Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Crans-Montana

For one person, living costs are similar in Basel and in Crans-Montana: $3,530 and $3,440 a month, rent and utilities included.

170

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index
162

Cost of Living Index in Crans-Montana
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Crans-Montana Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,530

/mo nomad

Crans-Montana

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,440

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Crans-Montana

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 Crans-Montana actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,530 in Basel versus $3,440 in Crans-Montana.

Basel $3,530
Crans-Montana $3,440

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,502 in Basel versus $5,216 in Crans-Montana.

Basel $5,502
Crans-Montana $5,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,475 in Basel versus $6,992 in Crans-Montana.

Basel $7,475
Crans-Montana $6,992

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 160% above, Crans-Montana 154% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.81 CHF 25.50

$18.31 CHF 15.15

68.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 CHF 103

$102 CHF 84.1

22.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.05 CHF 14.94

$17.87 CHF 14.79

1.01%

Cappuccino

$6.21 CHF 5.14

$3.53 CHF 2.92

75.92%

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

$6.29 CHF 5.21

$4.64 CHF 3.84

35.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.84 CHF 4.83

$4.04 CHF 3.35

44.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.11 CHF 7.54

$9.85 CHF 8.15

-7.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 CHF 8.16

$9.47 CHF 7.84

4.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.90

$2.37 CHF 1.96

-3.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.10 CHF 2.56

$3.44 CHF 2.84

-9.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.18 CHF 2.63

$3.28 CHF 2.72

-3.05%

Eggs

$7.73 CHF 6.40

$7.92 CHF 6.56

-2.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.80

$25.04 CHF 20.72

5.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.70 CHF 22.93

$29.16 CHF 24.13

-5.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.59 CHF 33.59

$42.65 CHF 35.30

-4.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 CHF 2.95

$3.48 CHF 2.88

2.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.90

$1.70 CHF 1.41

35.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 CHF 2.42

$2.82 CHF 2.33

3.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 CHF 3.75

$4.93 CHF 4.08

-8.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.39

$1.61 CHF 1.33

4.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CHF 1.61

$2.26 CHF 1.87

-14.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 CHF 1.85

$2.24 CHF 1.86

-0.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 CHF 1.34

$1.65 CHF 1.37

-2.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.46 CHF 9.49

$11.10 CHF 9.19

3.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.21 CHF 10.11

$11.88 CHF 9.83

2.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 CHF 2.06

$3.15 CHF 2.60

-20.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 CHF 2.49

$3.45 CHF 2.85

-12.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.62 CHF 3.83

$4.79 CHF 3.97

-3.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 CHF 85.9

$112 CHF 92.5

-7.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 CHF 6.54

$7.48 CHF 6.19

5.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.74 CHF 3.92

$3.01 CHF 2.49

57.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$86.5 CHF 71.6

$62.6 CHF 51.8

38.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.40 CHF 1.99

$2.44 CHF 2.02

-1.64%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.6K

$38.7K CHF 32.0K

1.66%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.6K

$39.3K CHF 32.5K

0.29%

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

$288 CHF 239

$280 CHF 232

2.93%

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

$45.72 CHF 37.84

$37.45 CHF 30.99

22.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.8 CHF 52.0

$58.4 CHF 48.33

7.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.5 CHF 68.3

$99.8 CHF 82.6

-17.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.6 CHF 47.64

$41.00 CHF 33.94

40.39%

Cinema Ticket

$22.67 CHF 18.76

$24.52 CHF 20.29

-7.54%

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

$2,996 CHF 2,480

$2,350 CHF 1,945

27.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.9K CHF 27.2K

$36.0K CHF 29.8K

-8.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$145 CHF 120

$135 CHF 111

7.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 66.1

0.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$166 CHF 137

$163 CHF 135

1.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$196 CHF 162

$187 CHF 155

4.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,016 CHF 1,668

$1,620 CHF 1,341

24.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 CHF 1,254

$1,562 CHF 1,293

-3.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,521 CHF 2,914

$2,733 CHF 2,262

28.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,826 CHF 2,339

$2,753 CHF 2,278

2.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K CHF 15.1K

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

4.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.4K CHF 11.9K

$12.1K CHF 10.0K

18.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,949 CHF 5,751

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

1.98

22.22%

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

Last update for Basel: October 18, 2026

Last update for Crans-Montana: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.5K 42.9%

Crans-Montana

$1.6K 45.4% 3.1% $47

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$583 16.5%

Crans-Montana

$600 17.4% 2.9% $17

Eating Out

Basel

$489 13.9%

Crans-Montana

$345 10% 29.4% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$397 11.2%

Crans-Montana

$376 10.9% 5.3% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$264 7.5%

Crans-Montana

$254 7.4% 3.6% $9.5

Getting Around

Basel

$154 4.4%

Crans-Montana

$153 4.5% 0.3% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.6%

Crans-Montana

$149 4.3% 16.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,016 in Basel and $1,620 in Crans-Montana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $124 in Basel vs $102 in Crans-Montana. Groceries flip the comparison at $583 vs $600, with Basel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Crans-Montana

🕒 Local time

01:04 1:04 AM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

10,218

💱 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 Crans-Montana 140 km

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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 Crans-Montana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $5,295 in Basel and $5,159 in Crans-Montana 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 $1,620 in Crans-Montana. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,996 in Basel versus $2,350 in Crans-Montana. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Basel pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Crans-Montana 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 Crans-Montana are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.