Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Ascona

For one person, living costs are similar in Basel and in Ascona: $3,530 and $3,528 a month, rent and utilities included.

170

Cost of Living Index in Basel
Learn more

Basel Living Index
170

Cost of Living Index in Ascona
Learn more

Ascona Living Index

Jump to prices

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,530

/mo nomad

Ascona

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,528

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Ascona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,530 in Basel versus $3,528 in Ascona.

Basel $3,530
Ascona $3,528

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,502 in Basel versus $5,347 in Ascona.

Basel $5,502
Ascona $5,347

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,475 in Basel versus $7,166 in Ascona.

Basel $7,475
Ascona $7,166

Monthly costs are close between Basel and Ascona; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 160% above, Ascona 160% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.81 CHF 25.50

$24.67 CHF 20.42

24.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 CHF 103

$118 CHF 98.0

5.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.05 CHF 14.94

$21.67 CHF 17.93

-16.71%

Cappuccino

$6.21 CHF 5.14

$6.77 CHF 5.60

-8.27%

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

$6.29 CHF 5.21

$3.03 CHF 2.51

107.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.84 CHF 4.83

$6.14 CHF 5.08

-4.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.11 CHF 7.54

$9.36 CHF 7.74

-2.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 CHF 8.16

$3.67 CHF 3.04

168.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.90

$2.24 CHF 1.86

2.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.10 CHF 2.56

$4.00 CHF 3.31

-22.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.18 CHF 2.63

$4.25 CHF 3.51

-25.18%

Eggs

$7.73 CHF 6.40

$7.84 CHF 6.48

-1.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.80

$27.21 CHF 22.52

-3.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.70 CHF 22.93

$30.50 CHF 25.24

-9.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.59 CHF 33.59

$42.01 CHF 34.77

-3.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 CHF 2.95

$3.71 CHF 3.07

-3.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.90

$1.92 CHF 1.59

19.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 CHF 2.42

$2.82 CHF 2.33

3.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 CHF 3.75

$5.36 CHF 4.44

-15.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.39

$2.00 CHF 1.66

-16.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CHF 1.61

$2.12 CHF 1.75

-8.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 CHF 1.85

$2.38 CHF 1.97

-6.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 CHF 1.34

$1.33 CHF 1.10

21.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.46 CHF 9.49

$10.90 CHF 9.02

5.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.21 CHF 10.11

$17.92 CHF 14.83

-31.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 CHF 2.06

$2.92 CHF 2.42

-14.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 CHF 2.49

$3.98 CHF 3.29

-24.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.62 CHF 3.83

$4.28 CHF 3.54

7.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 CHF 85.9

$101 CHF 83.5

2.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 CHF 6.54

$8.68 CHF 7.18

-8.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.74 CHF 3.92

$5.83 CHF 4.83

-18.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$86.5 CHF 71.6

$36.09 CHF 29.87

139.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.40 CHF 1.99

$2.24 CHF 1.85

7.14%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.6K

$42.3K CHF 35.0K

-7.09%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.6K

$39.7K CHF 32.9K

-0.73%

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

$288 CHF 239

$273 CHF 226

5.67%

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

$45.72 CHF 37.84

$38.22 CHF 31.63

19.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.8 CHF 52.0

$61.6 CHF 51.0

1.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.5 CHF 68.3

$88.4 CHF 73.2

-6.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.6 CHF 47.64

$46.11 CHF 38.16

24.83%

Cinema Ticket

$22.67 CHF 18.76

$23.40 CHF 19.37

-3.12%

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

$2,996 CHF 2,480

$4,239 CHF 3,508

-29.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.9K CHF 27.2K

$35.2K CHF 29.1K

-6.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$145 CHF 120

$165 CHF 137

-12.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 66.1

$68.7 CHF 56.9

16.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$166 CHF 137

$150 CHF 125

10.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$196 CHF 162

$272 CHF 225

-28.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,016 CHF 1,668

$1,744 CHF 1,444

15.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 CHF 1,254

$1,502 CHF 1,243

0.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,521 CHF 2,914

$2,963 CHF 2,452

18.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,826 CHF 2,339

$2,517 CHF 2,083

12.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K CHF 15.1K

$16.4K CHF 13.6K

11.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.4K CHF 11.9K

$12.3K CHF 10.1K

17.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,949 CHF 5,751

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: October 18, 2026

Last update for Ascona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.5K 42.9%

Ascona

$1.5K 42.6% 0.9% $14

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$583 16.5%

Ascona

$633 18% 8.6% $50

Eating Out

Basel

$489 13.9%

Ascona

$434 12.3% 11.2% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$397 11.2%

Ascona

$373 10.6% 6.1% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$264 7.5%

Ascona

$295 8.4% 11.9% $31

Getting Around

Basel

$154 4.4%

Ascona

$156 4.4% 1.3% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.6%

Ascona

$135 3.8% 5.7% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,016 in Basel and $1,744 in Ascona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $124 in Basel vs $118 in Ascona. Groceries flip the comparison at $583 vs $633, with Basel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Ascona

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

5,500

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Basel Ascona 180 km

From you

Basel
Ascona

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 Ascona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $5,295 in Basel and $5,292 in Ascona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,016 in Basel versus $1,744 in Ascona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,996 in Basel versus $4,239 in Ascona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ascona – a meal for two runs $118 versus $124 in Basel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Ascona 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 Ascona are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.