Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Glarus

For one person, living is cheaper in Glarus: $3,328 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
159

Cost of Living Index in Glarus
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Glarus Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Glarus

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Glarus

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,669 in Basel versus $3,328 in Glarus.

Basel $3,669
Glarus $3,328

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,649 in Basel versus $5,017 in Glarus.

Basel $5,649
Glarus $5,017

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,629 in Basel versus $6,706 in Glarus.

Basel $7,629
Glarus $6,706

Living in Basel is roughly 10% more expensive than in Glarus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 170% above, Glarus 145% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.27 CHF 24.96

$29.28 CHF 24.15

3.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 CHF 103

$119 CHF 98.3

4.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.91 CHF 14.77

$17.86 CHF 14.73

0.28%

Cappuccino

$6.52 CHF 5.38

$5.91 CHF 4.87

10.32%

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

$6.47 CHF 5.34

$3.87 CHF 3.20

67.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 CHF 4.87

$3.88 CHF 3.20

52.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.41 CHF 7.76

$8.89 CHF 7.33

5.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.82

$6.37 CHF 5.25

48.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$2.20 CHF 1.81

4.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CHF 2.51

$3.20 CHF 2.64

-5.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CHF 2.70

$2.89 CHF 2.38

13.15%

Eggs

$7.97 CHF 6.57

$7.95 CHF 6.56

0.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.72

$8.26 CHF 6.81

218.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.32 CHF 22.53

$14.23 CHF 11.74

91.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 CHF 33.94

$39.22 CHF 32.35

4.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CHF 3.05

$3.12 CHF 2.57

18.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.90

$1.55 CHF 1.27

48.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$2.31 CHF 1.90

31.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 CHF 3.74

$5.37 CHF 4.43

-15.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.38

$1.65 CHF 1.36

1.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.58

$2.10 CHF 1.73

-9.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.87

$2.24 CHF 1.85

1.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$1.19 CHF 0.99

34.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 9.20

$11.08 CHF 9.14

0.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CHF 9.82

$11.02 CHF 9.09

7.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$2.12 CHF 1.75

15.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$2.33 CHF 1.92

30.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 CHF 4.30

$5.94 CHF 4.90

-12.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.4

$225 CHF 185

-53.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 CHF 6.58

$6.52 CHF 5.37

22.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.81

$4.81 CHF 3.96

-4.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.3 CHF 68.7

$79.3 CHF 65.4

5.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 CHF 1.99

$2.21 CHF 1.82

9.50%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.6K

0.05%

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

$40.0K CHF 33.0K

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

2.95%

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

$296 CHF 244

$311 CHF 257

-5.12%

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

$46.31 CHF 38.20

$37.41 CHF 30.86

23.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.1

$54.1 CHF 44.65

16.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 CHF 67.7

$162 CHF 133

-49.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.06

$43.11 CHF 35.56

35.14%

Cinema Ticket

$22.84 CHF 18.84

$25.30 CHF 20.87

-9.72%

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

$3,139 CHF 2,589

$2,278 CHF 1,878

37.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 26.9K

$32.5K CHF 26.8K

0.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 119

$102 CHF 84.0

41.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 65.9

$42.39 CHF 34.96

88.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 131

$131 CHF 108

21.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 161

$97.6 CHF 80.5

100.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,722

$1,676 CHF 1,382

24.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,358

$1,377 CHF 1,136

19.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 CHF 2,984

$2,960 CHF 2,441

22.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,966 CHF 2,446

$2,298 CHF 1,895

29.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,839

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

2.1

15.24%

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

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Last update for Glarus: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

Glarus

$1.4K 41.4% 16.4% $269

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$584 15.9%

Glarus

$442 13.3% 24.3% $142

Eating Out

Basel

$490 13.3%

Glarus

$447 13.4% 8.7% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$405 11%

Glarus

$403 12.1% 0.5% $2

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$261 7.1%

Glarus

$168 5.1% 35.5% $93

Getting Around

Basel

$157 4.3%

Glarus

$279 8.4% 78.2% $122

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.5%

Glarus

$212 6.4% 66.1% $84

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,087 in Basel and $1,676 in Glarus. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $125 in Basel vs $119 in Glarus for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $584 vs $442 per month, with Glarus cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Glarus

🕒 Local time

06:58 6:58 AM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

12,500

💱 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

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Basel
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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 Glarus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Glarus wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Glarus the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $5,504 in Basel and $4,992 in Glarus 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 $1,676 in Glarus. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,139 in Basel versus $2,278 in Glarus. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Basel. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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