Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Cham

For one person, living costs are similar in Basel and in Cham: $3,669 and $3,575 a month, rent and utilities included.

176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index
172

Cost of Living Index in Cham
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Cham Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Cham

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,575

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Cham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,669 in Basel versus $3,575 in Cham.

Basel $3,669
Cham $3,575

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,649 in Basel versus $5,453 in Cham.

Basel $5,649
Cham $5,453

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,629 in Basel versus $7,331 in Cham.

Basel $7,629
Cham $7,331

Living in Basel is roughly 3% more expensive than in Cham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 170% above, Cham 163% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.27 CHF 25.11

$29.74 CHF 24.67

1.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 CHF 104

$122 CHF 101

2.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.91 CHF 14.86

$17.93 CHF 14.87

-0.11%

Cappuccino

$6.52 CHF 5.41

$5.82 CHF 4.83

12.03%

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

$6.47 CHF 5.37

$5.32 CHF 4.42

21.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 CHF 4.90

$4.87 CHF 4.04

21.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.41 CHF 7.81

$8.45 CHF 7.01

11.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.87

$6.53 CHF 5.42

45.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.90

$2.13 CHF 1.76

7.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CHF 2.52

$3.76 CHF 3.12

-19.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CHF 2.72

$3.62 CHF 3.00

-9.67%

Eggs

$7.97 CHF 6.61

$7.27 CHF 6.03

9.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.85

$26.38 CHF 21.88

-0.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.32 CHF 22.66

$28.65 CHF 23.77

-4.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 CHF 34.13

$42.06 CHF 34.89

-2.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CHF 3.07

$3.91 CHF 3.25

-5.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.91

$2.15 CHF 1.78

6.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 CHF 2.51

$3.10 CHF 2.57

-2.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 CHF 3.77

$4.58 CHF 3.80

-0.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.39

$2.25 CHF 1.87

-25.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.58

$2.24 CHF 1.86

-14.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.88

$2.39 CHF 1.98

-5.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$1.11 CHF 0.92

44.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 9.25

$11.02 CHF 9.15

1.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CHF 9.87

$12.08 CHF 10.02

-1.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.03

$2.82 CHF 2.34

-13.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CHF 2.52

$3.10 CHF 2.58

-2.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 CHF 4.33

$5.13 CHF 4.26

1.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.9

$146 CHF 121

-28.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 CHF 6.62

$4.44 CHF 3.69

79.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.83

$2.96 CHF 2.45

55.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.3 CHF 69.1

$59.7 CHF 49.49

39.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 CHF 2.01

$2.19 CHF 1.82

10.50%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.8K

$39.7K CHF 32.9K

-3.40%

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

$40.0K CHF 33.2K

$39.9K CHF 33.1K

0.18%

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

$296 CHF 245

$286 CHF 237

3.33%

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

$46.31 CHF 38.42

$29.15 CHF 24.18

58.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.4

$54.8 CHF 45.49

15.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 CHF 68.0

$85.3 CHF 70.7

-3.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.33

$40.01 CHF 33.19

45.61%

Cinema Ticket

$22.84 CHF 18.95

$22.10 CHF 18.34

3.35%

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

$3,139 CHF 2,604

$1,488 CHF 1,234

111.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 27.1K

$24.7K CHF 20.5K

32.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 120

$137 CHF 114

5.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 66.3

$54.0 CHF 44.76

48.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$157 CHF 130

1.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 162

$249 CHF 206

-21.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,732

$1,780 CHF 1,477

17.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,366

$1,566 CHF 1,299

5.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 CHF 3,001

$2,896 CHF 2,402

24.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,966 CHF 2,461

$2,704 CHF 2,243

9.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

$13.0K CHF 10.8K

34.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

$11.7K CHF 9,730

17.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,873

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

2.03

19.21%

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

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cham: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

Cham

$1.6K 43.8% 4.9% $80

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$584 15.9%

Cham

$597 16.7% 2.3% $14

Eating Out

Basel

$490 13.3%

Cham

$458 12.8% 6.5% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$405 11%

Cham

$370 10.4% 8.6% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$261 7.1%

Cham

$268 7.5% 3.1% $8

Getting Around

Basel

$157 4.3%

Cham

$186 5.2% 18.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.5%

Cham

$129 3.6% 1.4% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,087 in Basel and $1,780 in Cham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $125 in Basel vs $122 in Cham. Groceries flip the comparison at $584 vs $597, with Basel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Cham

🕒 Local time

13:59 1:59 PM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

17,060

💱 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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Between locations

Basel Cham 78 km

From you

Basel
Cham

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 Cham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cham wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cham the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $5,504 in Basel and $5,362 in Cham 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: $2,087 in Basel versus $1,780 in Cham. 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 $3,575 in Cham – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Basel runs roughly 28% less than in Cham. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Cham 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 Cham are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.