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

😐 Solo nomad: Basel is 5% more expensive than Aarau without rent, and 20% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Basel is 4.5% more expensive than Aarau without rent, and 22.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Basel
Aarau
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$31.25 CHF 25.41
$29.1 CHF 23.66
7.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$156 CHF 127
$108 CHF 88.1
43.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$19.97 CHF 16.24
$18.73 CHF 15.23
6.62%
Cappuccino
$6.94 CHF 5.65
$6.52 CHF 5.3
6.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.53 CHF 4.49
$3.39 CHF 2.76
63.13%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.98 CHF 4.05
$4.81 CHF 3.91
3.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$10.15 CHF 8.26
$7.94 CHF 6.45
27.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.31 CHF 5.94
$7.52 CHF 6.11
-2.79%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Basel
Aarau
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.27 CHF 1.84
$2.08 CHF 1.69
9.13%
White Bread (500g)
$3.74 CHF 3.04
$3.24 CHF 2.64
15.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.06 CHF 4.12
$2.53 CHF 2.06
100.00%
Eggs
$7.78 CHF 6.32
$7.08 CHF 5.75
9.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$28.37 CHF 23.06
$28.91 CHF 23.51
-1.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$37 CHF 30.08
$35.92 CHF 29.21
3.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$43.73 CHF 35.55
$44.89 CHF 36.5
-2.58%
Apples (1kg)
$3.86 CHF 3.14
$2.85 CHF 2.32
35.44%
Banana (1kg)
$2.7 CHF 2.2
$2.12 CHF 1.72
27.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.05 CHF 3.3
$2.79 CHF 2.27
45.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.86 CHF 5.58
$5.89 CHF 4.79
16.47%
Potato (1kg)
$3.13 CHF 2.54
$2.3 CHF 1.87
36.09%
Onion (1kg)
$2.87 CHF 2.33
$1.97 CHF 1.6
45.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.66 CHF 2.16
$2.57 CHF 2.09
3.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.48 CHF 1.21
$1.47 CHF 1.2
0.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.76 CHF 9.56
$10.52 CHF 8.55
11.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.36 CHF 12.49
$16.39 CHF 13.33
-6.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 CHF 1.9
$2.23 CHF 1.81
4.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 CHF 2.45
$2.16 CHF 1.76
39.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Basel
Aarau
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.8 CHF 3.91
$4.26 CHF 3.46
12.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$105 CHF 85.4
$151 CHF 122
-30.25%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.9 CHF 6.42
$8.4 CHF 6.83
-5.95%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.12 CHF 3.35
$5.5 CHF 4.47
-25.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$87.7 CHF 71.3
$88 CHF 71.6
-0.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.23 CHF 1.81
$2.23 CHF 1.81
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.7K CHF 33.1K
$39.8K CHF 32.4K
2.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$45.6K CHF 37.1K
$42.3K CHF 34.4K
7.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Basel
Aarau
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$309 CHF 251
$244 CHF 199
26.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$54.1 CHF 44
$41.88 CHF 34.05
29.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.6 CHF 48.5
$59 CHF 47.97
1.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Basel
Aarau
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$88.4 CHF 71.9
$65.9 CHF 53.6
34.20%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$42.41 CHF 34.49
$41.97 CHF 34.12
1.05%
Cinema Ticket
$23.02 CHF 18.71
$23.32 CHF 18.96
-1.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Basel
Aarau
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,539 CHF 2,064
$3,228 CHF 2,625
-21.35%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$34.5K CHF 28K
$24.7K CHF 20.1K
39.71%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Basel
Aarau
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$136 CHF 111
$91.5 CHF 74.4
48.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$87.7 CHF 71.3
$53.4 CHF 43.44
64.05%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$178 CHF 145
$110 CHF 89.1
62.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$228 CHF 185
$169 CHF 138
34.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Basel
Aarau
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,108 CHF 1,714
$1,301 CHF 1,058
61.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,500 CHF 1,220
$1,033 CHF 840
45.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,798 CHF 3,088
$2,421 CHF 1,968
56.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,881 CHF 2,343
$2,070 CHF 1,683
39.19%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$21K CHF 17.1K
$10.3K CHF 8,382
103.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$17K CHF 13.8K
$12.5K CHF 10.2K
35.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Basel
Aarau
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$8,088 CHF 6,576
$7,155 CHF 5,817
13.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.55
2.5
2.00%

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

Last update for Basel: October 29, 2025

Last update for Aarau: October 27, 2025

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