Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Olten

For one person, living is cheaper in Olten: $3,049 a month against $3,530 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Basel outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

170

Cost of Living Index in Basel
Learn more

Basel Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Olten
Learn more

Olten Living Index

Jump to prices

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,530

/mo nomad

Olten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Olten

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,530 in Basel versus $3,049 in Olten.

Basel $3,530
Olten $3,049

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,502 in Basel versus $4,812 in Olten.

Basel $5,502
Olten $4,812

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,475 in Basel versus $6,576 in Olten.

Basel $7,475
Olten $6,576

Living in Basel is roughly 16% more expensive than in Olten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 160% above, Olten 125% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.81 CHF 25.37

$33.18 CHF 27.33

-7.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 CHF 102

$122 CHF 100

2.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.05 CHF 14.87

$17.69 CHF 14.57

2.04%

Cappuccino

$6.21 CHF 5.12

$6.29 CHF 5.18

-1.27%

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

$6.29 CHF 5.18

$5.51 CHF 4.54

14.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.84 CHF 4.81

$5.21 CHF 4.29

12.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.11 CHF 7.50

$9.22 CHF 7.59

-1.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 CHF 8.12

$7.52 CHF 6.19

31.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$2.11 CHF 1.73

8.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.10 CHF 2.55

$3.87 CHF 3.19

-19.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.18 CHF 2.62

$3.81 CHF 3.14

-16.54%

Eggs

$7.73 CHF 6.37

$8.37 CHF 6.90

-7.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.69

$26.10 CHF 21.50

0.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.70 CHF 22.82

$26.77 CHF 22.05

3.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.59 CHF 33.43

$46.34 CHF 38.16

-12.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 CHF 2.94

$4.02 CHF 3.31

-11.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.90

$2.69 CHF 2.22

-14.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 CHF 2.41

$2.97 CHF 2.45

-1.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 CHF 3.73

$4.69 CHF 3.86

-3.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.39

$2.49 CHF 2.05

-32.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CHF 1.60

$2.14 CHF 1.76

-9.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 CHF 1.84

$2.55 CHF 2.10

-12.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 CHF 1.33

$1.29 CHF 1.06

24.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.46 CHF 9.44

$10.85 CHF 8.93

5.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.21 CHF 10.06

$14.12 CHF 11.63

-13.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 CHF 2.05

$2.79 CHF 2.30

-10.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 CHF 2.48

$3.25 CHF 2.68

-7.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.62 CHF 3.81

$5.30 CHF 4.37

-12.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 CHF 85.5

$107 CHF 88.3

-3.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 CHF 6.51

$8.39 CHF 6.91

-5.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.74 CHF 3.90

$4.53 CHF 3.73

4.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$86.5 CHF 71.2

$90.2 CHF 74.3

-4.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.40 CHF 1.98

$2.16 CHF 1.78

11.11%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

-0.54%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

0.26%

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

$288 CHF 237

$275 CHF 227

4.70%

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

$45.72 CHF 37.66

$32.97 CHF 27.15

38.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.8 CHF 51.8

$47.51 CHF 39.13

32.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.5 CHF 68.0

$80.2 CHF 66.1

2.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.6 CHF 47.41

Cinema Ticket

$22.67 CHF 18.67

$21.01 CHF 17.30

7.90%

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

$2,996 CHF 2,468

$3,608 CHF 2,971

-16.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.9K CHF 27.1K

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

-21.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$145 CHF 119

$143 CHF 118

1.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 65.8

$59.3 CHF 48.81

34.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$166 CHF 136

$167 CHF 137

-0.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$196 CHF 161

$210 CHF 173

-7.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,016 CHF 1,660

$1,210 CHF 997

66.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 CHF 1,248

$1,035 CHF 852

46.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,521 CHF 2,900

$1,968 CHF 1,621

78.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,826 CHF 2,327

$1,948 CHF 1,605

45.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K CHF 15.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.4K CHF 11.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,949 CHF 5,723

$5,837 CHF 4,808

19.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

2.07

16.91%

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

Last update for Basel: October 18, 2026

Last update for Olten: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.5K 42.9%

Olten

$1K 34% 31.7% $481

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$583 16.5%

Olten

$617 20.3% 5.9% $34

Eating Out

Basel

$489 13.9%

Olten

$498 16.3% 1.9% $9.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$397 11.2%

Olten

$356 11.7% 10.3% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$264 7.5%

Olten

$261 8.6% 1.1% $3

Getting Around

Basel

$154 4.4%

Olten

$160 5.2% 3.7% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.6%

Olten

$122 4% 4.4% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,016 in Basel and $1,210 in Olten. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays 19% 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: $124 in Basel vs $122 in Olten. Groceries flip the comparison at $583 vs $617, with Basel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Olten

🕒 Local time

22:03 10:03 PM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

17,280

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Basel Olten 33 km

From you

Basel
Olten

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 Olten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Olten wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Olten the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 19% 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: $2,016 in Basel versus $1,210 in Olten. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,996 in Basel versus $3,608 in Olten. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Basel pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Olten 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 Olten delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $3,049 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Olten hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Basel and Olten are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Olten gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Basel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.