Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Rapperswil

For one person, living is cheaper in Rapperswil: $3,416 a month against $3,709 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
165

Cost of Living Index in Rapperswil
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Rapperswil Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,709

/mo nomad

Rapperswil

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Rapperswil

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,709 in Basel versus $3,416 in Rapperswil.

Basel $3,709
Rapperswil $3,416

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,695 in Basel versus $5,122 in Rapperswil.

Basel $5,695
Rapperswil $5,122

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,682 in Basel versus $6,827 in Rapperswil.

Basel $7,682
Rapperswil $6,827

Living in Basel is roughly 9% more expensive than in Rapperswil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 174% above, Rapperswil 153% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.43 CHF 24.84

$23.97 CHF 19.57

26.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$129 CHF 105

$96.9 CHF 79.1

33.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.53 CHF 15.13

$16.73 CHF 13.66

10.76%

Cappuccino

$6.34 CHF 5.18

$5.97 CHF 4.88

6.20%

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

$6.44 CHF 5.26

$4.83 CHF 3.94

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.19 CHF 5.05

$4.91 CHF 4.01

26.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.69 CHF 7.91

$8.63 CHF 7.05

12.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.64 CHF 7.87

$5.98 CHF 4.88

61.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 CHF 1.84

$2.18 CHF 1.78

3.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 CHF 2.60

$3.31 CHF 2.70

-3.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 CHF 2.72

$4.28 CHF 3.49

-22.20%

Eggs

$8.20 CHF 6.70

$7.93 CHF 6.47

3.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.64 CHF 21.75

$26.55 CHF 21.68

0.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.19 CHF 22.20

$26.59 CHF 21.71

2.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.07 CHF 33.53

$40.84 CHF 33.34

0.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 CHF 2.91

$3.58 CHF 2.92

-0.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 CHF 1.87

$2.15 CHF 1.75

6.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 CHF 2.41

$2.63 CHF 2.15

12.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.64 CHF 3.79

$4.77 CHF 3.89

-2.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 CHF 1.13

$2.03 CHF 1.65

-31.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 CHF 1.57

$2.21 CHF 1.80

-13.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 CHF 1.87

$2.44 CHF 1.99

-6.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 CHF 1.34

$1.38 CHF 1.13

18.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.52 CHF 9.41

$11.09 CHF 9.06

3.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.01 CHF 9.80

$13.46 CHF 10.99

-10.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 CHF 2.11

$2.76 CHF 2.25

-6.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 CHF 2.57

$3.55 CHF 2.90

-11.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.20 CHF 4.25

$4.21 CHF 3.43

23.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 CHF 86.5

$111 CHF 90.6

-4.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.02 CHF 6.55

$8.00 CHF 6.53

0.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.60 CHF 3.75

$4.94 CHF 4.03

-6.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$86.6 CHF 70.7

$88.0 CHF 71.8

-1.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 CHF 1.93

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

$39.5K CHF 32.2K

$39.9K CHF 32.5K

-0.99%

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

$39.9K CHF 32.6K

$39.5K CHF 32.2K

1.08%

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

$293 CHF 239

$232 CHF 189

26.31%

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

$45.83 CHF 37.42

$32.19 CHF 26.28

42.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.1 CHF 53.2

$65.0 CHF 53.0

0.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.8 CHF 67.6

$73.4 CHF 59.9

12.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.7 CHF 47.89

$41.34 CHF 33.75

41.90%

Cinema Ticket

$23.03 CHF 18.80

$24.67 CHF 20.14

-6.65%

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

$3,165 CHF 2,584

$2,933 CHF 2,394

7.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.5K CHF 29.8K

$37.5K CHF 30.6K

-2.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$148 CHF 121

$138 CHF 112

7.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$81.0 CHF 66.1

$88.6 CHF 72.3

-8.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$161 CHF 131

$145 CHF 119

10.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$203 CHF 166

$177 CHF 145

14.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,144 CHF 1,751

$1,849 CHF 1,509

16.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,672 CHF 1,365

$1,561 CHF 1,274

7.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,637 CHF 2,970

$3,340 CHF 2,726

8.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,971 CHF 2,426

$2,610 CHF 2,131

13.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K CHF 14.8K

$17.0K CHF 13.9K

6.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.4K CHF 11.0K

$10.3K CHF 8,399

30.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,781 CHF 5,536

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

1.72

40.70%

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

Last update for Basel: November 2, 2026

Last update for Rapperswil: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.7K 45.1%

Rapperswil

$1.6K 45.7% 6.6% $111

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$586 15.8%

Rapperswil

$589 17.2% 0.4% $2.4

Eating Out

Basel

$493 13.3%

Rapperswil

$408 11.9% 17.4% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$404 10.9%

Rapperswil

$329 9.6% 18.5% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$267 7.2%

Rapperswil

$247 7.2% 7.4% $20

Getting Around

Basel

$158 4.3%

Rapperswil

$160 4.7% 1.7% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$129 3.5%

Rapperswil

$123 3.6% 4.8% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,144 in Basel and $1,849 in Rapperswil. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $129 in Basel vs $97 in Rapperswil. Groceries flip the comparison at $586 vs $589, with Basel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Rapperswil

🕒 Local time

11:28 11:28 AM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

26,354

💱 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

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Basel Rapperswil 100 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 Rapperswil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rapperswil wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Rapperswil the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $5,563 in Basel and $5,124 in Rapperswil 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: $2,144 in Basel versus $1,849 in Rapperswil. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,165 in Basel versus $2,933 in Rapperswil. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rapperswil – a meal for two runs $97 versus $129 in Basel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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