Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Brissago

For one person, living costs are similar in Basel and in Brissago: $3,530 and $3,504 a month, rent and utilities included.

170

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index
166

Cost of Living Index in Brissago
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Brissago Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,530

/mo nomad

Brissago

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Brissago

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,530 in Basel versus $3,504 in Brissago.

Basel $3,530
Brissago $3,504

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,502 in Basel versus $5,141 in Brissago.

Basel $5,502
Brissago $5,141

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,475 in Basel versus $6,777 in Brissago.

Basel $7,475
Brissago $6,777

Living in Basel is roughly 1% more expensive than in Brissago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 160% above, Brissago 159% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.81 CHF 25.50

$29.38 CHF 24.32

4.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 CHF 103

$123 CHF 102

0.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.05 CHF 14.94

$15.55 CHF 12.87

16.08%

Cappuccino

$6.21 CHF 5.14

$6.77 CHF 5.61

-8.27%

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

$6.29 CHF 5.21

$6.33 CHF 5.24

-0.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.84 CHF 4.83

$7.21 CHF 5.97

-19.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.11 CHF 7.54

$9.14 CHF 7.57

-0.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 CHF 8.16

$7.99 CHF 6.61

23.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.90

$2.12 CHF 1.75

8.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.10 CHF 2.56

$3.00 CHF 2.48

3.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.18 CHF 2.63

$3.14 CHF 2.60

1.27%

Eggs

$7.73 CHF 6.40

$7.88 CHF 6.53

-1.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.80

$24.67 CHF 20.42

6.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.70 CHF 22.93

$29.66 CHF 24.55

-6.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.59 CHF 33.59

$39.72 CHF 32.88

2.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 CHF 2.95

$4.03 CHF 3.34

-11.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.90

$2.00 CHF 1.65

15.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 CHF 2.42

$2.76 CHF 2.28

5.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 CHF 3.75

$4.76 CHF 3.94

-4.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.39

$1.66 CHF 1.37

1.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CHF 1.61

$2.07 CHF 1.72

-6.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 CHF 1.85

$2.30 CHF 1.90

-3.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 CHF 1.34

$1.35 CHF 1.12

19.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.46 CHF 9.49

$11.12 CHF 9.20

3.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.21 CHF 10.11

$12.14 CHF 10.05

0.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 CHF 2.06

$2.19 CHF 1.81

13.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 CHF 2.49

$2.99 CHF 2.48

0.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.62 CHF 3.83

$4.69 CHF 3.88

-1.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 CHF 85.9

$92.5 CHF 76.6

12.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 CHF 6.54

$8.06 CHF 6.67

-1.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.74 CHF 3.92

$4.57 CHF 3.79

3.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$86.5 CHF 71.6

$108 CHF 89.0

-19.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.40 CHF 1.99

$2.29 CHF 1.89

4.80%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.6K

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

-0.66%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.6K

$39.2K CHF 32.5K

0.49%

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

$288 CHF 239

$279 CHF 231

3.17%

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

$45.72 CHF 37.84

$28.26 CHF 23.39

61.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.8 CHF 52.0

$56.1 CHF 46.44

11.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.5 CHF 68.3

$79.8 CHF 66.0

3.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.6 CHF 47.64

$42.62 CHF 35.27

35.05%

Cinema Ticket

$22.67 CHF 18.76

$24.22 CHF 20.04

-6.40%

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

$2,996 CHF 2,480

$3,145 CHF 2,603

-4.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.9K CHF 27.2K

$30.8K CHF 25.5K

6.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$145 CHF 120

$141 CHF 117

2.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 66.1

$61.7 CHF 51.1

29.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$166 CHF 137

$154 CHF 128

7.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$196 CHF 162

$197 CHF 163

-0.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,016 CHF 1,668

$1,807 CHF 1,496

11.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 CHF 1,254

$1,563 CHF 1,293

-3.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,521 CHF 2,914

$2,635 CHF 2,181

33.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,826 CHF 2,339

$2,281 CHF 1,888

23.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K CHF 15.1K

$18.9K CHF 15.6K

-3.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.4K CHF 11.9K

$10.9K CHF 9,050

31.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,949 CHF 5,751

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 18, 2026

Last update for Brissago: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.5K 42.9%

Brissago

$1.6K 44.6% 3.1% $47

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$583 16.5%

Brissago

$579 16.5% 0.6% $3.5

Eating Out

Basel

$489 13.9%

Brissago

$479 13.7% 2.1% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$397 11.2%

Brissago

$364 10.4% 8.3% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$264 7.5%

Brissago

$249 7.1% 5.5% $15

Getting Around

Basel

$154 4.4%

Brissago

$142 4.1% 7.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.6%

Brissago

$128 3.7% 0.3% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,016 in Basel and $1,807 in Brissago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $124 in Basel vs $123 in Brissago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $583 vs $579 per month, with Brissago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Brissago

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

1,800

💱 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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Basel Brissago 180 km

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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 Brissago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brissago wins on cost – living expenses run 1% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Brissago the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $5,295 in Basel and $5,256 in Brissago 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 $1,807 in Brissago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,530 per month in Basel versus $3,504 in Brissago – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Brissago runs roughly 11% less than in Basel. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

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