Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Bern

For one person, living is cheaper in Bern: $3,524 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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
171

Cost of Living Index in Bern
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Bern Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Bern

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Bern

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,669 in Basel versus $3,524 in Bern.

Basel $3,669
Bern $3,524

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,649 in Basel versus $5,348 in Bern.

Basel $5,649
Bern $5,348

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,629 in Basel versus $7,171 in Bern.

Basel $7,629
Bern $7,171

Living in Basel is roughly 4% more expensive than in Bern, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 170% above, Bern 159% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.27 CHF 25.11

$28.73 CHF 23.83

5.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 CHF 104

$123 CHF 102

1.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.91 CHF 14.86

$15.88 CHF 13.17

12.78%

Cappuccino

$6.52 CHF 5.41

$6.89 CHF 5.72

-5.37%

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

$6.47 CHF 5.37

$6.13 CHF 5.09

5.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 CHF 4.90

$6.96 CHF 5.78

-15.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.41 CHF 7.81

$9.11 CHF 7.55

3.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.87

$8.06 CHF 6.69

17.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.90

$2.21 CHF 1.84

3.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CHF 2.52

$2.92 CHF 2.42

4.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CHF 2.72

$3.17 CHF 2.63

3.15%

Eggs

$7.97 CHF 6.61

$7.70 CHF 6.39

3.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.85

$24.56 CHF 20.37

7.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.32 CHF 22.66

$29.33 CHF 24.33

-6.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 CHF 34.13

$38.43 CHF 31.88

7.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CHF 3.07

$3.80 CHF 3.15

-2.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.91

$2.01 CHF 1.67

14.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 CHF 2.51

$2.60 CHF 2.15

16.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 CHF 3.77

$4.62 CHF 3.83

-1.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.39

$1.65 CHF 1.37

1.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.58

$2.05 CHF 1.70

-6.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.88

$2.21 CHF 1.84

2.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$1.28 CHF 1.06

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 9.25

$11.13 CHF 9.24

0.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CHF 9.87

$11.91 CHF 9.88

-0.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.03

$2.29 CHF 1.90

6.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CHF 2.52

$3.02 CHF 2.51

0.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 CHF 4.33

$6.35 CHF 5.27

-17.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.9

$97.9 CHF 81.2

7.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 CHF 6.62

$7.99 CHF 6.63

-0.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.83

$4.66 CHF 3.86

-1.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.3 CHF 69.1

$110 CHF 91.4

-24.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 CHF 2.01

$2.36 CHF 1.96

2.54%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.8K

$38.5K CHF 32.0K

-0.51%

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

$40.0K CHF 33.2K

$39.6K CHF 32.9K

0.96%

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

$296 CHF 245

$272 CHF 225

8.72%

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

$46.31 CHF 38.42

$28.10 CHF 23.31

64.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.4

$54.0 CHF 44.82

16.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 CHF 68.0

$85.2 CHF 70.7

-3.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.33

$47.65 CHF 39.53

22.27%

Cinema Ticket

$22.84 CHF 18.95

$25.53 CHF 21.18

-10.54%

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

$3,139 CHF 2,604

$3,123 CHF 2,591

0.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 27.1K

$30.5K CHF 25.3K

6.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 120

$144 CHF 119

0.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 66.3

$61.4 CHF 50.9

30.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$155 CHF 129

2.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 162

$198 CHF 164

-1.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,732

$2,102 CHF 1,744

-0.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,366

$1,584 CHF 1,314

3.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 CHF 3,001

$3,558 CHF 2,952

1.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,966 CHF 2,461

$2,670 CHF 2,215

11.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

$18.2K CHF 15.1K

-4.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

$14.0K CHF 11.6K

-2.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,873

$6,701 CHF 5,559

5.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

2.46

-1.63%

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

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bern: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

Bern

$1.6K 45% 3.8% $62

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$584 15.9%

Bern

$570 16.2% 2.4% $14

Eating Out

Basel

$490 13.3%

Bern

$474 13.5% 3.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$405 11%

Bern

$354 10% 12.6% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$261 7.1%

Bern

$251 7.1% 3.6% $9.3

Getting Around

Basel

$157 4.3%

Bern

$155 4.4% 1.4% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.5%

Bern

$136 3.9% 6.7% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,087 in Basel and $2,102 in Bern. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays 6% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $125 in Basel vs $123 in Bern for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $584 vs $570 per month, with Bern cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Bern

🕒 Local time

23:09 11:09 PM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

128,848 Capital

💱 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

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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 Bern: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bern wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bern the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 6% higher in Basel, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,087 in Basel versus $2,102 in Bern. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,669 per month in Basel versus $3,524 in Bern – Bern is about 4% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bern runs roughly 7% less than in Basel. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Bern 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 Bern are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Bern wins on affordability, Basel on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.