Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Pfaffikon

For one person, living is cheaper in Pfaffikon: $3,436 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
165

Cost of Living Index in Pfaffikon
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Pfaffikon Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Pfaffikon

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,436

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Pfaffikon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,669 in Basel versus $3,436 in Pfaffikon.

Basel $3,669
Pfaffikon $3,436

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,649 in Basel versus $5,247 in Pfaffikon.

Basel $5,649
Pfaffikon $5,247

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,629 in Basel versus $7,057 in Pfaffikon.

Basel $7,629
Pfaffikon $7,057

Living in Basel is roughly 7% more expensive than in Pfaffikon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 170% above, Pfaffikon 152% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.27 CHF 25.09

$33.03 CHF 27.37

-8.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 CHF 103

$132 CHF 109

-5.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.91 CHF 14.84

$18.33 CHF 15.19

-2.29%

Cappuccino

$6.52 CHF 5.40

$6.31 CHF 5.23

3.33%

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

$6.47 CHF 5.36

$5.58 CHF 4.62

15.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 CHF 4.90

$5.06 CHF 4.19

16.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.41 CHF 7.80

$8.59 CHF 7.12

9.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.86

$7.71 CHF 6.39

22.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.90

$2.23 CHF 1.85

2.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CHF 2.52

$3.53 CHF 2.93

-13.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CHF 2.71

$4.22 CHF 3.50

-22.51%

Eggs

$7.97 CHF 6.60

$7.51 CHF 6.23

6.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.83

$27.29 CHF 22.62

-3.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.32 CHF 22.64

$25.97 CHF 21.52

5.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 CHF 34.10

$41.66 CHF 34.53

-1.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CHF 3.07

$3.58 CHF 2.96

3.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.91

$2.11 CHF 1.75

9.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 CHF 2.51

$2.76 CHF 2.29

9.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 CHF 3.76

$5.51 CHF 4.56

-17.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.39

$1.97 CHF 1.63

-14.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.58

$2.28 CHF 1.89

-16.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.88

$2.34 CHF 1.94

-2.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$1.42 CHF 1.18

12.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 9.24

$10.80 CHF 8.95

3.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CHF 9.86

$16.57 CHF 13.73

-28.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.02

$2.48 CHF 2.06

-1.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CHF 2.51

$3.43 CHF 2.84

-11.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 CHF 4.32

$4.19 CHF 3.48

24.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.8

$99.8 CHF 82.7

4.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 CHF 6.61

$7.77 CHF 6.44

2.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.82

$4.78 CHF 3.96

-3.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.3 CHF 69.0

$36.27 CHF 30.06

129.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 CHF 2.00

$2.18 CHF 1.81

11.01%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.8K

$38.8K CHF 32.1K

-1.10%

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

$40.0K CHF 33.1K

$39.7K CHF 32.9K

0.76%

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

$296 CHF 245

$230 CHF 190

28.65%

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

$46.31 CHF 38.39

$32.75 CHF 27.15

41.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.4

$62.7 CHF 52.0

0.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 CHF 68.0

$90.7 CHF 75.2

-9.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.29

$45.23 CHF 37.49

28.81%

Cinema Ticket

$22.84 CHF 18.94

$21.57 CHF 17.88

5.89%

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

$3,139 CHF 2,602

$2,820 CHF 2,338

11.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 27.0K

$36.0K CHF 29.8K

-9.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 120

$141 CHF 117

2.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 66.2

$68.7 CHF 57.0

16.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$149 CHF 124

6.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 162

$170 CHF 141

14.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,730

$1,774 CHF 1,471

17.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,365

$1,495 CHF 1,239

10.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 CHF 2,999

$2,954 CHF 2,448

22.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,966 CHF 2,459

$2,475 CHF 2,051

19.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

$16.4K CHF 13.6K

6.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

$12.5K CHF 10.4K

9.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,868

$7,006 CHF 5,807

1.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

1.9

27.37%

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

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Last update for Pfaffikon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

Pfaffikon

$1.5K 43.5% 9.2% $151

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$584 15.9%

Pfaffikon

$600 17.5% 2.7% $16

Eating Out

Basel

$490 13.3%

Pfaffikon

$496 14.4% 1.3% $6.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$405 11%

Pfaffikon

$325 9.5% 19.7% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$261 7.1%

Pfaffikon

$238 6.9% 8.6% $22

Getting Around

Basel

$157 4.3%

Pfaffikon

$148 4.3% 5.4% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.5%

Pfaffikon

$134 3.9% 4.8% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,087 in Basel and $1,774 in Pfaffikon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $125 in Basel vs $132 in Pfaffikon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $584 vs $600 per month, with Basel cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Pfaffikon

🕒 Local time

16:43 4:43 PM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

10,602

💱 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

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Basel Pfaffikon 92 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 Pfaffikon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pfaffikon wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Pfaffikon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $5,504 in Basel and $5,154 in Pfaffikon 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 $1,774 in Pfaffikon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,139 in Basel versus $2,820 in Pfaffikon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Basel pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Pfaffikon 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.