Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Locarno Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Locarno

😐 Solo nomad: Basel is 50.8% more expensive than Locarno without rent, and 29.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Basel is 51% more expensive than Locarno without rent, and 25.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Basel
Locarno
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$31.25 CHF 25.41
$27.63 CHF 22.47
13.10%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$156 CHF 127
$145 CHF 118
7.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$19.97 CHF 16.24
$16.36 CHF 13.3
22.07%
Cappuccino
$6.94 CHF 5.65
$4.93 CHF 4.01
40.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.53 CHF 4.49
$4.97 CHF 4.04
11.27%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.98 CHF 4.05
$4.54 CHF 3.69
9.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$10.15 CHF 8.26
$7.47 CHF 6.08
35.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.31 CHF 5.94
$7.25 CHF 5.89
0.83%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Basel
Locarno
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.27 CHF 1.84
$1.88 CHF 1.53
20.74%
White Bread (500g)
$3.74 CHF 3.04
$2.71 CHF 2.2
38.01%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.06 CHF 4.12
$2.51 CHF 2.04
101.59%
Eggs
$7.78 CHF 6.32
$6.07 CHF 4.94
28.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$28.37 CHF 23.06
$27.25 CHF 22.16
4.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$37 CHF 30.08
$14.52 CHF 11.8
154.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$43.73 CHF 35.55
$36.28 CHF 29.5
20.53%
Apples (1kg)
$3.86 CHF 3.14
$2.67 CHF 2.17
44.57%
Banana (1kg)
$2.7 CHF 2.2
$1.82 CHF 1.48
48.35%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.05 CHF 3.3
$1.86 CHF 1.51
117.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.86 CHF 5.58
$3.03 CHF 2.46
126.40%
Potato (1kg)
$3.13 CHF 2.54
$1.32 CHF 1.07
137.12%
Onion (1kg)
$2.87 CHF 2.33
$1.89 CHF 1.54
51.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.66 CHF 2.16
$1.9 CHF 1.55
40.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.48 CHF 1.21
$0.73 CHF 0.59
102.74%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.76 CHF 9.56
$10.91 CHF 8.87
7.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.36 CHF 12.49
$19.14 CHF 15.56
-19.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 CHF 1.9
$2.28 CHF 1.85
2.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 CHF 2.45
$2.39 CHF 1.94
25.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Basel
Locarno
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.8 CHF 3.91
$2.75 CHF 2.24
74.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$105 CHF 85.4
$97.6 CHF 79.4
7.67%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.9 CHF 6.42
$6.58 CHF 5.35
20.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.12 CHF 3.35
$4.3 CHF 3.49
-4.19%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$87.7 CHF 71.3
$78.9 CHF 64.2
11.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.23 CHF 1.81
$2.11 CHF 1.71
5.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.7K CHF 33.1K
$34K CHF 27.6K
19.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$45.6K CHF 37.1K
$42.1K CHF 34.2K
8.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Basel
Locarno
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$309 CHF 251
$327 CHF 266
-5.66%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$54.1 CHF 44
$25.11 CHF 20.42
115.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.6 CHF 48.5
$46.4 CHF 37.73
28.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Basel
Locarno
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$88.4 CHF 71.9
$74.4 CHF 60.5
18.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$42.41 CHF 34.49
$31.09 CHF 25.28
36.41%
Cinema Ticket
$23.02 CHF 18.71
$20.87 CHF 16.97
10.30%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Basel
Locarno
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,539 CHF 2,064
$1,457 CHF 1,184
74.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$34.5K CHF 28K
$19.2K CHF 15.6K
79.62%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Basel
Locarno
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$136 CHF 111
$113 CHF 92.1
20.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$87.7 CHF 71.3
$59.4 CHF 48.26
47.68%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$178 CHF 145
$121 CHF 98.6
47.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$228 CHF 185
$121 CHF 98.6
88.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Basel
Locarno
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,108 CHF 1,714
$1,032 CHF 839
104.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,500 CHF 1,220
$1,052 CHF 855
42.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,798 CHF 3,088
$2,472 CHF 2,010
53.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,881 CHF 2,343
$2,222 CHF 1,807
29.65%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$21K CHF 17.1K
$8,430 CHF 6,854
148.82%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$17K CHF 13.8K
$6,394 CHF 5,199
165.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Basel
Locarno
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$8,088 CHF 6,576
$6,946 CHF 5,647
16.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.55
2.17
17.51%

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

Last update for Basel: October 29, 2025

Last update for Locarno: October 28, 2025

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