Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Embrach

For one person, living is cheaper in Embrach: $3,563 a month against $3,709 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

177

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index
171

Cost of Living Index in Embrach
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Embrach Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,709

/mo nomad

Embrach

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,563

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Embrach

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,709 in Basel versus $3,563 in Embrach.

Basel $3,709
Embrach $3,563

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,695 in Basel versus $5,363 in Embrach.

Basel $5,695
Embrach $5,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,682 in Basel versus $7,163 in Embrach.

Basel $7,682
Embrach $7,163

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 174% above, Embrach 164% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.43 CHF 24.89

$30.30 CHF 24.78

0.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$129 CHF 105

$124 CHF 101

4.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.53 CHF 15.16

$18.53 CHF 15.15

Cappuccino

$6.34 CHF 5.19

$6.21 CHF 5.08

2.09%

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

$6.44 CHF 5.27

$5.43 CHF 4.44

18.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.19 CHF 5.06

$4.82 CHF 3.95

28.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.69 CHF 7.93

$8.91 CHF 7.29

8.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.64 CHF 7.88

$7.23 CHF 5.91

33.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 CHF 1.84

$2.15 CHF 1.76

4.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 CHF 2.60

$3.84 CHF 3.14

-17.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 CHF 2.72

$3.33 CHF 2.73

Eggs

$8.20 CHF 6.71

$7.93 CHF 6.49

3.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.64 CHF 21.79

$29.57 CHF 24.18

-9.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.19 CHF 22.24

$28.12 CHF 23.00

-3.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.07 CHF 33.59

$41.77 CHF 34.16

-1.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 CHF 2.92

$3.50 CHF 2.87

2.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 CHF 1.87

$2.06 CHF 1.68

11.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 CHF 2.41

$2.86 CHF 2.34

3.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.64 CHF 3.80

$4.13 CHF 3.37

12.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 CHF 1.14

$1.69 CHF 1.38

-17.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 CHF 1.57

$2.33 CHF 1.91

-17.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 CHF 1.88

$2.30 CHF 1.88

-0.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 CHF 1.34

$1.28 CHF 1.04

28.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.52 CHF 9.43

$9.54 CHF 7.80

20.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.01 CHF 9.82

$12.34 CHF 10.09

-2.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 CHF 2.11

$2.81 CHF 2.30

-8.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 CHF 2.57

$3.08 CHF 2.52

1.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.20 CHF 4.25

$4.97 CHF 4.06

4.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 CHF 86.7

$103 CHF 84.5

2.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.02 CHF 6.56

$7.07 CHF 5.79

13.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.60 CHF 3.76

$4.56 CHF 3.73

0.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$86.6 CHF 70.8

$87.0 CHF 71.1

-0.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 CHF 1.93

$2.28 CHF 1.86

3.51%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.3K

$43.5K CHF 35.6K

-9.26%

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

$39.9K CHF 32.6K

$35.7K CHF 29.2K

11.79%

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

$293 CHF 239

$284 CHF 232

3.19%

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

$45.83 CHF 37.49

$32.92 CHF 26.93

39.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.1 CHF 53.3

$56.0 CHF 45.81

16.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.8 CHF 67.7

$84.5 CHF 69.1

-1.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.7 CHF 47.98

$45.47 CHF 37.19

29.01%

Cinema Ticket

$23.03 CHF 18.84

$23.65 CHF 19.34

-2.62%

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

$3,165 CHF 2,589

$2,564 CHF 2,097

23.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.5K CHF 29.8K

$36.7K CHF 30.0K

-0.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$148 CHF 121

$147 CHF 120

0.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$81.0 CHF 66.2

$66.1 CHF 54.0

22.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$161 CHF 132

-0.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$203 CHF 166

$188 CHF 153

8.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,144 CHF 1,754

$1,805 CHF 1,477

18.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,672 CHF 1,367

$1,580 CHF 1,292

5.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,637 CHF 2,975

$3,024 CHF 2,473

20.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,971 CHF 2,430

$2,573 CHF 2,104

15.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K CHF 14.9K

$15.0K CHF 12.3K

20.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.4K CHF 11.0K

$11.0K CHF 9,008

22.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,781 CHF 5,546

$6,698 CHF 5,479

1.23%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Embrach: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.7K 45.1%

Embrach

$1.6K 44.3% 5.5% $92

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$586 15.8%

Embrach

$601 16.9% 2.5% $14

Eating Out

Basel

$493 13.3%

Embrach

$473 13.3% 4.2% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$404 10.9%

Embrach

$373 10.5% 7.7% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$267 7.2%

Embrach

$253 7.1% 5.2% $14

Getting Around

Basel

$158 4.3%

Embrach

$153 4.3% 3% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$129 3.5%

Embrach

$132 3.7% 2.2% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,144 in Basel and $1,805 in Embrach. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $129 in Basel vs $124 in Embrach. Groceries flip the comparison at $586 vs $601, with Basel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Embrach

🕒 Local time

23:34 11:34 PM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

9,300

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Basel Embrach 76 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 Embrach: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $5,563 in Basel and $5,344 in Embrach 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: $2,144 in Basel versus $1,805 in Embrach. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,165 in Basel versus $2,564 in Embrach. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Embrach – a meal for two runs $124 versus $129 in Basel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Embrach 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 Embrach are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.