Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Bern Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Bern

😐 Solo nomad: Basel is 8.1% more expensive than Bern without rent, and 6.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Basel is 13.3% more expensive than Bern without rent, and 12.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Basel
Bern
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$31.25 CHF 25.41
$28.32 CHF 23.03
10.35%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$156 CHF 127
$110 CHF 89.3
41.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$19.97 CHF 16.24
$17.37 CHF 14.12
14.97%
Cappuccino
$6.94 CHF 5.65
$5.8 CHF 4.72
19.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.53 CHF 4.49
$4.78 CHF 3.89
15.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.98 CHF 4.05
$4.77 CHF 3.88
4.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$10.15 CHF 8.26
$8.08 CHF 6.57
25.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.31 CHF 5.94
$6.27 CHF 5.09
16.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Basel
Bern
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.27 CHF 1.84
$2.24 CHF 1.82
1.34%
White Bread (500g)
$3.74 CHF 3.04
$3.29 CHF 2.68
13.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.06 CHF 4.12
$4.08 CHF 3.32
24.02%
Eggs
$7.78 CHF 6.32
$6.93 CHF 5.64
12.27%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$28.37 CHF 23.06
$28.01 CHF 22.77
1.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$37 CHF 30.08
$35.98 CHF 29.26
2.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$43.73 CHF 35.55
$41.51 CHF 33.75
5.35%
Apples (1kg)
$3.86 CHF 3.14
$3.49 CHF 2.84
10.60%
Banana (1kg)
$2.7 CHF 2.2
$2.13 CHF 1.73
26.76%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.05 CHF 3.3
$2.78 CHF 2.26
45.68%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.86 CHF 5.58
$7.02 CHF 5.7
-2.28%
Potato (1kg)
$3.13 CHF 2.54
$2.23 CHF 1.81
40.36%
Onion (1kg)
$2.87 CHF 2.33
$2.22 CHF 1.8
29.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.66 CHF 2.16
$2.53 CHF 2.06
5.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.48 CHF 1.21
$1.11 CHF 0.9
33.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.76 CHF 9.56
$11.5 CHF 9.35
2.26%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.36 CHF 12.49
$12.65 CHF 10.29
21.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 CHF 1.9
$1.87 CHF 1.52
24.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 CHF 2.45
$2.26 CHF 1.83
33.19%
🚌 Getting Around
Basel
Bern
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.8 CHF 3.91
$3.59 CHF 2.92
33.70%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$105 CHF 85.4
$96 CHF 78
9.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.9 CHF 6.42
$8.03 CHF 6.53
-1.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.12 CHF 3.35
$4.32 CHF 3.52
-4.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$87.7 CHF 71.3
$92.7 CHF 75.4
-5.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.23 CHF 1.81
$2.2 CHF 1.79
1.36%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.7K CHF 33.1K
$40.2K CHF 32.7K
1.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$45.6K CHF 37.1K
$57.5K CHF 46.7K
-20.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Basel
Bern
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$309 CHF 251
$377 CHF 307
-18.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$54.1 CHF 44
$59 CHF 47.97
-8.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.6 CHF 48.5
$58.1 CHF 47.2
2.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Basel
Bern
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$88.4 CHF 71.9
$82.8 CHF 67.4
6.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$42.41 CHF 34.49
$47.33 CHF 38.49
-10.40%
Cinema Ticket
$23.02 CHF 18.71
$24.24 CHF 19.71
-5.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Basel
Bern
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,539 CHF 2,064
$3,311 CHF 2,692
-23.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$34.5K CHF 28K
$39.8K CHF 32.4K
-13.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Basel
Bern
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$136 CHF 111
$152 CHF 124
-10.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$87.7 CHF 71.3
$67 CHF 54.5
30.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$178 CHF 145
$173 CHF 141
3.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$228 CHF 185
$189 CHF 153
20.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Basel
Bern
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,108 CHF 1,714
$1,884 CHF 1,532
11.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,500 CHF 1,220
$1,282 CHF 1,042
17.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,798 CHF 3,088
$3,314 CHF 2,694
14.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,881 CHF 2,343
$2,401 CHF 1,952
20.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$21K CHF 17.1K
$22.6K CHF 18.4K
-7.10%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$17K CHF 13.8K
$17.7K CHF 14.4K
-4.00%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Basel
Bern
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$8,088 CHF 6,576
$7,599 CHF 6,178
6.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.55
2.52
1.19%

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

Last update for Basel: October 29, 2025

Last update for Bern: October 27, 2025

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