Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Mendrisio

For one person, living is cheaper in Mendrisio: $3,064 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 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
147

Cost of Living Index in Mendrisio
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Mendrisio Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Mendrisio

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,064

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Mendrisio

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,669 in Basel versus $3,064 in Mendrisio.

Basel $3,669
Mendrisio $3,064

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,649 in Basel versus $3,796 in Mendrisio.

Basel $5,649
Mendrisio $3,796

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,629 in Basel versus $4,529 in Mendrisio.

Basel $7,629
Mendrisio $4,529

Living in Basel is roughly 20% more expensive than in Mendrisio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 170% above, Mendrisio 125% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.27 CHF 24.97

$34.70 CHF 28.62

-12.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 CHF 103

$181 CHF 149

-31.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.91 CHF 14.77

$19.12 CHF 15.77

-6.33%

Cappuccino

$6.52 CHF 5.38

$4.59 CHF 3.79

42.05%

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

$6.47 CHF 5.34

$5.57 CHF 4.60

16.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 CHF 4.87

$4.42 CHF 3.64

33.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.41 CHF 7.76

$8.25 CHF 6.80

14.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.82

$7.32 CHF 6.04

29.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$2.18 CHF 1.80

5.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CHF 2.51

$3.73 CHF 3.08

-18.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CHF 2.70

$4.20 CHF 3.46

-22.14%

Eggs

$7.97 CHF 6.57

$7.08 CHF 5.84

12.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.73

$25.93 CHF 21.39

1.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.32 CHF 22.53

$28.45 CHF 23.47

-3.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 CHF 33.94

$39.42 CHF 32.52

4.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CHF 3.05

$3.22 CHF 2.65

14.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.90

$1.71 CHF 1.41

34.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$2.46 CHF 2.03

23.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 CHF 3.75

$6.44 CHF 5.31

-29.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.38

$1.85 CHF 1.53

-9.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.58

$2.12 CHF 1.75

-9.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.87

$2.48 CHF 2.04

-8.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$1.23 CHF 1.01

30.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 9.20

$10.71 CHF 8.83

4.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CHF 9.82

$14.56 CHF 12.01

-18.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$3.28 CHF 2.70

-25.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$4.05 CHF 3.34

-25.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 CHF 4.30

$3.19 CHF 2.63

63.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 CHF 6.58

$7.07 CHF 5.83

12.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.81

$5.71 CHF 4.71

-19.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.3 CHF 68.7

$77.3 CHF 63.7

7.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 CHF 1.99

$2.24 CHF 1.85

8.04%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.6K

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

-1.23%

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

$40.0K CHF 33.0K

$39.1K CHF 32.3K

2.24%

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

$296 CHF 244

$305 CHF 251

-3.07%

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

$46.31 CHF 38.20

$25.58 CHF 21.10

81.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.1

$48.83 CHF 40.28

29.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 CHF 67.7

$71.3 CHF 58.8

14.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.06

Cinema Ticket

$22.84 CHF 18.84

$20.55 CHF 16.95

11.14%

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

$3,139 CHF 2,589

$3,250 CHF 2,681

-3.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 26.9K

$37.7K CHF 31.1K

-13.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 119

$107 CHF 88.5

34.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 65.9

$48.74 CHF 40.21

63.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$167 CHF 138

-4.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 161

$171 CHF 141

14.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,722

$1,410 CHF 1,163

48.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,358

$1,216 CHF 1,003

35.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 CHF 2,984

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,966 CHF 2,447

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,840

$6,773 CHF 5,587

4.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

2.37

2.11%

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

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mendrisio: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

Mendrisio

$1.2K 39.7% 26.1% $430

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$584 15.9%

Mendrisio

$599 19.6% 2.6% $15

Eating Out

Basel

$490 13.3%

Mendrisio

$486 15.9% 0.8% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$405 11%

Mendrisio

$379 12.4% 6.4% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$261 7.1%

Mendrisio

$222 7.3% 14.7% $38

Getting Around

Basel

$157 4.3%

Mendrisio

$48 * 1.6% 69.1% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.5%

Mendrisio

$112 3.7% 12% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,087 in Basel and $1,410 in Mendrisio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays 5% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $125 in Basel vs $181 in Mendrisio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $584 vs $599 per month, with Basel cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Mendrisio

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

15,562

💱 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 Mendrisio 220 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 Mendrisio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mendrisio wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mendrisio the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 5% 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 $1,410 in Mendrisio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,139 in Basel versus $3,250 in Mendrisio. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Basel – a meal for two runs $125 versus $181 in Mendrisio. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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