Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Liestal

For one person, living is cheaper in Liestal: $3,252 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
157

Cost of Living Index in Liestal
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Liestal Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Liestal

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,252

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Liestal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,669 in Basel versus $3,252 in Liestal.

Basel $3,669
Liestal $3,252

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,649 in Basel versus $5,162 in Liestal.

Basel $5,649
Liestal $5,162

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,629 in Basel versus $7,071 in Liestal.

Basel $7,629
Liestal $7,071

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 170% above, Liestal 139% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.27 CHF 24.96

$29.22 CHF 24.10

3.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 CHF 103

$120 CHF 99.1

3.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.91 CHF 14.77

$18.51 CHF 15.27

-3.24%

Cappuccino

$6.52 CHF 5.38

$6.26 CHF 5.16

4.15%

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

$6.47 CHF 5.34

$6.18 CHF 5.10

4.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 CHF 4.87

$5.88 CHF 4.85

0.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.41 CHF 7.76

$8.97 CHF 7.40

4.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.82

$7.93 CHF 6.54

19.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$2.22 CHF 1.83

3.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CHF 2.51

$3.10 CHF 2.56

-1.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CHF 2.70

$3.35 CHF 2.76

-2.39%

Eggs

$7.97 CHF 6.57

$7.70 CHF 6.35

3.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.72

$24.34 CHF 20.07

8.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.32 CHF 22.53

$27.80 CHF 22.93

-1.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 CHF 33.94

$39.05 CHF 32.20

5.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CHF 3.05

$3.85 CHF 3.17

-3.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.90

$2.26 CHF 1.86

1.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$2.81 CHF 2.32

7.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 CHF 3.74

$4.69 CHF 3.87

-3.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.38

$1.68 CHF 1.39

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.58

$1.99 CHF 1.64

-4.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.87

$2.30 CHF 1.89

-1.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$1.35 CHF 1.11

18.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 9.20

$11.48 CHF 9.47

-2.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CHF 9.82

$11.87 CHF 9.79

0.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$2.26 CHF 1.86

7.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$3.02 CHF 2.49

0.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 CHF 4.30

$4.32 CHF 3.56

20.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.4

$103 CHF 85.1

1.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 CHF 6.58

$8.44 CHF 6.96

-5.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.81

$4.68 CHF 3.86

-1.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.3 CHF 68.7

$108 CHF 88.7

-22.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 CHF 1.99

$2.39 CHF 1.97

1.26%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.6K

$38.5K CHF 31.8K

-0.55%

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

$40.0K CHF 33.0K

$39.0K CHF 32.2K

2.53%

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

$296 CHF 244

$293 CHF 242

0.88%

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

$46.31 CHF 38.20

$28.40 CHF 23.42

63.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.1

0.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 CHF 67.7

$85.3 CHF 70.3

-3.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.06

$45.92 CHF 37.87

26.87%

Cinema Ticket

$22.84 CHF 18.84

$24.00 CHF 19.79

-4.83%

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

$3,139 CHF 2,589

$2,980 CHF 2,458

5.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 26.9K

$30.6K CHF 25.2K

6.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 119

$140 CHF 115

3.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 65.9

$61.7 CHF 50.9

29.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 131

0.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 161

$201 CHF 166

-2.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,722

$1,759 CHF 1,451

18.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,358

$1,287 CHF 1,061

27.95%

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

$2,567 CHF 2,117

15.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.4K

$16.3K CHF 13.5K

6.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.3K

$12.3K CHF 10.1K

11.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,839

$9,109 CHF 7,513

-22.28%

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 Liestal: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

Liestal

$1.3K 39.6% 21.8% $360

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$584 15.9%

Liestal

$570 17.5% 2.4% $14

Eating Out

Basel

$490 13.3%

Liestal

$473 14.6% 3.3% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$405 11%

Liestal

$385 11.8% 5.1% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$261 7.1%

Liestal

$253 7.8% 3% $7.8

Getting Around

Basel

$157 4.3%

Liestal

$152 4.7% 2.7% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.5%

Liestal

$133 4.1% 4.4% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,087 in Basel and $1,759 in Liestal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Liestal pays 29% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $125 in Basel vs $120 in Liestal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $584 vs $570 per month, with Liestal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Liestal

🕒 Local time

06:16 6:16 AM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

13,807

💱 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 Liestal 14 km

From you

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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 Liestal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Basel. 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: $2,087 in Basel versus $1,759 in Liestal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,669 per month in Basel versus $3,252 in Liestal – Liestal is about 11% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Dining out is cheaper in Liestal – a meal for two runs $120 versus $125 in Basel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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