Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Naters

For one person, living is cheaper in Naters: $3,334 a month against $3,709 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
171

Cost of Living Index in Naters
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Naters Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,709

/mo nomad

Naters

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,334

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Naters

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,709 in Basel versus $3,334 in Naters.

Basel $3,709
Naters $3,334

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,695 in Basel versus $5,237 in Naters.

Basel $5,695
Naters $5,237

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,682 in Basel versus $7,141 in Naters.

Basel $7,682
Naters $7,141

Living in Basel is roughly 11% more expensive than in Naters, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 174% above, Naters 147% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.43 CHF 24.84

$30.61 CHF 24.99

-0.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$129 CHF 105

$135 CHF 111

-4.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.53 CHF 15.13

$20.69 CHF 16.89

-10.44%

Cappuccino

$6.34 CHF 5.18

$5.41 CHF 4.42

17.19%

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

$6.44 CHF 5.26

$5.15 CHF 4.21

25.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.19 CHF 5.05

$4.97 CHF 4.05

24.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.69 CHF 7.91

$9.79 CHF 8.00

-1.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.64 CHF 7.87

$6.68 CHF 5.45

44.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 CHF 1.84

$2.51 CHF 2.05

-10.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 CHF 2.60

$4.27 CHF 3.49

-25.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 CHF 2.72

$3.58 CHF 2.92

-6.98%

Eggs

$8.20 CHF 6.70

$7.58 CHF 6.19

8.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.64 CHF 21.75

$26.50 CHF 21.63

0.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.19 CHF 22.20

$30.95 CHF 25.27

-12.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.07 CHF 33.53

$45.28 CHF 36.97

-9.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 CHF 2.91

$3.66 CHF 2.99

-2.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 CHF 1.87

$1.80 CHF 1.47

27.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 CHF 2.41

$3.03 CHF 2.48

-2.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.64 CHF 3.79

$5.22 CHF 4.26

-11.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 CHF 1.13

$2.04 CHF 1.67

-31.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 CHF 1.57

$1.95 CHF 1.59

-1.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 CHF 1.87

$2.31 CHF 1.89

-0.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 CHF 1.34

$1.24 CHF 1.01

32.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.52 CHF 9.41

$10.95 CHF 8.94

5.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.01 CHF 9.80

$12.12 CHF 9.89

-0.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 CHF 2.11

$2.60 CHF 2.12

-0.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 CHF 2.57

$3.59 CHF 2.93

-12.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.20 CHF 4.25

$3.85 CHF 3.14

35.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 CHF 86.5

$98.5 CHF 80.4

7.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.02 CHF 6.55

$7.79 CHF 6.36

2.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.60 CHF 3.75

$4.91 CHF 4.01

-6.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$86.6 CHF 70.7

$72.3 CHF 59.1

19.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 CHF 1.93

$1.98 CHF 1.61

19.19%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.2K

$42.1K CHF 34.3K

-6.19%

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

$39.9K CHF 32.6K

$34.6K CHF 28.2K

15.38%

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

$293 CHF 239

$255 CHF 208

14.76%

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

$45.83 CHF 37.42

$32.99 CHF 26.93

38.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.1 CHF 53.2

$56.6 CHF 46.19

15.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.8 CHF 67.6

$85.6 CHF 69.9

-3.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.7 CHF 47.89

$45.75 CHF 37.35

28.22%

Cinema Ticket

$23.03 CHF 18.80

$23.13 CHF 18.88

-0.43%

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

$3,165 CHF 2,584

$3,233 CHF 2,639

-2.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.5K CHF 29.8K

$36.6K CHF 29.9K

-0.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$148 CHF 121

$154 CHF 126

-4.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$81.0 CHF 66.1

$58.8 CHF 48.00

37.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$161 CHF 131

$154 CHF 126

4.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$203 CHF 166

$205 CHF 167

-0.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,144 CHF 1,751

$1,972 CHF 1,610

8.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,672 CHF 1,365

$1,350 CHF 1,102

23.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,637 CHF 2,970

$2,742 CHF 2,238

32.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,971 CHF 2,426

$2,455 CHF 2,004

21.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K CHF 14.8K

$13.4K CHF 10.9K

36.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.4K CHF 11.0K

$10.7K CHF 8,727

25.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,781 CHF 5,536

$8,560 CHF 6,988

-20.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

2.03

19.21%

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

Last update for Basel: November 2, 2026

Last update for Naters: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.7K 45.1%

Naters

$1.4K 40.5% 19.2% $321

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$586 15.8%

Naters

$628 18.9% 7.2% $42

Eating Out

Basel

$493 13.3%

Naters

$475 14.2% 3.8% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$404 10.9%

Naters

$345 10.3% 14.6% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$267 7.2%

Naters

$258 7.7% 3.4% $9.2

Getting Around

Basel

$158 4.3%

Naters

$146 4.4% 7.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$129 3.5%

Naters

$132 4% 2.3% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,144 in Basel and $1,972 in Naters. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Naters pays 26% 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 $135 in Naters for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $586 vs $628 per month, with Basel cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Naters

🕒 Local time

10:06 10:06 AM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

10,000

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Basel Naters 140 km

From you

Basel
Naters

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 Naters: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Naters wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Naters the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 21% 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 $1,972 in Naters. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,165 in Basel versus $3,233 in Naters. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Basel pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Naters 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 Naters are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.