Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Frauenfeld

For one person, living is cheaper in Frauenfeld: $3,178 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index
152

Cost of Living Index in Frauenfeld
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Frauenfeld Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Frauenfeld

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,178

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Frauenfeld

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,669 in Basel versus $3,178 in Frauenfeld.

Basel $3,669
Frauenfeld $3,178

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,649 in Basel versus $5,036 in Frauenfeld.

Basel $5,649
Frauenfeld $5,036

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,629 in Basel versus $6,894 in Frauenfeld.

Basel $7,629
Frauenfeld $6,894

Living in Basel is roughly 15% more expensive than in Frauenfeld, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 170% above, Frauenfeld 133% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.27 CHF 24.96

$30.61 CHF 25.24

-1.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 CHF 103

$119 CHF 97.9

5.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.91 CHF 14.77

$19.78 CHF 16.31

-9.45%

Cappuccino

$6.52 CHF 5.38

$6.07 CHF 5.01

7.41%

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

$6.47 CHF 5.34

$5.33 CHF 4.39

21.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 CHF 4.87

$4.89 CHF 4.03

20.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.41 CHF 7.76

$8.24 CHF 6.80

14.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.82

$6.47 CHF 5.33

46.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$2.15 CHF 1.77

6.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CHF 2.51

$3.94 CHF 3.25

-22.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CHF 2.70

$4.29 CHF 3.54

-23.78%

Eggs

$7.97 CHF 6.57

$8.03 CHF 6.62

-0.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.72

$26.88 CHF 22.17

-2.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.32 CHF 22.53

$29.00 CHF 23.92

-5.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 CHF 33.94

$42.51 CHF 35.06

-3.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CHF 3.05

$3.73 CHF 3.08

-0.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.90

$2.19 CHF 1.81

5.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$2.83 CHF 2.34

7.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 CHF 3.74

$5.32 CHF 4.39

-14.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.38

$2.35 CHF 1.94

-28.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.58

$2.48 CHF 2.05

-22.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.87

$2.28 CHF 1.88

-0.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$1.18 CHF 0.97

35.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 9.20

$10.92 CHF 9.01

2.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CHF 9.82

$14.32 CHF 11.81

-16.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$3.00 CHF 2.48

-18.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$3.97 CHF 3.27

-23.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 CHF 4.30

$4.28 CHF 3.53

21.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.4

$102 CHF 84.4

2.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 CHF 6.58

$5.52 CHF 4.55

44.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.81

$3.45 CHF 2.84

33.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.3 CHF 68.7

$36.11 CHF 29.78

130.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 CHF 1.99

$2.26 CHF 1.87

7.08%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.6K

$39.8K CHF 32.9K

-3.79%

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

$40.0K CHF 33.0K

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

3.06%

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

$296 CHF 244

$277 CHF 228

6.85%

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

$46.31 CHF 38.20

$37.37 CHF 30.82

23.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.1

$63.0 CHF 52.0

0.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 CHF 67.7

$98.0 CHF 80.8

-16.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.06

$45.82 CHF 37.79

27.15%

Cinema Ticket

$22.84 CHF 18.84

$23.64 CHF 19.50

-3.38%

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

$3,139 CHF 2,589

$1,843 CHF 1,520

70.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 26.9K

$32.8K CHF 27.0K

-0.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 119

$167 CHF 138

-13.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 65.9

$55.5 CHF 45.75

43.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 131

$149 CHF 123

6.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 161

$140 CHF 116

39.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,722

$1,476 CHF 1,218

41.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,358

$1,191 CHF 982

38.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 CHF 2,984

$2,594 CHF 2,140

39.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,966 CHF 2,446

$2,324 CHF 1,917

27.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.4K

$16.5K CHF 13.6K

6.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.3K

$12.5K CHF 10.3K

9.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,839

$6,072 CHF 5,008

16.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

2.35

2.98%

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

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Last update for Frauenfeld: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

Frauenfeld

$1.2K 37.5% 27.7% $456

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$584 15.9%

Frauenfeld

$620 19.5% 6.2% $36

Eating Out

Basel

$490 13.3%

Frauenfeld

$472 14.9% 3.6% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$405 11%

Frauenfeld

$377 11.9% 6.9% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$261 7.1%

Frauenfeld

$231 7.3% 11.5% $30

Getting Around

Basel

$157 4.3%

Frauenfeld

$142 4.5% 9.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.5%

Frauenfeld

$145 4.6% 13.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,087 in Basel and $1,476 in Frauenfeld. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays 17% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $125 in Basel vs $119 in Frauenfeld. Groceries flip the comparison at $584 vs $620, with Basel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Frauenfeld

🕒 Local time

01:56 1:56 AM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

24,864

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Basel Frauenfeld 98 km

From you

Basel
Frauenfeld

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 Frauenfeld: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Frauenfeld wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Frauenfeld the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Basel, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,087 in Basel versus $1,476 in Frauenfeld. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,139 in Basel versus $1,843 in Frauenfeld. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Frauenfeld – a meal for two runs $119 versus $125 in Basel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Frauenfeld 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 Frauenfeld are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Frauenfeld wins on affordability, Basel on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.