Cost of Living Comparison Between Aarau and Basel Cost of Living Comparison Between Aarau and Basel

😐 Solo nomad: Aarau is 1% more expensive than Basel without rent, and 17.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Aarau is 13.1% cheaper than Basel without rent, and 17.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Aarau
Basel
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$29.93 CHF 23.32
$30.35 CHF 23.64
-1.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$106 CHF 82.6
$154 CHF 120
-31.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$19.08 CHF 14.86
$19.43 CHF 15.13
-1.80%
Cappuccino
$6.24 CHF 4.86
$7.03 CHF 5.47
-11.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.51 CHF 2.73
$5.76 CHF 4.49
-39.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.98 CHF 3.88
$5.06 CHF 3.94
-1.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.24 CHF 6.42
$9.82 CHF 7.65
-16.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.47 CHF 5.82
$7.29 CHF 5.68
2.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Aarau
Basel
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.12 CHF 1.65
$2.19 CHF 1.70
-3.20%
White Bread (500g)
$3.30 CHF 2.57
$3.88 CHF 3.02
-14.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.46 CHF 1.91
$5.15 CHF 4.01
-52.23%
Eggs
$6.86 CHF 5.35
$7.87 CHF 6.13
-12.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$29.02 CHF 22.60
$28.96 CHF 22.56
0.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$35.44 CHF 27.60
$36.22 CHF 28.22
-2.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$45.08 CHF 35.12
$43.87 CHF 34.17
2.76%
Apples (1kg)
$2.76 CHF 2.15
$3.95 CHF 3.08
-30.13%
Banana (1kg)
$2.17 CHF 1.69
$2.61 CHF 2.04
-16.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 CHF 2.20
$4.05 CHF 3.15
-30.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.89 CHF 4.59
$6.96 CHF 5.42
-15.37%
Potato (1kg)
$2.25 CHF 1.75
$3.28 CHF 2.55
-31.40%
Onion (1kg)
$2.08 CHF 1.62
$2.92 CHF 2.28
-28.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.53 CHF 1.97
$2.62 CHF 2.04
-3.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.45 CHF 1.13
$1.55 CHF 1.21
-6.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.65 CHF 8.30
$11.87 CHF 9.25
-10.28%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.92 CHF 8.51
$15.48 CHF 12.06
-29.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 CHF 1.81
$2.47 CHF 1.92
-5.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 CHF 1.78
$3.15 CHF 2.46
-27.30%
🚌 Getting Around
Aarau
Basel
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.42 CHF 3.44
$4.80 CHF 3.74
-7.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$149 CHF 116
$107 CHF 83.3
39.44%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$8.53 CHF 6.65
$8.15 CHF 6.35
4.66%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$5.45 CHF 4.24
$4.18 CHF 3.26
30.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$86.6 CHF 67.4
$86.7 CHF 67.5
-0.13%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.21 CHF 1.72
$2.15 CHF 1.68
2.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.2K CHF 31.3K
$40.6K CHF 31.6K
-1.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$42.4K CHF 33.0K
$45.3K CHF 35.3K
-6.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Aarau
Basel
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$244 CHF 190
$299 CHF 233
-18.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$42.69 CHF 33.26
$54.6 CHF 42.51
-21.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.8 CHF 46.59
$60.4 CHF 47.01
-0.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Aarau
Basel
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.0 CHF 53.0
$88.5 CHF 68.9
-23.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$42.03 CHF 32.74
$41.45 CHF 32.29
1.40%
Cinema Ticket
$23.17 CHF 18.05
$23.14 CHF 18.02
0.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Aarau
Basel
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,231 CHF 2,517
$2,625 CHF 2,045
23.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.9K CHF 19.4K
$34.2K CHF 26.6K
-27.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Aarau
Basel
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$93.1 CHF 72.6
$133 CHF 104
-30.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.3 CHF 41.48
$88.7 CHF 69.1
-39.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 CHF 86.5
$178 CHF 139
-37.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$171 CHF 133
$230 CHF 179
-25.52%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Aarau
Basel
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,291 CHF 1,006
$2,087 CHF 1,626
-38.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,035 CHF 806
$1,476 CHF 1,150
-29.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,435 CHF 1,897
$3,778 CHF 2,943
-35.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,123 CHF 1,653
$2,825 CHF 2,200
-24.85%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$10.5K CHF 8,204
$17.7K CHF 13.8K
-40.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$12.6K CHF 9,833
$13.6K CHF 10.6K
-7.08%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Aarau
Basel
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$7,587 CHF 5,910
$8,090 CHF 6,302
-6.22%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.5
2.55
-1.96%

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

Last update for Aarau: March 2, 2026

Last update for Basel: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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