Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Affoltern am Albis

For one person, living is cheaper in Affoltern am Albis: $3,470 a month against $3,709 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Basel, Switzerland
Affoltern am Albis, Switzerland
Basel
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,709
/mo nomad
Affoltern am Albis
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,470
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Affoltern am Albis

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 Affoltern am Albis actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,709 per month in Basel vs $3,470 in Affoltern am Albis, rent included.

  • Basel $3,709
  • Affoltern am Albis $3,470

A couple spends around $5,695 per month in Basel vs $5,642 in Affoltern am Albis, rent included.

  • Basel $5,695
  • Affoltern am Albis $5,642

A family of three spends $7,682 per month in Basel vs $7,814 in Affoltern am Albis, rent included.

  • Basel $7,682
  • Affoltern am Albis $7,814

Basel costs about 7% more than Affoltern am Albis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Basel and Affoltern am Albis sit above the global median – Basel by 174%, Affoltern am Albis by 157%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Basel
Affoltern am Albis
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$30.43 CHF 24.84
$30.56 CHF 24.95
-0.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$129 CHF 105
$186 CHF 152
-30.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$18.53 CHF 15.13
$18.53 CHF 15.13
-
Cappuccino
$6.34 CHF 5.18
$5.82 CHF 4.75
8.93%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.44 CHF 5.26
$5.56 CHF 4.54
15.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.19 CHF 5.05
$4.87 CHF 3.97
27.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.69 CHF 7.91
$8.68 CHF 7.09
11.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.64 CHF 7.87
$6.88 CHF 5.62
40.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Basel
Affoltern am Albis
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.25 CHF 1.84
$2.28 CHF 1.86
-1.32%
White Bread (500g)
$3.18 CHF 2.60
$3.75 CHF 3.06
-15.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.33 CHF 2.72
$4.15 CHF 3.39
-19.76%
Eggs
$8.20 CHF 6.70
$7.18 CHF 5.86
14.21%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$26.64 CHF 21.75
$27.63 CHF 22.56
-3.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$27.19 CHF 22.20
$29.53 CHF 24.11
-7.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$41.07 CHF 33.53
$42.47 CHF 34.68
-3.30%
Apples (1kg)
$3.57 CHF 2.91
$3.64 CHF 2.97
-1.92%
Banana (1kg)
$2.29 CHF 1.87
$1.97 CHF 1.61
16.24%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.95 CHF 2.41
$2.78 CHF 2.27
6.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.64 CHF 3.79
$5.33 CHF 4.35
-12.95%
Potato (1kg)
$1.39 CHF 1.13
$2.00 CHF 1.64
-30.50%
Onion (1kg)
$1.92 CHF 1.57
$2.23 CHF 1.82
-13.90%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.29 CHF 1.87
$2.39 CHF 1.95
-4.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.64 CHF 1.34
$1.12 CHF 0.91
46.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.52 CHF 9.41
$10.90 CHF 8.90
5.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.01 CHF 9.80
$12.25 CHF 10.00
-1.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.58 CHF 2.11
$3.02 CHF 2.46
-14.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.14 CHF 2.57
$3.08 CHF 2.52
1.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Basel
Affoltern am Albis
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$5.20 CHF 4.25
$4.55 CHF 3.72
14.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$106 CHF 86.5
$101 CHF 82.2
5.25%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$8.02 CHF 6.55
$4.57 CHF 3.73
75.49%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.60 CHF 3.75
$2.87 CHF 2.35
60.28%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$86.6 CHF 70.7
$37.16 CHF 30.34
132.91%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.36 CHF 1.93
$2.23 CHF 1.82
5.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.5K CHF 32.2K
$39.7K CHF 32.4K
-0.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.9K CHF 32.6K
$40.4K CHF 32.9K
-1.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Basel
Affoltern am Albis
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$293 CHF 239
$310 CHF 253
-5.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$45.83 CHF 37.42
$29.14 CHF 23.79
57.28%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$65.1 CHF 53.2
$63.0 CHF 51.4
3.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Basel
Affoltern am Albis
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$82.8 CHF 67.6
$84.6 CHF 69.1
-2.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$58.7 CHF 47.89
$52.1 CHF 42.56
12.55%
Cinema Ticket
$23.03 CHF 18.80
$21.72 CHF 17.74
6.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Basel
Affoltern am Albis
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,165 CHF 2,584
$1,503 CHF 1,227
110.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$36.5K CHF 29.8K
$25.4K CHF 20.7K
43.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Basel
Affoltern am Albis
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$148 CHF 121
$168 CHF 137
-11.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$81.0 CHF 66.1
$67.8 CHF 55.4
19.42%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$161 CHF 131
$152 CHF 124
6.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$203 CHF 166
$279 CHF 228
-27.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Basel
Affoltern am Albis
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,144 CHF 1,751
$1,926 CHF 1,573
11.33%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,672 CHF 1,365
$1,423 CHF 1,162
17.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,637 CHF 2,970
$2,947 CHF 2,406
23.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,971 CHF 2,426
$2,800 CHF 2,286
6.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.2K CHF 14.8K
$14.4K CHF 11.8K
26.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$13.4K CHF 11.0K
$10.7K CHF 8,756
25.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Basel
Affoltern am Albis
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$6,781 CHF 5,536
$8,054 CHF 6,576
-15.81%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.42
1.9
27.37%

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

Last update for Basel: November 2, 2026

Last update for Affoltern am Albis: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Basel
$1.7K
Affoltern am Albis
$1.4K 14.9% $249
Groceries & Markets
Basel
$586
Affoltern am Albis
$611 4.1% $24
Eating Out
Basel
$493
Affoltern am Albis
$469 5% $25
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Basel
$404
Affoltern am Albis
$402 0.4% $1.6
Clothing & Footwear
Basel
$267
Affoltern am Albis
$300 12.4% $33
Getting Around
Basel
$158
Affoltern am Albis
$138 12.7% $20
Sport & Entertainment
Basel
$129
Affoltern am Albis
$128 0.7% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,144 in Basel versus $1,926 in Affoltern am Albis. 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 19% higher in Affoltern am Albis, 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 $129 in Basel versus $186 in Affoltern am Albis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $586 vs $611 – making Basel the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇭 Basel
🇨🇭 Affoltern am Albis
🕒 Local time
10:44 10:44 AM
10:44 10:44 AM
Same time as Basel
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
174,491
11,363
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.816 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.917 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Basel Affoltern am Albis 72 km
From you
  • Basel
  • Affoltern am Albis

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 Affoltern am Albis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Basel or Affoltern am Albis?
Basel costs about 7% more than Affoltern am Albis, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Basel and in Affoltern am Albis?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,563 per month in Basel and $5,205 in Affoltern am Albis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Basel or Affoltern am Albis?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Affoltern am Albis, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,926 there versus $2,144 in Basel.
How expensive is transport in Basel compared to Affoltern am Albis?
Public transport costs about 5% less in Affoltern am Albis. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
How do childcare costs compare in Basel and in Affoltern am Albis?
Kindergarten costs $3,165 per month in Basel and $1,503 in Affoltern am Albis. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Basel or in Affoltern am Albis?
$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,709 in Basel and $3,470 in Affoltern am Albis. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Affoltern am Albis – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Basel compared to Affoltern am Albis?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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