Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and La Chaux-de-Fonds

For one person, living is cheaper in La Chaux-de-Fonds: $2,952 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
Learn more

Basel Living Index
143

Cost of Living Index in La Chaux-de-Fonds
Learn more

La Chaux-de-Fonds Living Index

Jump to prices

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

La Chaux-de-Fonds

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in La Chaux-de-Fonds

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 La Chaux-de-Fonds actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,669 in Basel versus $2,952 in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Basel $3,669
La Chaux-de-Fonds $2,952

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,649 in Basel versus $4,738 in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Basel $5,649
La Chaux-de-Fonds $4,738

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,629 in Basel versus $6,524 in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Basel $7,629
La Chaux-de-Fonds $6,524

Living in Basel is roughly 24% more expensive than in La Chaux-de-Fonds, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 170% above, La Chaux-de-Fonds 117% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.27 CHF 24.97

$24.18 CHF 19.95

25.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 CHF 103

$83.4 CHF 68.8

49.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.91 CHF 14.77

$17.79 CHF 14.68

0.67%

Cappuccino

$6.52 CHF 5.38

$4.54 CHF 3.74

43.61%

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

$6.47 CHF 5.34

$3.54 CHF 2.92

82.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 CHF 4.87

$4.59 CHF 3.79

28.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.41 CHF 7.76

$7.43 CHF 6.13

26.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.82

$6.19 CHF 5.10

53.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CHF 2.51

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CHF 2.70

$3.28 CHF 2.71

-0.30%

Eggs

$7.97 CHF 6.57

$7.83 CHF 6.46

1.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.73

$26.31 CHF 21.70

0.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.32 CHF 22.53

$27.70 CHF 22.85

-1.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 CHF 33.94

$41.41 CHF 34.16

-0.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CHF 3.05

$3.56 CHF 2.93

3.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.90

$2.23 CHF 1.84

3.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$2.96 CHF 2.44

2.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 CHF 3.75

$4.75 CHF 3.92

-4.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.38

$1.70 CHF 1.40

-1.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.58

$2.00 CHF 1.65

-4.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.87

$2.25 CHF 1.85

0.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$1.57 CHF 1.29

1.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 9.20

$11.10 CHF 9.16

0.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CHF 9.82

$12.27 CHF 10.12

-3.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$2.45 CHF 2.02

-0.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$3.08 CHF 2.54

-1.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 CHF 4.30

$4.35 CHF 3.59

19.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.4

$101 CHF 83.4

3.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 CHF 6.58

$8.09 CHF 6.67

-1.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.81

$4.70 CHF 3.87

-1.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.3 CHF 68.7

$86.6 CHF 71.5

-3.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 CHF 1.99

$2.35 CHF 1.94

2.98%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.6K

$39.8K CHF 32.8K

-3.60%

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

$40.0K CHF 33.0K

$40.1K CHF 33.1K

-0.28%

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

$296 CHF 244

$289 CHF 239

2.19%

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

$46.31 CHF 38.20

$45.95 CHF 37.91

0.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.1

$62.8 CHF 51.8

0.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 CHF 67.7

$73.6 CHF 60.7

11.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.06

$46.67 CHF 38.50

24.83%

Cinema Ticket

$22.84 CHF 18.84

$22.60 CHF 18.64

1.06%

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

$3,139 CHF 2,589

$2,918 CHF 2,407

7.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 26.9K

$20.6K CHF 17.0K

58.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 119

0.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 65.9

$77.8 CHF 64.2

2.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$162 CHF 134

-1.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 161

$200 CHF 165

-2.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,722

$1,465 CHF 1,209

42.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,358

$1,053 CHF 868

56.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 CHF 2,984

$3,857 CHF 3,181

-6.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,966 CHF 2,447

$2,323 CHF 1,916

27.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.4K

$16.8K CHF 13.9K

3.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.3K

$12.3K CHF 10.2K

11.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,840

$5,123 CHF 4,226

38.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

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

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Last update for La Chaux-de-Fonds: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$1.1K 35.7% 36.1% $594

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$584 15.9%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$586 19.9% 0.4% $2.4

Eating Out

Basel

$490 13.3%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$383 13% 21.7% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$405 11%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$398 13.5% 1.7% $7.1

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$261 7.1%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$263 8.9% 0.8% $2

Getting Around

Basel

$157 4.3%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$150 5.1% 4.2% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.5%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$119 4% 7% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,087 in Basel and $1,465 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays 38% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $125 in Basel vs $83 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Groceries flip the comparison at $584 vs $586, with Basel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 La Chaux-de-Fonds

🕒 Local time

11:24 11:24 AM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

39,027

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Basel La Chaux-de-Fonds 76 km

From you

Basel
La Chaux-de-Fonds

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 La Chaux-de-Fonds: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

La Chaux-de-Fonds wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making La Chaux-de-Fonds the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 38% 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 $1,465 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,139 in Basel versus $2,918 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in La Chaux-de-Fonds – a meal for two runs $83 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. La Chaux-de-Fonds 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 La Chaux-de-Fonds are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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