Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arbon and Basel

For one person, living costs are similar in Arbon and in Basel: $3,464 and $3,461 a month, rent and utilities included.

167

Cost of Living Index in Arbon
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Arbon Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Arbon

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,464

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,461

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,464 per month in Arbon vs $3,461 in Basel, rent included.

Arbon $3,464
Basel $3,461

A couple spends around $5,192 per month in Arbon vs $5,427 in Basel, rent included.

Arbon $5,192
Basel $5,427

A family of three spends $6,920 per month in Arbon vs $7,394 in Basel, rent included.

Arbon $6,920
Basel $7,394

Arbon and Basel have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Arbon and Basel sit above the global median – Arbon by 157%, Basel by 156%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.53 CHF 24.33

$29.60 CHF 24.38

-0.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$144 CHF 118

$123 CHF 102

16.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.95 CHF 15.61

$17.93 CHF 14.77

5.69%

Cappuccino

$6.11 CHF 5.03

$6.21 CHF 5.12

-1.61%

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

$5.74 CHF 4.73

$6.50 CHF 5.35

-11.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 CHF 4.19

$5.77 CHF 4.75

-11.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.00 CHF 7.42

$9.20 CHF 7.58

-2.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 CHF 5.08

$9.79 CHF 8.07

-36.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-4.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 CHF 2.60

$3.12 CHF 2.57

0.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.79 CHF 3.12

$3.17 CHF 2.61

19.56%

Eggs

$7.88 CHF 6.49

$7.83 CHF 6.45

0.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.14 CHF 20.71

$26.04 CHF 21.45

-3.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.42 CHF 23.41

$26.78 CHF 22.05

6.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.09 CHF 33.84

$40.31 CHF 33.20

1.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 CHF 2.82

$3.52 CHF 2.90

-2.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 CHF 1.65

$2.34 CHF 1.92

-14.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 CHF 1.97

$2.96 CHF 2.44

-19.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.28 CHF 4.35

$4.52 CHF 3.72

16.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$1.72 CHF 1.42

18.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$1.89 CHF 1.56

15.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 CHF 1.88

$2.24 CHF 1.84

1.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 CHF 1.01

$1.61 CHF 1.33

-24.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.64 CHF 8.77

$11.08 CHF 9.13

-3.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.47 CHF 13.57

$11.84 CHF 9.75

39.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 CHF 1.75

$2.52 CHF 2.08

-15.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 CHF 1.85

$2.97 CHF 2.44

-24.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.81 CHF 3.96

$4.53 CHF 3.73

6.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.0 CHF 79.1

$105 CHF 86.5

-8.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.50 CHF 5.35

$7.95 CHF 6.54

-18.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.73 CHF 3.89

$4.51 CHF 3.71

4.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.17 CHF 29.79

$84.6 CHF 69.7

-57.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$2.31 CHF 1.91

-0.87%

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

$34.5K CHF 28.4K

$42.3K CHF 34.8K

-18.50%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

1.43%

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

$275 CHF 227

$292 CHF 240

-5.57%

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

$38.11 CHF 31.39

$46.45 CHF 38.25

-17.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 CHF 44.78

$61.9 CHF 51.0

-12.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.0 CHF 74.1

$81.1 CHF 66.8

10.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.06 CHF 32.17

$58.5 CHF 48.17

-33.21%

Cinema Ticket

$23.43 CHF 19.29

$22.48 CHF 18.52

4.23%

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

$2,250 CHF 1,853

$2,993 CHF 2,465

-24.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K CHF 25.8K

$32.0K CHF 26.3K

-2.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 118

$142 CHF 117

0.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 CHF 53.6

$77.1 CHF 63.5

-15.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 CHF 118

$159 CHF 131

-10.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$177 CHF 146

$198 CHF 163

-10.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 CHF 1,286

$1,953 CHF 1,609

-20.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 CHF 1,253

$1,465 CHF 1,207

3.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,904 CHF 2,392

$3,586 CHF 2,954

-19.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,322 CHF 1,912

$2,796 CHF 2,302

-16.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K CHF 11.5K

$18.1K CHF 14.9K

-22.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

$14.3K CHF 11.8K

-4.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$11.1K CHF 9,124

$6,863 CHF 5,652

61.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.9

2.42

-21.49%

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

Last update for Arbon: 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

Arbon

$1.5K 43.9%

Basel

$1.5K 42.4% 3.7% $56

Groceries & Markets

Arbon

$588 17%

Basel

$576 16.7% 2% $12

Eating Out

Arbon

$467 13.5%

Basel

$480 13.9% 2.7% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arbon

$368 10.6%

Basel

$400 11.6% 8.7% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Arbon

$238 6.9%

Basel

$260 7.5% 9.1% $22

Getting Around

Arbon

$145 4.2%

Basel

$154 4.4% 5.6% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Arbon

$137 4%

Basel

$126 3.6% 7.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,561 in Arbon 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 61% higher in Arbon. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $144 in Arbon versus $123 in Basel. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $588 vs $576 – making Basel the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Arbon

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

10:49 10:49 AM

Same time as Arbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,853

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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Arbon Basel 140 km

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Arbon
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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

Arbon vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,197 per month in Arbon 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 Basel, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 2% more in Arbon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

Kindergarten costs $2,250 per month in Arbon 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 $3,464 in Arbon and $3,461 in Basel. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Basel has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $3,461 in Basel to $3,464 in Arbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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