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

😐 Solo nomad: Basel is 16.6% more expensive than Aarau without rent, and 23.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Basel is 18.5% more expensive than Aarau without rent, and 19.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Basel
Aarau
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$31.10 CHF 24.29
$29.36 CHF 22.93
5.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$154 CHF 121
$108 CHF 84.1
43.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$19.39 CHF 15.15
$18.94 CHF 14.79
2.38%
Cappuccino
$6.74 CHF 5.26
$6.36 CHF 4.97
5.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.71 CHF 4.46
$3.39 CHF 2.65
68.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.26 CHF 4.11
$4.91 CHF 3.83
7.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$10.05 CHF 7.85
$8.17 CHF 6.38
23.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.61 CHF 5.94
$7.58 CHF 5.92
0.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Basel
Aarau
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.14 CHF 1.67
$2.11 CHF 1.65
1.42%
White Bread (500g)
$3.85 CHF 3.00
$3.24 CHF 2.53
18.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.07 CHF 3.96
$2.54 CHF 1.98
99.61%
Eggs
$7.82 CHF 6.11
$6.99 CHF 5.46
11.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$28.16 CHF 21.99
$28.81 CHF 22.50
-2.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$37.35 CHF 29.17
$36.19 CHF 28.26
3.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$43.13 CHF 33.68
$43.42 CHF 33.91
-0.67%
Apples (1kg)
$3.87 CHF 3.02
$2.78 CHF 2.17
39.21%
Banana (1kg)
$2.66 CHF 2.07
$2.13 CHF 1.66
24.88%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.06 CHF 3.17
$2.79 CHF 2.18
45.52%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.96 CHF 5.44
$5.81 CHF 4.54
19.79%
Potato (1kg)
$3.21 CHF 2.51
$2.27 CHF 1.77
41.41%
Onion (1kg)
$2.95 CHF 2.31
$2.08 CHF 1.63
41.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.62 CHF 2.05
$2.49 CHF 1.95
5.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.56 CHF 1.22
$1.52 CHF 1.19
2.63%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.90 CHF 9.29
$10.64 CHF 8.31
11.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.30 CHF 11.95
$10.76 CHF 8.40
42.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.38 CHF 1.86
$2.31 CHF 1.80
3.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.11 CHF 2.43
$2.24 CHF 1.75
38.84%
🚌 Getting Around
Basel
Aarau
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.77 CHF 3.73
$4.42 CHF 3.45
7.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$107 CHF 83.4
$150 CHF 117
-28.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.94 CHF 6.20
$8.59 CHF 6.71
-7.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.26 CHF 3.33
$5.68 CHF 4.44
-25.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$87.2 CHF 68.1
$86.7 CHF 67.7
0.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.23 CHF 1.74
$2.12 CHF 1.66
5.19%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$41.1K CHF 32.1K
$39.8K CHF 31.1K
3.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$45.3K CHF 35.4K
$42.9K CHF 33.5K
5.54%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Basel
Aarau
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$301 CHF 235
$247 CHF 193
21.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$54.2 CHF 42.34
$42.47 CHF 33.17
27.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$60.3 CHF 47.06
$59.8 CHF 46.71
0.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Basel
Aarau
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$91.8 CHF 71.7
$68.2 CHF 53.3
34.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$42.35 CHF 33.08
$42.19 CHF 32.95
0.38%
Cinema Ticket
$22.73 CHF 17.76
$23.31 CHF 18.20
-2.49%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Basel
Aarau
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,621 CHF 2,047
$3,167 CHF 2,474
-17.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$34.5K CHF 27.0K
$25.0K CHF 19.5K
38.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Basel
Aarau
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$135 CHF 106
$94.2 CHF 73.6
43.64%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$87.6 CHF 68.4
$53.8 CHF 42.05
62.61%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$175 CHF 136
$110 CHF 85.9
58.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$228 CHF 178
$174 CHF 136
30.69%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Basel
Aarau
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,137 CHF 1,669
$1,289 CHF 1,007
65.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,462 CHF 1,142
$1,057 CHF 825
38.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,717 CHF 2,903
$2,455 CHF 1,917
51.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,837 CHF 2,215
$2,072 CHF 1,618
36.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$17.4K CHF 13.6K
$10.4K CHF 8,156
66.77%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$13.5K CHF 10.6K
$12.5K CHF 9,779
8.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Basel
Aarau
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$7,891 CHF 6,163
$7,145 CHF 5,580
10.44%
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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Aarau: April 13, 2026

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

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