Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Buchs

For one person, living is cheaper in Buchs: $3,009 a month against $3,530 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

170

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index
146

Cost of Living Index in Buchs
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Buchs Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,530

/mo nomad

Buchs

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Buchs

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,530 in Basel versus $3,009 in Buchs.

Basel $3,530
Buchs $3,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,502 in Basel versus $4,535 in Buchs.

Basel $5,502
Buchs $4,535

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,475 in Basel versus $6,062 in Buchs.

Basel $7,475
Buchs $6,062

Living in Basel is roughly 17% more expensive than in Buchs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 160% above, Buchs 122% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.81 CHF 25.37

$23.43 CHF 19.30

31.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 CHF 102

$84.3 CHF 69.4

47.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.05 CHF 14.87

$15.36 CHF 12.65

17.51%

Cappuccino

$6.21 CHF 5.12

$4.71 CHF 3.88

31.85%

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

$6.29 CHF 5.18

$3.77 CHF 3.10

66.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.84 CHF 4.81

$3.20 CHF 2.63

82.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.11 CHF 7.50

$6.13 CHF 5.04

48.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 CHF 8.12

$5.39 CHF 4.44

82.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$2.01 CHF 1.66

13.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.10 CHF 2.55

$3.94 CHF 3.24

-21.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.18 CHF 2.62

$4.64 CHF 3.82

-31.47%

Eggs

$7.73 CHF 6.37

$7.32 CHF 6.03

5.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.69

$32.21 CHF 26.53

-18.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.70 CHF 22.82

$18.51 CHF 15.24

49.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.59 CHF 33.43

$32.47 CHF 26.74

25.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 CHF 2.94

$3.53 CHF 2.91

1.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.90

$2.14 CHF 1.76

7.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 CHF 2.41

$3.14 CHF 2.59

-7.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 CHF 3.73

$6.70 CHF 5.52

-32.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.39

$1.78 CHF 1.46

-5.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CHF 1.60

$2.54 CHF 2.10

-23.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 CHF 1.84

$2.44 CHF 2.01

-8.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 CHF 1.33

$1.21 CHF 1.00

33.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.46 CHF 9.44

$10.84 CHF 8.92

5.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.21 CHF 10.06

$12.70 CHF 10.46

-3.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 CHF 2.05

$3.28 CHF 2.70

-24.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 CHF 2.48

$3.91 CHF 3.22

-23.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.62 CHF 3.81

$5.17 CHF 4.25

-10.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 CHF 85.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 CHF 6.51

$5.36 CHF 4.42

47.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.74 CHF 3.90

$3.46 CHF 2.85

36.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$86.5 CHF 71.2

$61.2 CHF 50.4

41.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.40 CHF 1.98

$2.23 CHF 1.83

7.62%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

$42.5K CHF 35.0K

-7.54%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

-0.42%

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

$288 CHF 237

$184 CHF 152

56.34%

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

$45.72 CHF 37.66

$31.24 CHF 25.73

46.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.8 CHF 51.8

$67.2 CHF 55.4

-6.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.5 CHF 68.0

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.6 CHF 47.41

Cinema Ticket

$22.67 CHF 18.67

$15.20 CHF 12.52

49.14%

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

$2,996 CHF 2,468

$611 CHF 503

390.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.9K CHF 27.1K

$20.7K CHF 17.0K

59.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$145 CHF 119

$107 CHF 88.0

35.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 65.8

$23.70 CHF 19.52

237.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$166 CHF 136

$95.2 CHF 78.4

73.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$196 CHF 161

$170 CHF 140

15.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,016 CHF 1,660

$1,828 CHF 1,505

10.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 CHF 1,248

$1,561 CHF 1,285

-2.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,521 CHF 2,900

$2,690 CHF 2,216

30.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,826 CHF 2,327

$2,746 CHF 2,261

2.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K CHF 15.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.4K CHF 11.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,949 CHF 5,723

$8,480 CHF 6,984

-18.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

1.93

25.39%

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

Last update for Basel: October 18, 2026

Last update for Buchs: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.5K 42.9%

Buchs

$1.6K 51.9% 3% $45

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$583 16.5%

Buchs

$555 18.4% 4.8% $28

Eating Out

Basel

$489 13.9%

Buchs

$359 11.9% 26.5% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$397 11.2%

Buchs

$283 9.4% 28.7% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$264 7.5%

Buchs

$178 5.9% 32.5% $86

Getting Around

Basel

$154 4.4%

Buchs

$43 * 1.4% 71.9% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.6%

Buchs

$30 * 1% 76.2% $97

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,016 in Basel and $1,828 in Buchs. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buchs pays 22% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $124 in Basel vs $84.0 in Buchs for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $583 vs $555 per month, with Buchs cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Buchs

🕒 Local time

12:16 12:16 PM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

12,187

💱 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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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 Buchs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buchs wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Buchs the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Buchs. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,016 in Basel versus $1,828 in Buchs. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,996 in Basel versus $611 in Buchs. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Buchs – a meal for two runs $84.0 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. Buchs is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Buchs delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $3,009 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Buchs hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Basel and Buchs are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Buchs gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Basel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.