Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Lancy

For one person, living is cheaper in Lancy: $3,280 a month against $3,530 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

170

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index
164

Cost of Living Index in Lancy
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Lancy Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,530

/mo nomad

Lancy

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,280

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Lancy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,530 in Basel versus $3,280 in Lancy.

Basel $3,530
Lancy $3,280

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,502 in Basel versus $5,151 in Lancy.

Basel $5,502
Lancy $5,151

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,475 in Basel versus $7,023 in Lancy.

Basel $7,475
Lancy $7,023

Living in Basel is roughly 8% more expensive than in Lancy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 160% above, Lancy 142% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.81 CHF 25.38

$28.74 CHF 23.68

7.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 CHF 103

$124 CHF 102

0.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.05 CHF 14.87

$15.64 CHF 12.89

15.41%

Cappuccino

$6.21 CHF 5.12

$6.32 CHF 5.20

-1.74%

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

$6.29 CHF 5.18

$4.56 CHF 3.76

37.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.84 CHF 4.81

$4.01 CHF 3.30

45.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.11 CHF 7.50

$9.28 CHF 7.64

-1.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 CHF 8.13

$7.72 CHF 6.36

27.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$2.23 CHF 1.84

2.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.10 CHF 2.55

$2.90 CHF 2.39

6.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.18 CHF 2.62

$3.13 CHF 2.57

1.60%

Eggs

$7.73 CHF 6.37

$7.57 CHF 6.24

2.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.70

$24.10 CHF 19.85

9.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.70 CHF 22.82

$29.41 CHF 24.23

-5.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.59 CHF 33.44

$39.04 CHF 32.16

3.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 CHF 2.94

$3.54 CHF 2.92

0.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.90

$1.65 CHF 1.36

39.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 CHF 2.41

$2.74 CHF 2.25

6.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 CHF 3.73

$4.76 CHF 3.92

-4.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.39

$1.58 CHF 1.30

6.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CHF 1.60

$2.05 CHF 1.69

-5.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 CHF 1.84

$2.21 CHF 1.82

0.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 CHF 1.33

$1.35 CHF 1.12

19.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.46 CHF 9.44

$10.84 CHF 8.93

5.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.21 CHF 10.06

$12.17 CHF 10.03

0.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 CHF 2.05

$2.17 CHF 1.79

14.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 CHF 2.48

$2.91 CHF 2.40

3.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.62 CHF 3.81

$3.90 CHF 3.21

18.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 CHF 85.5

$94.7 CHF 78.0

9.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 CHF 6.51

$7.73 CHF 6.37

2.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.74 CHF 3.90

$3.78 CHF 3.12

25.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$86.5 CHF 71.2

$64.6 CHF 53.2

33.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.40 CHF 1.98

$2.33 CHF 1.92

3.00%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

$38.8K CHF 31.9K

1.45%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

-0.35%

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

$288 CHF 238

$276 CHF 227

4.48%

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

$45.72 CHF 37.67

$27.82 CHF 22.92

64.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.8 CHF 51.8

$55.1 CHF 45.42

13.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.5 CHF 68.0

$90.5 CHF 74.5

-8.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.6 CHF 47.42

$46.39 CHF 38.22

24.08%

Cinema Ticket

$22.67 CHF 18.68

$24.28 CHF 20.00

-6.63%

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

$2,996 CHF 2,468

$2,430 CHF 2,002

23.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.9K CHF 27.1K

$30.3K CHF 25.0K

8.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$145 CHF 119

$135 CHF 111

7.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 65.8

$61.0 CHF 50.2

31.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$166 CHF 136

$158 CHF 130

4.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$196 CHF 161

$188 CHF 154

4.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,016 CHF 1,661

$1,798 CHF 1,481

12.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 CHF 1,248

$1,384 CHF 1,140

9.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,521 CHF 2,901

$2,926 CHF 2,410

20.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,826 CHF 2,328

$2,610 CHF 2,150

8.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K CHF 15.1K

$17.9K CHF 14.7K

2.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.4K CHF 11.8K

$11.4K CHF 9,367

26.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,949 CHF 5,724

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

1.98

22.22%

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

Last update for Basel: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lancy: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.5K 42.9%

Lancy

$1.4K 42.2% 8.7% $131

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$583 16.5%

Lancy

$568 17.3% 2.6% $15

Eating Out

Basel

$489 13.9%

Lancy

$449 13.7% 8.2% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$397 11.2%

Lancy

$359 10.9% 9.6% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$264 7.5%

Lancy

$244 7.4% 7.6% $20

Getting Around

Basel

$154 4.4%

Lancy

$137 4.2% 11% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.6%

Lancy

$139 4.2% 8.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,016 in Basel and $1,798 in Lancy. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $124 in Basel vs $124 in Lancy. Groceries flip the comparison at $583 vs $568, with Lancy cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Lancy

🕒 Local time

08:29 8:29 AM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

10,919

💱 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 Lancy 190 km

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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 Lancy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lancy wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lancy the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $5,295 in Basel and $4,919 in Lancy 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: $2,016 in Basel versus $1,798 in Lancy. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,996 in Basel versus $2,430 in Lancy. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Lancy runs roughly 9% less than in Basel. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Lancy is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Lancy is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Basel, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.