Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Neuchatel

For one person, living is cheaper in Neuchatel: $3,126 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
151

Cost of Living Index in Neuchatel
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Neuchatel Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Neuchatel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,126

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Neuchatel

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,669 in Basel versus $3,126 in Neuchatel.

Basel $3,669
Neuchatel $3,126

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,649 in Basel versus $4,749 in Neuchatel.

Basel $5,649
Neuchatel $4,749

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,629 in Basel versus $6,372 in Neuchatel.

Basel $7,629
Neuchatel $6,372

Living in Basel is roughly 17% more expensive than in Neuchatel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 170% above, Neuchatel 130% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.27 CHF 24.96

$27.39 CHF 22.59

10.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 CHF 103

$115 CHF 94.8

8.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.91 CHF 14.77

$17.79 CHF 14.67

0.67%

Cappuccino

$6.52 CHF 5.38

$6.19 CHF 5.11

5.33%

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

$6.47 CHF 5.34

$4.13 CHF 3.41

56.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 CHF 4.87

$3.51 CHF 2.90

68.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.41 CHF 7.76

$10.12 CHF 8.35

-7.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.82

$7.44 CHF 6.14

27.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$2.01 CHF 1.66

13.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CHF 2.51

$3.84 CHF 3.17

-20.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CHF 2.70

$3.89 CHF 3.21

-15.94%

Eggs

$7.97 CHF 6.57

$7.29 CHF 6.01

9.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.72

$27.28 CHF 22.50

-3.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.32 CHF 22.53

$29.23 CHF 24.11

-6.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 CHF 33.94

$40.70 CHF 33.57

1.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CHF 3.05

$3.13 CHF 2.58

18.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.90

$2.15 CHF 1.78

6.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$2.92 CHF 2.41

3.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 CHF 3.74

$6.13 CHF 5.05

-25.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.38

$2.54 CHF 2.09

-33.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.58

$2.27 CHF 1.87

-15.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.87

$2.33 CHF 1.92

-2.58%

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

$10.77 CHF 8.88

3.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CHF 9.82

$18.49 CHF 15.25

-35.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$2.71 CHF 2.24

-9.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$2.54 CHF 2.09

19.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 CHF 4.30

$2.89 CHF 2.38

80.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.4

$90.5 CHF 74.6

15.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 CHF 6.58

$9.76 CHF 8.05

-18.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.81

$4.17 CHF 3.44

10.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.3 CHF 68.7

$74.6 CHF 61.5

11.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 CHF 1.99

$2.22 CHF 1.83

9.01%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.6K

$39.6K CHF 32.7K

-3.32%

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

$40.0K CHF 33.0K

$38.6K CHF 31.9K

3.50%

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

$296 CHF 244

$239 CHF 197

23.50%

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

$46.31 CHF 38.20

$55.2 CHF 45.55

-16.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.1

$41.62 CHF 34.33

51.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 CHF 67.7

$85.7 CHF 70.7

-4.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.06

$42.46 CHF 35.02

37.21%

Cinema Ticket

$22.84 CHF 18.84

$21.92 CHF 18.08

4.20%

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

$3,139 CHF 2,589

$2,986 CHF 2,463

5.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 26.9K

$26.7K CHF 22.0K

22.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 119

$126 CHF 104

14.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 65.9

$51.4 CHF 42.38

55.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 131

$146 CHF 121

9.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 161

$146 CHF 121

33.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,722

$1,647 CHF 1,358

26.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,358

$1,258 CHF 1,037

30.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 CHF 2,984

$2,636 CHF 2,174

37.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,966 CHF 2,446

$2,022 CHF 1,668

46.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.4K

$16.5K CHF 13.6K

5.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.3K

$11.2K CHF 9,227

22.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,839

$7,001 CHF 5,774

1.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

1.87

29.41%

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

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Last update for Neuchatel: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

Neuchatel

$1.3K 40.2% 23.6% $389

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$584 15.9%

Neuchatel

$616 19.7% 5.6% $32

Eating Out

Basel

$490 13.3%

Neuchatel

$443 14.2% 9.6% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$405 11%

Neuchatel

$336 10.8% 17% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$261 7.1%

Neuchatel

$211 6.8% 18.9% $49

Getting Around

Basel

$157 4.3%

Neuchatel

$133 4.2% 15.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.5%

Neuchatel

$130 4.1% 1.4% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,087 in Basel and $1,647 in Neuchatel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $125 in Basel vs $115 in Neuchatel. Groceries flip the comparison at $584 vs $616, with Basel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Neuchatel

🕒 Local time

06:16 6:16 AM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

33,641

💱 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

On the map

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Basel Neuchatel 80 km

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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 Neuchatel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Neuchatel wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Neuchatel the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $5,504 in Basel and $4,689 in Neuchatel to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,087 in Basel versus $1,647 in Neuchatel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,139 in Basel versus $2,986 in Neuchatel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Basel pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Neuchatel is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Neuchatel is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Basel, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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