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

🙂 Solo nomad: Aarau is 14.2% cheaper than Basel without rent, and 18.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Aarau is 15.6% cheaper than Basel without rent, and 16.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Aarau
Basel
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$29.36 CHF 22.93
$31.10 CHF 24.29
-5.59%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$108 CHF 84.1
$154 CHF 121
-30.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$18.94 CHF 14.79
$19.39 CHF 15.15
-2.32%
Cappuccino
$6.36 CHF 4.97
$6.74 CHF 5.26
-5.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.39 CHF 2.65
$5.71 CHF 4.46
-40.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.91 CHF 3.83
$5.26 CHF 4.11
-6.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.17 CHF 6.38
$10.05 CHF 7.85
-18.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.58 CHF 5.92
$7.61 CHF 5.94
-0.39%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Aarau
Basel
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.11 CHF 1.65
$2.14 CHF 1.67
-1.40%
White Bread (500g)
$3.24 CHF 2.53
$3.85 CHF 3.00
-15.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.54 CHF 1.98
$5.07 CHF 3.96
-49.90%
Eggs
$6.99 CHF 5.46
$7.82 CHF 6.11
-10.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$28.81 CHF 22.50
$28.16 CHF 21.99
2.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$36.19 CHF 28.26
$37.35 CHF 29.17
-3.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$43.42 CHF 33.91
$43.13 CHF 33.68
0.67%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 CHF 2.17
$3.87 CHF 3.02
-28.17%
Banana (1kg)
$2.13 CHF 1.66
$2.66 CHF 2.07
-19.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.79 CHF 2.18
$4.06 CHF 3.17
-31.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.81 CHF 4.54
$6.96 CHF 5.44
-16.52%
Potato (1kg)
$2.27 CHF 1.77
$3.21 CHF 2.51
-29.28%
Onion (1kg)
$2.08 CHF 1.63
$2.95 CHF 2.31
-29.49%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.49 CHF 1.95
$2.62 CHF 2.05
-4.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.52 CHF 1.19
$1.56 CHF 1.22
-2.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.64 CHF 8.31
$11.90 CHF 9.29
-10.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.76 CHF 8.40
$15.30 CHF 11.95
-29.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.31 CHF 1.80
$2.38 CHF 1.86
-2.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.24 CHF 1.75
$3.11 CHF 2.43
-27.97%
🚌 Getting Around
Aarau
Basel
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.42 CHF 3.45
$4.77 CHF 3.73
-7.34%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$150 CHF 117
$107 CHF 83.4
40.33%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$8.59 CHF 6.71
$7.94 CHF 6.20
8.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$5.68 CHF 4.44
$4.26 CHF 3.33
33.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$86.7 CHF 67.7
$87.2 CHF 68.1
-0.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.12 CHF 1.66
$2.23 CHF 1.74
-4.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.8K CHF 31.1K
$41.1K CHF 32.1K
-3.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$42.9K CHF 33.5K
$45.3K CHF 35.4K
-5.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Aarau
Basel
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$247 CHF 193
$301 CHF 235
-17.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$42.47 CHF 33.17
$54.2 CHF 42.34
-21.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.8 CHF 46.71
$60.3 CHF 47.06
-0.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Aarau
Basel
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.2 CHF 53.3
$91.8 CHF 71.7
-25.69%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$42.19 CHF 32.95
$42.35 CHF 33.08
-0.38%
Cinema Ticket
$23.31 CHF 18.20
$22.73 CHF 17.76
2.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Aarau
Basel
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,167 CHF 2,474
$2,621 CHF 2,047
20.85%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.0K CHF 19.5K
$34.5K CHF 27.0K
-27.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Aarau
Basel
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$94.2 CHF 73.6
$135 CHF 106
-30.38%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.8 CHF 42.05
$87.6 CHF 68.4
-38.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 CHF 85.9
$175 CHF 136
-36.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$174 CHF 136
$228 CHF 178
-23.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Aarau
Basel
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,289 CHF 1,007
$2,137 CHF 1,669
-39.67%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,057 CHF 825
$1,462 CHF 1,142
-27.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,455 CHF 1,917
$3,717 CHF 2,903
-33.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,072 CHF 1,618
$2,837 CHF 2,215
-26.96%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$10.4K CHF 8,156
$17.4K CHF 13.6K
-40.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$12.5K CHF 9,779
$13.5K CHF 10.6K
-7.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Aarau
Basel
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$7,145 CHF 5,580
$7,891 CHF 6,163
-9.45%
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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Basel: April 13, 2026

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

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