Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arbon and Zurich

For one person, living is cheaper in Arbon: $3,464 a month against $4,451 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

167

Cost of Living Index in Arbon
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Arbon Living Index
217

Cost of Living Index in Zurich
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Zurich Living Index

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Arbon

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,464

/mo nomad

Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,451

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arbon and in Zurich

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 Zurich actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,464 per month in Arbon vs $4,451 in Zurich, rent included.

Arbon $3,464
Zurich $4,451

A couple spends around $5,192 per month in Arbon vs $6,817 in Zurich, rent included.

Arbon $5,192
Zurich $6,817

A family of three spends $6,920 per month in Arbon vs $9,184 in Zurich, rent included.

Arbon $6,920
Zurich $9,184

Arbon is about 22% cheaper than Zurich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Arbon and Zurich sit above the global median – Arbon by 157%, Zurich by 230%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.53 CHF 24.33

$34.71 CHF 28.59

-14.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$144 CHF 118

$144 CHF 119

-0.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.95 CHF 15.61

$17.69 CHF 14.57

7.12%

Cappuccino

$6.11 CHF 5.03

$6.91 CHF 5.69

-11.58%

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

$5.74 CHF 4.73

$5.86 CHF 4.83

-2.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 CHF 4.19

$5.15 CHF 4.24

-1.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.00 CHF 7.42

$9.70 CHF 7.99

-7.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 CHF 5.08

$8.28 CHF 6.82

-25.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$2.20 CHF 1.81

-1.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 CHF 2.60

$3.78 CHF 3.11

-16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.79 CHF 3.12

$3.68 CHF 3.03

2.99%

Eggs

$7.88 CHF 6.49

$8.54 CHF 7.03

-7.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.14 CHF 20.71

$27.22 CHF 22.42

-7.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.42 CHF 23.41

$27.67 CHF 22.79

2.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.09 CHF 33.84

$61.7 CHF 50.8

-33.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 CHF 2.82

$4.14 CHF 3.41

-17.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 CHF 1.65

$2.68 CHF 2.21

-25.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 CHF 1.97

$3.54 CHF 2.91

-32.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.28 CHF 4.35

$4.45 CHF 3.67

18.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$2.54 CHF 2.09

-19.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$2.21 CHF 1.82

-0.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 CHF 1.88

$2.52 CHF 2.07

-9.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 CHF 1.01

$1.24 CHF 1.02

-1.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.64 CHF 8.77

$10.62 CHF 8.75

0.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.47 CHF 13.57

$13.83 CHF 11.39

19.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 CHF 1.75

$2.66 CHF 2.19

-20.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 CHF 1.85

$3.18 CHF 2.62

-29.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.81 CHF 3.96

$5.39 CHF 4.44

-10.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.0 CHF 79.1

$106 CHF 87.2

-9.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.50 CHF 5.35

$7.93 CHF 6.54

-18.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.73 CHF 3.89

$4.50 CHF 3.71

5.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.17 CHF 29.79

$89.4 CHF 73.6

-59.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$2.28 CHF 1.87

0.44%

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

$34.5K CHF 28.4K

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

-11.65%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

-0.61%

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

$275 CHF 227

$276 CHF 227

-0.29%

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

$38.11 CHF 31.39

$36.80 CHF 30.31

3.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 CHF 44.78

$56.0 CHF 46.10

-2.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.0 CHF 74.1

$91.3 CHF 75.2

-1.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.06 CHF 32.17

$60.0 CHF 49.43

-34.91%

Cinema Ticket

$23.43 CHF 19.29

$24.81 CHF 20.43

-5.56%

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

$2,250 CHF 1,853

$3,505 CHF 2,887

-35.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K CHF 25.8K

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

-24.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 118

$139 CHF 115

2.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 CHF 53.6

$58.3 CHF 48.04

11.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 CHF 118

$166 CHF 137

-13.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$177 CHF 146

$260 CHF 214

-31.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 CHF 1,286

$2,916 CHF 2,402

-46.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 CHF 1,253

$2,308 CHF 1,901

-34.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,904 CHF 2,392

$5,918 CHF 4,874

-50.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,322 CHF 1,912

$4,092 CHF 3,370

-43.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K CHF 11.5K

$26.8K CHF 22.1K

-48.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

$16.2K CHF 13.4K

-15.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$11.1K CHF 9,124

$7,928 CHF 6,529

39.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.9

2.07

-8.21%

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

Last update for Arbon: October 10, 2026

Last update for Zurich: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arbon

$1.5K 43.9%

Zurich

$2.3K 51.9% 51.7% $787

Groceries & Markets

Arbon

$588 17%

Zurich

$671 15.1% 14.1% $83

Eating Out

Arbon

$467 13.5%

Zurich

$523 11.7% 11.9% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arbon

$368 10.6%

Zurich

$369 8.3% 0.3% $1.1

Clothing & Footwear

Arbon

$238 6.9%

Zurich

$281 6.3% 17.9% $43

Getting Around

Arbon

$145 4.2%

Zurich

$158 3.6% 8.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Arbon

$137 4%

Zurich

$141 3.2% 3% $4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,561 in Arbon versus $2,916 in Zurich. 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 40% higher in Arbon, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $144 in Arbon versus $144 in Zurich. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $588 vs $671 – making Arbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Arbon

🇨🇭 Zurich

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

Same time as Arbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,853

443,037

💱 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

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Arbon Zurich 69 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 Zurich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,464 in Arbon, $4,451 in Zurich – roughly 28% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,197 per month in Arbon and $6,676 in Zurich. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,464 in Arbon and $4,451 in Zurich. That's a gap of about 28%.

Public transport costs about 10% less in Arbon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,464 in Arbon and $4,451 in Zurich. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Zurich has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $3,464 in Arbon to $4,451 in Zurich. 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 Arbon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Zurich makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.