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

🙂 Solo nomad: Basel is 0.9% cheaper than Aarau without rent, and 21.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Basel is 15.1% more expensive than Aarau without rent, and 20.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Basel
Aarau
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$30.35 CHF 23.64
$29.93 CHF 23.32
1.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$154 CHF 120
$106 CHF 82.6
45.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$19.43 CHF 15.13
$19.08 CHF 14.86
1.83%
Cappuccino
$7.03 CHF 5.47
$6.24 CHF 4.86
12.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.76 CHF 4.49
$3.51 CHF 2.73
64.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.06 CHF 3.94
$4.98 CHF 3.88
1.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.82 CHF 7.65
$8.24 CHF 6.42
19.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.29 CHF 5.68
$7.47 CHF 5.82
-2.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Basel
Aarau
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.19 CHF 1.70
$2.12 CHF 1.65
3.30%
White Bread (500g)
$3.88 CHF 3.02
$3.30 CHF 2.57
17.58%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.15 CHF 4.01
$2.46 CHF 1.91
109.35%
Eggs
$7.87 CHF 6.13
$6.86 CHF 5.35
14.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$28.96 CHF 22.56
$29.02 CHF 22.60
-0.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$36.22 CHF 28.22
$35.44 CHF 27.60
2.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$43.87 CHF 34.17
$45.08 CHF 35.12
-2.68%
Apples (1kg)
$3.95 CHF 3.08
$2.76 CHF 2.15
43.12%
Banana (1kg)
$2.61 CHF 2.04
$2.17 CHF 1.69
20.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.05 CHF 3.15
$2.82 CHF 2.20
43.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.96 CHF 5.42
$5.89 CHF 4.59
18.17%
Potato (1kg)
$3.28 CHF 2.55
$2.25 CHF 1.75
45.78%
Onion (1kg)
$2.92 CHF 2.28
$2.08 CHF 1.62
40.38%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.62 CHF 2.04
$2.53 CHF 1.97
3.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.55 CHF 1.21
$1.45 CHF 1.13
6.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.87 CHF 9.25
$10.65 CHF 8.30
11.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.48 CHF 12.06
$10.92 CHF 8.51
41.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.47 CHF 1.92
$2.33 CHF 1.81
6.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.15 CHF 2.46
$2.29 CHF 1.78
37.55%
🚌 Getting Around
Basel
Aarau
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.80 CHF 3.74
$4.42 CHF 3.44
8.60%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$107 CHF 83.3
$149 CHF 116
-28.28%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$8.15 CHF 6.35
$8.53 CHF 6.65
-4.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.18 CHF 3.26
$5.45 CHF 4.24
-23.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$86.7 CHF 67.5
$86.6 CHF 67.4
0.13%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.15 CHF 1.68
$2.21 CHF 1.72
-2.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.6K CHF 31.6K
$40.2K CHF 31.3K
1.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$45.3K CHF 35.3K
$42.4K CHF 33.0K
6.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Basel
Aarau
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$299 CHF 233
$244 CHF 190
22.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$54.6 CHF 42.51
$42.69 CHF 33.26
27.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$60.4 CHF 47.01
$59.8 CHF 46.59
0.90%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Basel
Aarau
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$88.5 CHF 68.9
$68.0 CHF 53.0
30.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$41.45 CHF 32.29
$42.03 CHF 32.74
-1.38%
Cinema Ticket
$23.14 CHF 18.02
$23.17 CHF 18.05
-0.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Basel
Aarau
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,625 CHF 2,045
$3,231 CHF 2,517
-18.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$34.2K CHF 26.6K
$24.9K CHF 19.4K
37.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Basel
Aarau
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$133 CHF 104
$93.1 CHF 72.6
43.12%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$88.7 CHF 69.1
$53.3 CHF 41.48
66.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$178 CHF 139
$111 CHF 86.5
60.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$230 CHF 179
$171 CHF 133
34.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Basel
Aarau
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,087 CHF 1,626
$1,291 CHF 1,006
61.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,476 CHF 1,150
$1,035 CHF 806
42.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,778 CHF 2,943
$2,435 CHF 1,897
55.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,825 CHF 2,200
$2,123 CHF 1,653
33.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$17.7K CHF 13.8K
$10.5K CHF 8,204
68.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$13.6K CHF 10.6K
$12.6K CHF 9,833
7.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Basel
Aarau
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$8,090 CHF 6,302
$7,587 CHF 5,910
6.63%
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: March 3, 2026

Last update for Aarau: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

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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