Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Montreux

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreux: $3,585 a month against $3,709 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

177

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index
170

Cost of Living Index in Montreux
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Montreux Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,709

/mo nomad

Montreux

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Montreux

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,709 in Basel versus $3,585 in Montreux.

Basel $3,709
Montreux $3,585

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,695 in Basel versus $5,372 in Montreux.

Basel $5,695
Montreux $5,372

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,682 in Basel versus $7,159 in Montreux.

Basel $7,682
Montreux $7,159

Living in Basel is roughly 3% more expensive than in Montreux, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 174% above, Montreux 165% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.43 CHF 24.81

$30.44 CHF 24.82

-0.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$129 CHF 105

$122 CHF 99.2

5.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.53 CHF 15.11

$18.20 CHF 14.84

1.81%

Cappuccino

$6.34 CHF 5.17

$6.13 CHF 5.00

3.43%

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

$6.44 CHF 5.25

$4.65 CHF 3.79

38.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.19 CHF 5.05

$4.07 CHF 3.32

52.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.69 CHF 7.90

$9.83 CHF 8.02

-1.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.64 CHF 7.86

$10.01 CHF 8.16

-3.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 CHF 1.84

$2.25 CHF 1.83

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 CHF 2.60

$3.39 CHF 2.76

-6.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 CHF 2.71

$3.36 CHF 2.74

-0.89%

Eggs

$8.20 CHF 6.69

$7.33 CHF 5.98

11.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.64 CHF 21.72

$24.80 CHF 20.22

7.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.19 CHF 22.17

$28.56 CHF 23.29

-4.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.07 CHF 33.49

$39.48 CHF 32.20

4.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 CHF 2.91

$3.54 CHF 2.89

0.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 CHF 1.87

$1.75 CHF 1.42

30.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 CHF 2.41

$2.57 CHF 2.10

14.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.64 CHF 3.78

$4.48 CHF 3.65

3.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 CHF 1.13

$1.87 CHF 1.53

-25.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 CHF 1.57

$1.93 CHF 1.58

-0.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 CHF 1.87

$2.06 CHF 1.68

11.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 CHF 1.34

$1.78 CHF 1.45

-7.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.52 CHF 9.40

$10.85 CHF 8.85

6.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.01 CHF 9.79

$12.13 CHF 9.89

-0.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 CHF 2.11

$2.70 CHF 2.21

-4.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 CHF 2.56

$3.17 CHF 2.58

-0.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.20 CHF 4.24

$4.42 CHF 3.60

17.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 CHF 86.4

$113 CHF 92.1

-6.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.02 CHF 6.54

$7.49 CHF 6.11

7.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.60 CHF 3.75

$3.95 CHF 3.22

16.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$86.6 CHF 70.6

$63.3 CHF 51.6

36.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 CHF 1.93

$2.33 CHF 1.90

1.29%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.2K

$39.8K CHF 32.5K

-0.96%

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

$39.9K CHF 32.6K

$39.2K CHF 31.9K

1.88%

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

$293 CHF 239

$291 CHF 237

0.71%

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

$45.83 CHF 37.37

$35.92 CHF 29.29

27.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.1 CHF 53.1

$53.2 CHF 43.39

22.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.8 CHF 67.5

$85.6 CHF 69.8

-3.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.7 CHF 47.84

$46.55 CHF 37.96

26.02%

Cinema Ticket

$23.03 CHF 18.78

$24.66 CHF 20.11

-6.61%

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

$3,165 CHF 2,581

$2,583 CHF 2,106

22.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.5K CHF 29.7K

$39.2K CHF 32.0K

-7.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$148 CHF 121

$136 CHF 111

8.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$81.0 CHF 66.0

$78.4 CHF 64.0

3.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$161 CHF 131

$167 CHF 136

-3.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$203 CHF 166

$186 CHF 151

9.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,144 CHF 1,749

$1,847 CHF 1,506

16.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,672 CHF 1,363

$1,603 CHF 1,307

4.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,637 CHF 2,966

$2,923 CHF 2,384

24.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,971 CHF 2,423

$2,597 CHF 2,118

14.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K CHF 14.8K

$14.9K CHF 12.1K

21.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.4K CHF 11.0K

$11.4K CHF 9,312

17.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,781 CHF 5,529

$8,236 CHF 6,716

-17.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

1.95

24.10%

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

Last update for Basel: November 2, 2026

Last update for Montreux: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.7K 45.1%

Montreux

$1.6K 44.7% 4.1% $69

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$586 15.8%

Montreux

$579 16.2% 1.3% $7.3

Eating Out

Basel

$493 13.3%

Montreux

$476 13.3% 3.6% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$404 10.9%

Montreux

$380 10.6% 5.9% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$267 7.2%

Montreux

$255 7.1% 4.4% $12

Getting Around

Basel

$158 4.3%

Montreux

$158 4.4% 0% $0

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$129 3.5%

Montreux

$135 3.8% 4.7% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,144 in Basel and $1,847 in Montreux. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreux pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $129 in Basel vs $122 in Montreux for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $586 vs $579 per month, with Montreux cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Montreux

🕒 Local time

06:59 6:59 AM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

26,208

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.23 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1 CHF = 1.23 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Basel Montreux 140 km

From you

Basel
Montreux

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 Montreux: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreux wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Montreux the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 18% 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: $2,144 in Basel versus $1,847 in Montreux. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,165 in Basel versus $2,583 in Montreux. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Montreux – a meal for two runs $122 versus $129 in Basel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

Both work as nomad bases, but Montreux delivers better value at $3,585 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Montreux hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Basel and Montreux are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.