Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Kriens

For one person, living is cheaper in Kriens: $3,261 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
156

Cost of Living Index in Kriens
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Kriens Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Kriens

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,261

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Kriens

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,669 in Basel versus $3,261 in Kriens.

Basel $3,669
Kriens $3,261

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,649 in Basel versus $4,954 in Kriens.

Basel $5,649
Kriens $4,954

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,629 in Basel versus $6,646 in Kriens.

Basel $7,629
Kriens $6,646

Living in Basel is roughly 13% more expensive than in Kriens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 170% above, Kriens 140% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.27 CHF 25.11

$29.99 CHF 24.88

0.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 CHF 104

$104 CHF 86.3

20.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.91 CHF 14.86

$17.96 CHF 14.90

-0.28%

Cappuccino

$6.52 CHF 5.41

$5.80 CHF 4.81

12.41%

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

$6.47 CHF 5.37

$5.10 CHF 4.23

26.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 CHF 4.90

$4.82 CHF 4.00

22.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.41 CHF 7.81

$6.04 CHF 5.01

55.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.87

$7.04 CHF 5.84

34.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.90

$2.16 CHF 1.79

6.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CHF 2.52

$3.75 CHF 3.11

-18.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CHF 2.72

$2.67 CHF 2.21

22.47%

Eggs

$7.97 CHF 6.61

$7.79 CHF 6.46

2.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.85

$26.57 CHF 22.04

-0.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.32 CHF 22.66

$31.45 CHF 26.09

-13.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 CHF 34.13

$41.11 CHF 34.10

0.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CHF 3.07

$2.90 CHF 2.40

27.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.91

$1.79 CHF 1.48

28.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 CHF 2.51

$2.38 CHF 1.97

27.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 CHF 3.77

$5.30 CHF 4.39

-14.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.39

$1.72 CHF 1.43

-2.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.58

$1.96 CHF 1.63

-2.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.88

$2.28 CHF 1.89

-0.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$1.30 CHF 1.08

23.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 9.25

$10.70 CHF 8.88

4.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CHF 9.87

$10.34 CHF 8.58

15.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.03

$2.61 CHF 2.17

-6.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CHF 2.52

$2.85 CHF 2.36

6.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 CHF 4.33

$4.19 CHF 3.47

24.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.9

$101 CHF 83.8

3.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 CHF 6.62

$6.95 CHF 5.76

14.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.83

$6.13 CHF 5.09

-24.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.3 CHF 69.1

$35.64 CHF 29.56

133.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 CHF 2.01

$2.33 CHF 1.93

3.86%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.8K

-0.05%

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

$40.0K CHF 33.2K

-0.16%

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

$296 CHF 245

$120 CHF 99.5

146.27%

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

$46.31 CHF 38.42

$37.73 CHF 31.30

22.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.4

$57.3 CHF 47.49

10.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 CHF 68.0

$88.0 CHF 73.0

-6.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.33

$45.32 CHF 37.59

28.55%

Cinema Ticket

$22.84 CHF 18.95

$21.93 CHF 18.19

4.15%

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

$3,139 CHF 2,604

$3,204 CHF 2,658

-2.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 27.1K

$35.1K CHF 29.1K

-7.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 120

$90.6 CHF 75.1

59.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 66.3

$67.3 CHF 55.8

18.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$109 CHF 90.6

46.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 162

$171 CHF 142

13.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,732

$1,798 CHF 1,492

16.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,366

$1,519 CHF 1,260

8.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 CHF 3,001

$2,894 CHF 2,400

25.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,966 CHF 2,461

$2,479 CHF 2,057

19.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

$16.3K CHF 13.5K

7.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

$12.6K CHF 10.4K

9.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,873

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

1.9

27.37%

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

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kriens: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

Kriens

$1.5K 46.6% 7.8% $128

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$584 15.9%

Kriens

$596 18.3% 2.1% $12

Eating Out

Basel

$490 13.3%

Kriens

$447 13.7% 8.6% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$405 11%

Kriens

$215 6.6% 46.9% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$261 7.1%

Kriens

$197 6.1% 24.3% $63

Getting Around

Basel

$157 4.3%

Kriens

$155 4.8% 0.8% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.5%

Kriens

$132 4% 3.3% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,087 in Basel and $1,798 in Kriens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $125 in Basel vs $104 in Kriens. Groceries flip the comparison at $584 vs $596, with Basel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Kriens

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

25,932

💱 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

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Basel Kriens 78 km

From you

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 Kriens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $5,504 in Basel and $4,892 in Kriens 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 $1,798 in Kriens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,139 in Basel versus $3,204 in Kriens. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kriens – a meal for two runs $104 versus $125 in Basel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Kriens 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 Kriens are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.