Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Lucerne Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Lucerne

🙂 Solo nomad: Basel is 2% cheaper than Lucerne without rent, and 7.5% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Basel is 3.8% more expensive than Lucerne without rent, and 2.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.25 CHF 25.41

$36.59 CHF 29.75

-14.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$156 CHF 127

$144 CHF 117

7.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.97 CHF 16.24

$16.2 CHF 13.17

23.27%

Cappuccino

$6.94 CHF 5.65

$6.68 CHF 5.43

3.89%

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

$5.53 CHF 4.49

$5.38 CHF 4.38

2.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 CHF 4.05

$4.23 CHF 3.44

17.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.15 CHF 8.26

$8.56 CHF 6.96

18.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.31 CHF 5.94

$7.58 CHF 6.17

-3.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.27 CHF 1.84

$2.22 CHF 1.81

2.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.74 CHF 3.04

$3.85 CHF 3.13

-2.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.06 CHF 4.12

$4.18 CHF 3.4

21.05%

Eggs

$7.78 CHF 6.32

$7.57 CHF 6.16

2.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.37 CHF 23.06

$30.18 CHF 24.54

-6.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$37 CHF 30.08

$35.64 CHF 28.98

3.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$43.73 CHF 35.55

$50.8 CHF 41.33

-13.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.86 CHF 3.14

$3.68 CHF 2.99

4.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.7 CHF 2.2

$2.24 CHF 1.82

20.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.05 CHF 3.3

$3.01 CHF 2.44

34.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.86 CHF 5.58

$6.52 CHF 5.3

5.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.13 CHF 2.54

$2.49 CHF 2.02

25.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 CHF 2.33

$2.44 CHF 1.98

17.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.66 CHF 2.16

$2.6 CHF 2.11

2.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 CHF 1.21

$1.28 CHF 1.04

15.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.76 CHF 9.56

$11.23 CHF 9.13

4.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.36 CHF 12.49

$15.15 CHF 12.32

1.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 CHF 1.9

$2.44 CHF 1.98

-4.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 CHF 2.45

$3.33 CHF 2.71

-9.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.8 CHF 3.91

$4.83 CHF 3.93

-0.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 85.4

$99.6 CHF 81

5.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.9 CHF 6.42

$8.09 CHF 6.58

-2.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.12 CHF 3.35

$4.54 CHF 3.69

-9.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$87.7 CHF 71.3

$87.4 CHF 71.1

0.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.81

$2.12 CHF 1.72

5.19%

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

$40.7K CHF 33.1K

$39.8K CHF 32.3K

2.27%

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

$45.6K CHF 37.1K

$42.8K CHF 34.8K

6.56%

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

$309 CHF 251

$251 CHF 204

23.18%

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

$54.1 CHF 44

$73.1 CHF 59.4

-25.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.6 CHF 48.5

$55.7 CHF 45.3

7.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$88.4 CHF 71.9

$94.6 CHF 77

-6.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.41 CHF 34.49

$44.9 CHF 36.51

-5.55%

Cinema Ticket

$23.02 CHF 18.71

$21.88 CHF 17.79

5.21%

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

$2,539 CHF 2,064

$2,907 CHF 2,364

-12.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.5K CHF 28K

$43.6K CHF 35.4K

-20.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$136 CHF 111

0.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$87.7 CHF 71.3

$76.4 CHF 62.1

14.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$178 CHF 145

$132 CHF 107

35.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$228 CHF 185

$157 CHF 128

44.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,108 CHF 1,714

$2,018 CHF 1,641

4.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,500 CHF 1,220

$1,798 CHF 1,462

-16.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,798 CHF 3,088

$2,996 CHF 2,436

26.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,881 CHF 2,343

$2,912 CHF 2,368

-1.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$21K CHF 17.1K

$16.1K CHF 13.1K

30.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17K CHF 13.8K

$9,086 CHF 7,388

86.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,088 CHF 6,576

$7,226 CHF 5,875

11.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.55

2.5

2.00%

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

Last update for Basel: October 29, 2025

Last update for Lucerne: October 29, 2025

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