Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Rheinfelden

For one person, living is cheaper in Rheinfelden: $1,976 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Basel outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Rheinfelden
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Rheinfelden Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Rheinfelden

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$1,976

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Rheinfelden

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,669 in Basel versus $1,976 in Rheinfelden.

Basel $3,669
Rheinfelden $1,976

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,649 in Basel versus $4,764 in Rheinfelden.

Basel $5,649
Rheinfelden $4,764

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,629 in Basel versus $7,551 in Rheinfelden.

Basel $7,629
Rheinfelden $7,551

Living in Basel is roughly 86% more expensive than in Rheinfelden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 170% above, Rheinfelden 45% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.27 CHF 25.11

$30.11 CHF 24.98

0.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 CHF 104

$123 CHF 102

1.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.91 CHF 14.86

$18.06 CHF 14.98

-0.83%

Cappuccino

$6.52 CHF 5.41

$5.76 CHF 4.78

13.19%

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

$6.47 CHF 5.37

$5.51 CHF 4.57

17.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 CHF 4.90

$4.88 CHF 4.05

21.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.41 CHF 7.81

$8.44 CHF 7.00

11.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.87

$6.67 CHF 5.53

42.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.90

$2.20 CHF 1.83

4.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CHF 2.52

$3.61 CHF 3.00

-15.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CHF 2.72

$4.33 CHF 3.60

-24.48%

Eggs

$7.97 CHF 6.61

$7.34 CHF 6.09

8.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.85

$26.05 CHF 21.61

1.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.32 CHF 22.66

$27.83 CHF 23.09

-1.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 CHF 34.13

$41.23 CHF 34.21

-0.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CHF 3.07

$4.02 CHF 3.33

-7.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.91

$2.16 CHF 1.79

6.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 CHF 2.51

$2.95 CHF 2.45

2.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 CHF 3.77

$5.45 CHF 4.52

-16.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.39

$1.69 CHF 1.40

-0.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.58

$1.93 CHF 1.60

-1.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.88

$2.26 CHF 1.88

0.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$1.11 CHF 0.92

44.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 9.25

$11.36 CHF 9.43

-1.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CHF 9.87

$12.30 CHF 10.21

-3.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.03

$2.80 CHF 2.32

-12.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CHF 2.52

$3.57 CHF 2.97

-15.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 CHF 4.33

$3.58 CHF 2.97

45.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.9

$123 CHF 102

-14.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 CHF 6.62

$4.58 CHF 3.80

74.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.83

$2.81 CHF 2.33

64.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.3 CHF 69.1

$59.9 CHF 49.71

38.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 CHF 2.01

$2.23 CHF 1.85

8.52%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.8K

$38.6K CHF 32.0K

-0.77%

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

$40.0K CHF 33.2K

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

1.00%

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

$296 CHF 245

$236 CHF 196

25.08%

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

$46.31 CHF 38.42

$46.56 CHF 38.62

-0.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.4

$64.0 CHF 53.1

-1.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 CHF 68.0

$107 CHF 88.4

-22.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.33

Cinema Ticket

$22.84 CHF 18.95

$21.92 CHF 18.19

4.20%

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

$3,139 CHF 2,604

$3,007 CHF 2,495

4.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 27.1K

$24.8K CHF 20.6K

31.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 120

0.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 66.3

$80.0 CHF 66.4

-0.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$166 CHF 137

-3.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 162

$202 CHF 167

-3.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,732

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,366

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 CHF 3,001

$2,206 CHF 1,830

64.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,966 CHF 2,461

$2,991 CHF 2,481

-0.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,873

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

2.41

0.41%

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

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Last update for Rheinfelden: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

Rheinfelden

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$584 15.9%

Rheinfelden

$595 30.1% 2% $11

Eating Out

Basel

$490 13.3%

Rheinfelden

$461 23.4% 5.8% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$405 11%

Rheinfelden

$347 17.6% 14.4% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$261 7.1%

Rheinfelden

$266 13.5% 2.2% $5.7

Getting Around

Basel

$157 4.3%

Rheinfelden

$156 7.9% 0.3% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.5%

Rheinfelden

$150 7.6% 17.7% $23

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $125 in Basel vs $123 in Rheinfelden. Groceries flip the comparison at $584 vs $595, with Basel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Rheinfelden

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

13,360

💱 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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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 Rheinfelden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rheinfelden wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Rheinfelden the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $5,504 in Basel and $2,964 in Rheinfelden 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.

All in, you’ll spend $3,669 per month in Basel versus $1,976 in Rheinfelden – Rheinfelden is about 46% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Basel runs roughly 15% less than in Rheinfelden. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,976 in Rheinfelden versus $3,669 in Basel, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Rheinfelden but tight or insufficient in Basel. The gap between the two cities makes Rheinfelden the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Rheinfelden are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.