Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Interlaken

For one person, living is cheaper in Basel: $3,461 a month against $3,832 in Interlaken, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

169

Cost of Living Index in Basel
Learn more

Basel Living Index
187

Cost of Living Index in Interlaken
Learn more

Interlaken Living Index

Jump to prices

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,461

/mo nomad

Interlaken

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,832

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Interlaken

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,461 in Basel versus $3,832 in Interlaken.

Basel $3,461
Interlaken $3,832

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,427 in Basel versus $6,054 in Interlaken.

Basel $5,427
Interlaken $6,054

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,394 in Basel versus $8,276 in Interlaken.

Basel $7,394
Interlaken $8,276

Living in Basel costs roughly 10% less than in Interlaken, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 156% above, Interlaken 184% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.60 CHF 24.38

$30.08 CHF 24.77

-1.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$123 CHF 102

$97.0 CHF 79.9

27.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.93 CHF 14.77

$18.32 CHF 15.09

-2.13%

Cappuccino

$6.21 CHF 5.12

$5.23 CHF 4.31

18.74%

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

$6.50 CHF 5.35

$5.33 CHF 4.39

21.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 CHF 4.75

$3.56 CHF 2.93

62.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.20 CHF 7.58

$8.06 CHF 6.64

14.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.79 CHF 8.07

$5.25 CHF 4.32

86.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 CHF 1.86

$1.63 CHF 1.34

38.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 CHF 2.57

$3.50 CHF 2.88

-10.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.17 CHF 2.61

$4.56 CHF 3.76

-30.48%

Eggs

$7.83 CHF 6.45

$7.36 CHF 6.06

6.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.04 CHF 21.45

$31.48 CHF 25.93

-17.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.78 CHF 22.05

$29.83 CHF 24.56

-10.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.31 CHF 33.20

$42.38 CHF 34.90

-4.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 CHF 2.90

$3.93 CHF 3.23

-10.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 CHF 1.92

$1.57 CHF 1.30

49.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 CHF 2.44

$2.68 CHF 2.21

10.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 CHF 3.72

$3.10 CHF 2.56

45.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 CHF 1.42

$1.33 CHF 1.10

29.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 CHF 1.56

$1.71 CHF 1.41

10.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 CHF 1.84

$2.13 CHF 1.75

5.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 CHF 1.33

$1.20 CHF 0.99

34.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.08 CHF 9.13

$10.82 CHF 8.91

2.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.84 CHF 9.75

$12.59 CHF 10.37

-5.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CHF 2.08

$2.20 CHF 1.81

14.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 CHF 2.44

$3.81 CHF 3.14

-22.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.53 CHF 3.73

$4.09 CHF 3.37

10.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.5

$194 CHF 160

-45.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.95 CHF 6.54

$6.09 CHF 5.02

30.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.51 CHF 3.71

$6.04 CHF 4.97

-25.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$84.6 CHF 69.7

$60.7 CHF 50.0

39.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 CHF 1.91

$2.28 CHF 1.88

1.32%

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

$42.3K CHF 34.8K

$42.6K CHF 35.1K

-0.85%

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

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

$38.3K CHF 31.5K

1.23%

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

$292 CHF 240

$354 CHF 292

-17.68%

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

$46.45 CHF 38.25

$31.34 CHF 25.82

48.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.9 CHF 51.0

$71.3 CHF 58.8

-13.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.1 CHF 66.8

$97.2 CHF 80.1

-16.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.5 CHF 48.17

Cinema Ticket

$22.48 CHF 18.52

$27.83 CHF 22.92

-19.22%

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

$2,993 CHF 2,465

$3,585 CHF 2,953

-16.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.0K CHF 26.3K

$32.2K CHF 26.6K

-0.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$142 CHF 117

$157 CHF 130

-9.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.1 CHF 63.5

$120 CHF 99.0

-35.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 131

$200 CHF 165

-20.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$198 CHF 163

$323 CHF 266

-38.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,953 CHF 1,609

$1,926 CHF 1,586

1.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,465 CHF 1,207

$1,571 CHF 1,294

-6.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,586 CHF 2,954

$3,291 CHF 2,711

8.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,796 CHF 2,302

$3,373 CHF 2,778

-17.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.1K CHF 14.9K

$12.1K CHF 9,993

48.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.3K CHF 11.8K

$8,397 CHF 6,916

70.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,863 CHF 5,652

$7,431 CHF 6,120

-7.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

2.48

-2.42%

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

Last update for Basel: October 10, 2026

Last update for Interlaken: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.5K 42.4%

Interlaken

$1.6K 41% 7.2% $106

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$576 16.7%

Interlaken

$599 15.6% 4% $23

Eating Out

Basel

$480 13.9%

Interlaken

$445 11.6% 7.3% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$400 11.6%

Interlaken

$457 11.9% 14.3% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$260 7.5%

Interlaken

$360 9.4% 38.8% $101

Getting Around

Basel

$154 4.4%

Interlaken

$247 6.4% 60.7% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$126 3.6%

Interlaken

$153 4% 21.3% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,953 in Basel and $1,926 in Interlaken. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Interlaken pays 8% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $123 in Basel vs $97.0 in Interlaken. Groceries flip the comparison at $576 vs $599, with Basel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Interlaken

🕒 Local time

12:08 12:08 PM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

5,600

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Basel Interlaken 99 km

From you

Basel
Interlaken

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 Interlaken: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Basel wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Interlaken. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Basel the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Interlaken. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,953 in Basel versus $1,926 in Interlaken. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,993 in Basel versus $3,585 in Interlaken. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Interlaken. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Basel is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Basel delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $3,461 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Basel hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Basel and Interlaken are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Basel gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Interlaken. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.