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

🙂 Solo nomad: Aarau is 4.7% cheaper than Basel without rent, and 16.7% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Aarau is 4.3% cheaper than Basel without rent, and 18.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Aarau
Basel
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$29.1 CHF 23.66
$31.25 CHF 25.41
-6.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$108 CHF 88.1
$156 CHF 127
-30.38%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$18.73 CHF 15.23
$19.97 CHF 16.24
-6.21%
Cappuccino
$6.52 CHF 5.3
$6.94 CHF 5.65
-6.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.39 CHF 2.76
$5.53 CHF 4.49
-38.70%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.81 CHF 3.91
$4.98 CHF 4.05
-3.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.94 CHF 6.45
$10.15 CHF 8.26
-21.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.52 CHF 6.11
$7.31 CHF 5.94
2.87%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Aarau
Basel
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.08 CHF 1.69
$2.27 CHF 1.84
-8.37%
White Bread (500g)
$3.24 CHF 2.64
$3.74 CHF 3.04
-13.37%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.53 CHF 2.06
$5.06 CHF 4.12
-50.00%
Eggs
$7.08 CHF 5.75
$7.78 CHF 6.32
-9.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$28.91 CHF 23.51
$28.37 CHF 23.06
1.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$35.92 CHF 29.21
$37 CHF 30.08
-2.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$44.89 CHF 36.5
$43.73 CHF 35.55
2.65%
Apples (1kg)
$2.85 CHF 2.32
$3.86 CHF 3.14
-26.17%
Banana (1kg)
$2.12 CHF 1.72
$2.7 CHF 2.2
-21.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.79 CHF 2.27
$4.05 CHF 3.3
-31.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.89 CHF 4.79
$6.86 CHF 5.58
-14.14%
Potato (1kg)
$2.3 CHF 1.87
$3.13 CHF 2.54
-26.52%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 CHF 1.6
$2.87 CHF 2.33
-31.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.57 CHF 2.09
$2.66 CHF 2.16
-3.38%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.47 CHF 1.2
$1.48 CHF 1.21
-0.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.52 CHF 8.55
$11.76 CHF 9.56
-10.54%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.39 CHF 13.33
$15.36 CHF 12.49
6.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.23 CHF 1.81
$2.33 CHF 1.9
-4.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.16 CHF 1.76
$3.01 CHF 2.45
-28.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Aarau
Basel
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.26 CHF 3.46
$4.8 CHF 3.91
-11.25%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$151 CHF 122
$105 CHF 85.4
43.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$8.4 CHF 6.83
$7.9 CHF 6.42
6.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$5.5 CHF 4.47
$4.12 CHF 3.35
33.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$88 CHF 71.6
$87.7 CHF 71.3
0.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.23 CHF 1.81
$2.23 CHF 1.81
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.8K CHF 32.4K
$40.7K CHF 33.1K
-2.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$42.3K CHF 34.4K
$45.6K CHF 37.1K
-7.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Aarau
Basel
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$244 CHF 199
$309 CHF 251
-20.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$41.88 CHF 34.05
$54.1 CHF 44
-22.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59 CHF 47.97
$59.6 CHF 48.5
-1.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Aarau
Basel
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$65.9 CHF 53.6
$88.4 CHF 71.9
-25.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$41.97 CHF 34.12
$42.41 CHF 34.49
-1.04%
Cinema Ticket
$23.32 CHF 18.96
$23.02 CHF 18.71
1.30%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Aarau
Basel
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,228 CHF 2,625
$2,539 CHF 2,064
27.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.7K CHF 20.1K
$34.5K CHF 28K
-28.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Aarau
Basel
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$91.5 CHF 74.4
$136 CHF 111
-32.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.4 CHF 43.44
$87.7 CHF 71.3
-39.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 CHF 89.1
$178 CHF 145
-38.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$169 CHF 138
$228 CHF 185
-25.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Aarau
Basel
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,301 CHF 1,058
$2,108 CHF 1,714
-38.26%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 CHF 840
$1,500 CHF 1,220
-31.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,421 CHF 1,968
$3,798 CHF 3,088
-36.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,070 CHF 1,683
$2,881 CHF 2,343
-28.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$10.3K CHF 8,382
$21K CHF 17.1K
-50.85%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$12.5K CHF 10.2K
$17K CHF 13.8K
-26.25%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Aarau
Basel
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$7,155 CHF 5,817
$8,088 CHF 6,576
-11.54%
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: October 27, 2025

Last update for Basel: October 29, 2025

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