Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Acquarossa

For one person, living costs are similar in Basel and in Acquarossa: $3,669 and $3,598 a month, rent and utilities included.

176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
Learn more

Basel Living Index
177

Cost of Living Index in Acquarossa
Learn more

Acquarossa Living Index

Jump to prices

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Acquarossa

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,598

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Acquarossa

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Basel and in Acquarossa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,669 in Basel versus $3,598 in Acquarossa.

Basel $3,669
Acquarossa $3,598

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,649 in Basel versus $5,444 in Acquarossa.

Basel $5,649
Acquarossa $5,444

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,629 in Basel versus $7,291 in Acquarossa.

Basel $7,629
Acquarossa $7,291

Living in Basel is roughly 2% more expensive than in Acquarossa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 170% above, Acquarossa 164% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.27 CHF 25.09

$33.20 CHF 27.52

-8.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 CHF 103

$145 CHF 121

-14.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.91 CHF 14.84

$17.95 CHF 14.88

-0.22%

Cappuccino

$6.52 CHF 5.40

$6.97 CHF 5.78

-6.46%

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

$6.47 CHF 5.36

$5.74 CHF 4.76

12.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 CHF 4.90

$5.36 CHF 4.44

10.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.41 CHF 7.80

$9.46 CHF 7.84

-0.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.86

$8.28 CHF 6.86

14.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.90

$2.16 CHF 1.79

6.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CHF 2.52

$3.87 CHF 3.21

-21.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CHF 2.71

$3.61 CHF 2.99

-9.42%

Eggs

$7.97 CHF 6.60

$8.45 CHF 7.00

-5.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.83

$26.53 CHF 21.99

-0.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.32 CHF 22.64

$28.82 CHF 23.89

-5.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 CHF 34.10

$59.7 CHF 49.49

-31.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CHF 3.07

$4.23 CHF 3.51

-12.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.91

$2.78 CHF 2.31

-17.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 CHF 2.51

$3.56 CHF 2.95

-14.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 CHF 3.76

$4.59 CHF 3.80

-1.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.39

$2.58 CHF 2.14

-34.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.58

$2.24 CHF 1.86

-14.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.88

$2.41 CHF 1.99

-5.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$1.26 CHF 1.04

26.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 9.24

$10.97 CHF 9.09

1.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CHF 9.86

$14.00 CHF 11.61

-15.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.02

$2.87 CHF 2.38

-14.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CHF 2.51

$3.10 CHF 2.57

-2.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 CHF 4.32

$4.27 CHF 3.54

22.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.8

$103 CHF 85.3

1.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 CHF 6.61

$8.11 CHF 6.72

-1.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.82

$4.62 CHF 3.83

-0.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.3 CHF 69.0

$90.6 CHF 75.1

-8.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 CHF 2.00

$2.30 CHF 1.91

5.22%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.8K

$39.2K CHF 32.5K

-2.11%

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

$40.0K CHF 33.1K

$38.7K CHF 32.1K

3.24%

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

$296 CHF 245

$288 CHF 239

2.51%

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

$46.31 CHF 38.39

$38.32 CHF 31.76

20.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.4

$55.3 CHF 45.82

14.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 CHF 68.0

$72.8 CHF 60.4

12.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.29

$41.91 CHF 34.74

39.01%

Cinema Ticket

$22.84 CHF 18.94

$23.72 CHF 19.66

-3.71%

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

$3,139 CHF 2,602

$3,406 CHF 2,823

-7.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 27.0K

$42.0K CHF 34.8K

-22.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 120

$140 CHF 116

3.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 66.2

$53.9 CHF 44.66

48.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$160 CHF 133

-0.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 162

$250 CHF 207

-21.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,730

$1,731 CHF 1,435

20.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,365

$1,490 CHF 1,235

10.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 CHF 2,999

$2,968 CHF 2,460

21.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,966 CHF 2,459

$2,302 CHF 1,908

28.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

$15.8K CHF 13.1K

10.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

$11.7K CHF 9,680

17.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,868

$12.1K CHF 10.0K

-41.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

2.03

19.21%

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

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Last update for Acquarossa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

Acquarossa

$1.5K 41.4% 9.5% $157

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$584 15.9%

Acquarossa

$672 18.7% 15.1% $88

Eating Out

Basel

$490 13.3%

Acquarossa

$511 14.2% 4.4% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$405 11%

Acquarossa

$382 10.6% 5.7% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$261 7.1%

Acquarossa

$272 7.6% 4.3% $11

Getting Around

Basel

$157 4.3%

Acquarossa

$151 4.2% 3.5% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.5%

Acquarossa

$120 3.3% 5.8% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,087 in Basel and $1,731 in Acquarossa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Acquarossa pays 71% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $125 in Basel vs $145 in Acquarossa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $584 vs $672 per month, with Basel cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Acquarossa

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

1,900

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Basel Acquarossa 160 km

From you

Basel
Acquarossa

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Basel vs Acquarossa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Acquarossa wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Acquarossa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 42% lower in Basel. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,087 in Basel versus $1,731 in Acquarossa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,139 in Basel versus $3,406 in Acquarossa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Basel – a meal for two runs $125 versus $145 in Acquarossa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Acquarossa is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Basel and Acquarossa are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.