Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Airolo

For one person, living is cheaper in Airolo: $3,429 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index
166

Cost of Living Index in Airolo
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Airolo Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Airolo

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,429

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Airolo

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 Airolo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,669 per month in Basel vs $3,429 in Airolo, rent included.

Basel $3,669
Airolo $3,429

A couple spends around $5,649 per month in Basel vs $5,222 in Airolo, rent included.

Basel $5,649
Airolo $5,222

A family of three spends $7,629 per month in Basel vs $7,014 in Airolo, rent included.

Basel $7,629
Airolo $7,014

Basel costs about 7% more than Airolo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Basel and Airolo sit above the global median – Basel by 170%, Airolo by 152%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.27 CHF 25.11

$30.61 CHF 25.39

-1.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 CHF 104

$122 CHF 101

2.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.91 CHF 14.86

$18.47 CHF 15.32

-3.03%

Cappuccino

$6.52 CHF 5.41

$6.09 CHF 5.05

7.06%

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

$6.47 CHF 5.37

$5.34 CHF 4.43

21.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 CHF 4.90

$4.76 CHF 3.95

24.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.41 CHF 7.81

$9.03 CHF 7.49

4.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.87

$7.23 CHF 6.00

31.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.90

$2.16 CHF 1.79

6.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CHF 2.52

$3.73 CHF 3.09

-18.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CHF 2.72

$3.85 CHF 3.20

-15.06%

Eggs

$7.97 CHF 6.61

$7.76 CHF 6.43

2.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.85

$25.74 CHF 21.35

2.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.32 CHF 22.66

$27.78 CHF 23.04

-1.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 CHF 34.13

$41.65 CHF 34.55

-1.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CHF 3.07

$3.57 CHF 2.97

3.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.91

$2.04 CHF 1.69

12.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 CHF 2.51

$2.73 CHF 2.27

10.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 CHF 3.77

$4.80 CHF 3.98

-5.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.39

$1.80 CHF 1.49

-6.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.58

$2.15 CHF 1.78

-11.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.88

$2.27 CHF 1.89

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$1.27 CHF 1.05

25.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 9.25

$11.00 CHF 9.12

1.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CHF 9.87

$12.66 CHF 10.50

-6.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.03

$2.79 CHF 2.31

-12.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CHF 2.52

$3.18 CHF 2.63

-4.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 CHF 4.33

$4.34 CHF 3.60

20.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.9

$99.9 CHF 82.9

4.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 CHF 6.62

$7.77 CHF 6.44

2.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.83

$4.70 CHF 3.90

-1.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.3 CHF 69.1

$76.8 CHF 63.7

8.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 CHF 2.01

$2.31 CHF 1.92

4.76%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.8K

$38.5K CHF 31.9K

-0.43%

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

$40.0K CHF 33.2K

$39.7K CHF 32.9K

0.73%

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

$296 CHF 245

$281 CHF 233

5.32%

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

$46.31 CHF 38.42

$32.77 CHF 27.18

41.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.4

$55.8 CHF 46.32

13.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 CHF 68.0

$89.6 CHF 74.3

-8.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.33

$46.44 CHF 38.53

25.45%

Cinema Ticket

$22.84 CHF 18.95

$23.28 CHF 19.32

-1.89%

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

$3,139 CHF 2,604

$2,936 CHF 2,435

6.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 27.1K

$32.5K CHF 26.9K

0.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 120

$144 CHF 119

0.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 66.3

$57.8 CHF 47.97

38.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$166 CHF 137

-3.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 162

$184 CHF 153

5.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,732

$1,795 CHF 1,489

16.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,366

$1,463 CHF 1,214

12.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 CHF 3,001

$2,992 CHF 2,482

20.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,966 CHF 2,461

$2,469 CHF 2,049

20.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

$16.2K CHF 13.4K

8.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

$12.5K CHF 10.4K

9.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,873

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

2.07

16.91%

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

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Last update for Airolo: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

Airolo

$1.5K 42.7% 11.1% $183

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$584 15.9%

Airolo

$591 17.2% 1.3% $7.3

Eating Out

Basel

$490 13.3%

Airolo

$473 13.8% 3.3% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$405 11%

Airolo

$369 10.8% 8.8% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$261 7.1%

Airolo

$248 7.2% 4.8% $12

Getting Around

Basel

$157 4.3%

Airolo

$149 4.3% 5.2% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.5%

Airolo

$136 4% 6.6% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,087 in Basel versus $1,795 in Airolo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $125 in Basel versus $122 in Airolo. Groceries tell a different story – $584 in Basel vs $591 in Airolo – so Basel wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Airolo

🕒 Local time

00:45 12:45 AM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

1,500

💱 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

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Basel Airolo 140 km

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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 Airolo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Basel costs about 7% more than Airolo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,504 per month in Basel and $5,144 in Airolo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Airolo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,795 there versus $2,087 in Basel.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,669 in Basel and $3,429 in Airolo. That makes Airolo about 7% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 5% less in Airolo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,669 in Basel and $3,429 in Airolo. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Airolo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.