Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aarau and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Aarau: $2,794 a month against $3,461 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

135

Cost of Living Index in Aarau
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Aarau Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Aarau

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,794

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,461

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aarau and in Basel

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

A single person spends $2,794 per month in Aarau vs $3,461 in Basel, rent included.

Aarau $2,794
Basel $3,461

A couple spends around $4,568 per month in Aarau vs $5,427 in Basel, rent included.

Aarau $4,568
Basel $5,427

A family of three spends $6,342 per month in Aarau vs $7,394 in Basel, rent included.

Aarau $6,342
Basel $7,394

Aarau is about 19% cheaper than Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Aarau and Basel sit above the global median – Aarau by 107%, Basel by 156%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.07 CHF 23.94

$29.60 CHF 24.38

-1.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 CHF 87.6

$123 CHF 102

-13.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.63 CHF 14.52

$17.93 CHF 14.77

-1.67%

Cappuccino

$5.80 CHF 4.78

$6.21 CHF 5.12

-6.60%

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

$5.22 CHF 4.30

$6.50 CHF 5.35

-19.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 CHF 3.87

$5.77 CHF 4.75

-18.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.15 CHF 5.06

$9.20 CHF 7.58

-33.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 CHF 5.44

$9.79 CHF 8.07

-32.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 CHF 1.69

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-9.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 CHF 2.98

$3.12 CHF 2.57

16.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 CHF 2.13

$3.17 CHF 2.61

-18.30%

Eggs

$7.22 CHF 5.95

$7.83 CHF 6.45

-7.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$30.30 CHF 24.96

$26.04 CHF 21.45

16.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.34 CHF 24.16

$26.78 CHF 22.05

9.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.30 CHF 33.19

$40.31 CHF 33.20

-0.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 CHF 2.38

$3.52 CHF 2.90

-17.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 CHF 1.46

$2.34 CHF 1.92

-23.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$2.96 CHF 2.44

-17.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.50 CHF 4.53

$4.52 CHF 3.72

21.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 CHF 1.37

$1.72 CHF 1.42

-3.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 CHF 1.61

$1.89 CHF 1.56

3.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 CHF 1.87

$2.24 CHF 1.84

1.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 CHF 0.98

$1.61 CHF 1.33

-26.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.86 CHF 8.94

$11.08 CHF 9.13

-1.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.21 CHF 8.41

$11.84 CHF 9.75

-13.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 CHF 2.05

$2.52 CHF 2.08

-1.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 CHF 2.36

$2.97 CHF 2.44

-3.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.11 CHF 4.20

$4.53 CHF 3.73

12.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$146 CHF 120

$105 CHF 86.5

39.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.84 CHF 5.64

$7.95 CHF 6.54

-13.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.32 CHF 2.74

$4.51 CHF 3.71

-26.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.8 CHF 48.45

$84.6 CHF 69.7

-30.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.83

$2.31 CHF 1.91

-3.90%

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

$42.9K CHF 35.4K

$42.3K CHF 34.8K

1.55%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

1.42%

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

$120 CHF 98.9

$292 CHF 240

-58.82%

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

$30.84 CHF 25.40

$46.45 CHF 38.25

-33.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 CHF 45.84

$61.9 CHF 51.0

-10.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$97.9 CHF 80.6

$81.1 CHF 66.8

20.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$59.6 CHF 49.04

$58.5 CHF 48.17

1.83%

Cinema Ticket

$21.42 CHF 17.64

$22.48 CHF 18.52

-4.72%

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

$3,152 CHF 2,596

$2,993 CHF 2,465

5.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.4K CHF 26.7K

$32.0K CHF 26.3K

1.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 CHF 73.0

$142 CHF 117

-37.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.6 CHF 58.2

$77.1 CHF 63.5

-8.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 CHF 90.1

$159 CHF 131

-31.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$169 CHF 140

$198 CHF 163

-14.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 CHF 1,052

$1,953 CHF 1,609

-34.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 CHF 851

$1,465 CHF 1,207

-29.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,290 CHF 1,886

$3,586 CHF 2,954

-36.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,114 CHF 1,742

$2,796 CHF 2,302

-24.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.1K CHF 14.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K CHF 9,759

$14.3K CHF 11.8K

-17.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,801 CHF 5,601

$6,863 CHF 5,652

-0.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.31

2.42

-4.55%

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

Last update for Aarau: October 10, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aarau

$1K 37%

Basel

$1.5K 42.4% 41.9% $432

Groceries & Markets

Aarau

$588 21%

Basel

$576 16.7% 1.9% $11

Eating Out

Aarau

$439 15.7%

Basel

$480 13.9% 9.4% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aarau

$207 7.4%

Basel

$400 11.6% 93.6% $193

Clothing & Footwear

Aarau

$197 7.1%

Basel

$260 7.5% 31.7% $63

Getting Around

Aarau

$190 6.8%

Basel

$154 4.4% 19.2% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Aarau

$141 5%

Basel

$126 3.6% 10.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,277 in Aarau versus $1,953 in Basel. 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 1% higher in Basel, 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 $106 in Aarau versus $123 in Basel. Groceries tell a different story – $588 in Aarau vs $576 in Basel – so Basel wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Aarau

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

01:25 1:25 AM

Same time as Aarau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,191

174,491

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Aarau Basel 39 km

From you

Aarau
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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

Aarau vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Basel costs about 24% more than Aarau, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,191 per month in Aarau and $5,191 in Basel. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aarau, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 39% less in Aarau. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $3,152 per month in Aarau and $2,993 in Basel. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,794 in Aarau and $3,461 in Basel. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Aarau costs $2,794 versus $3,461 in Basel. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Aarau. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Basel makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.