Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Airolo and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Airolo: $3,429 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

166

Cost of Living Index in Airolo
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Airolo Living Index
176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Airolo

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,429

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Airolo 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 Airolo and in Basel actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,429 per month in Airolo vs $3,669 in Basel, rent included.

Airolo $3,429
Basel $3,669

A couple spends around $5,222 per month in Airolo vs $5,649 in Basel, rent included.

Airolo $5,222
Basel $5,649

A family of three spends $7,014 per month in Airolo vs $7,629 in Basel, rent included.

Airolo $7,014
Basel $7,629

Airolo is about 7% cheaper than Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Airolo and Basel sit above the global median – Airolo by 152%, Basel by 170%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.61 CHF 25.39

$30.27 CHF 25.11

1.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 101

$125 CHF 104

-2.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.47 CHF 15.32

$17.91 CHF 14.86

3.13%

Cappuccino

$6.09 CHF 5.05

$6.52 CHF 5.41

-6.60%

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

$5.34 CHF 4.43

$6.47 CHF 5.37

-17.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 CHF 3.95

$5.91 CHF 4.90

-19.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.03 CHF 7.49

$9.41 CHF 7.81

-4.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.23 CHF 6.00

$9.48 CHF 7.87

-23.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.79

$2.29 CHF 1.90

-5.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.73 CHF 3.09

$3.04 CHF 2.52

22.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.85 CHF 3.20

$3.27 CHF 2.72

17.74%

Eggs

$7.76 CHF 6.43

$7.97 CHF 6.61

-2.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.74 CHF 21.35

$26.34 CHF 21.85

-2.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.78 CHF 23.04

$27.32 CHF 22.66

1.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.65 CHF 34.55

$41.15 CHF 34.13

1.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 CHF 2.97

$3.70 CHF 3.07

-3.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.69

$2.30 CHF 1.91

-11.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 CHF 2.27

$3.03 CHF 2.51

-9.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 CHF 3.98

$4.54 CHF 3.77

5.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 CHF 1.49

$1.68 CHF 1.39

7.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.78

$1.91 CHF 1.58

12.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.89

$2.27 CHF 1.88

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 CHF 1.05

$1.60 CHF 1.32

-20.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.00 CHF 9.12

$11.15 CHF 9.25

-1.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.66 CHF 10.50

$11.90 CHF 9.87

6.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 CHF 2.31

$2.44 CHF 2.03

14.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CHF 2.63

$3.03 CHF 2.52

4.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.34 CHF 3.60

$5.21 CHF 4.33

-16.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.9 CHF 82.9

$105 CHF 86.9

-4.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.77 CHF 6.44

$7.98 CHF 6.62

-2.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.70 CHF 3.90

$4.61 CHF 3.83

1.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$76.8 CHF 63.7

$83.3 CHF 69.1

-7.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 CHF 1.92

$2.42 CHF 2.01

-4.55%

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

$38.5K CHF 31.9K

$38.3K CHF 31.8K

0.43%

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

$39.7K CHF 32.9K

$40.0K CHF 33.2K

-0.72%

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

$281 CHF 233

$296 CHF 245

-5.05%

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

$32.77 CHF 27.18

$46.31 CHF 38.42

-29.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 CHF 46.32

$63.2 CHF 52.4

-11.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.6 CHF 74.3

$82.0 CHF 68.0

9.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.44 CHF 38.53

$58.3 CHF 48.33

-20.29%

Cinema Ticket

$23.28 CHF 19.32

$22.84 CHF 18.95

1.93%

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

$2,936 CHF 2,435

$3,139 CHF 2,604

-6.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.5K CHF 26.9K

$32.6K CHF 27.1K

-0.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 119

$144 CHF 120

-0.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.8 CHF 47.97

$79.9 CHF 66.3

-27.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$166 CHF 137

$159 CHF 132

3.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$184 CHF 153

$195 CHF 162

-5.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,795 CHF 1,489

$2,087 CHF 1,732

-14.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 CHF 1,214

$1,646 CHF 1,366

-11.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,992 CHF 2,482

$3,618 CHF 3,001

-17.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,469 CHF 2,049

$2,966 CHF 2,461

-16.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.2K CHF 13.4K

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

-7.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.5K CHF 10.4K

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

-8.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,873

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.07

2.42

-14.46%

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

Last update for Airolo: October 27, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Airolo

$1.5K 42.7%

Basel

$1.6K 44.9% 12.5% $183

Groceries & Markets

Airolo

$591 17.2%

Basel

$584 15.9% 1.2% $7.3

Eating Out

Airolo

$473 13.8%

Basel

$490 13.3% 3.4% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Airolo

$369 10.8%

Basel

$405 11% 9.7% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Airolo

$248 7.2%

Basel

$261 7.1% 5% $12

Getting Around

Airolo

$149 4.3%

Basel

$157 4.3% 5.5% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Airolo

$136 4%

Basel

$128 3.5% 6.2% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,795 in Airolo versus $2,087 in Basel. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Airolo versus $125 in Basel. Groceries tell a different story – $591 in Airolo vs $584 in Basel – so Basel wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Airolo

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

22:07 10:07 PM

Same time as Airolo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,500

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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Airolo Basel 140 km

From you

Airolo
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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

Airolo vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Basel costs about 7% more than Airolo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,144 per month in Airolo and $5,504 in Basel. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Airolo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,795 there versus $2,087 in Basel.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,429 in Airolo and $3,669 in Basel. That makes Airolo about 7% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 5% less in Airolo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,429 in Airolo and $3,669 in Basel. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Airolo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.