9% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,285 in Schaffhausen versus $977 in Istanbul. 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 $123 in Schaffhausen versus $57.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $630 vs $263 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Schaffhausen

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

23:37 11:37 PM

00:37 12:37 AM

1 h ahead of Schaffhausen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,927

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

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).

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).

USD to CHF in detail →

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Between locations

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

From you

Schaffhausen
Istanbul

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

Schaffhausen vs Istanbul: 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 $4,687 per month in Schaffhausen and $2,287 in Istanbul. 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 $3,112 per month in Schaffhausen and $1,015 in Istanbul. 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.