Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Riehen

For one person, living is cheaper in Riehen: $3,443 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index
165

Cost of Living Index in Riehen
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Riehen Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Riehen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Riehen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,669 in Basel versus $3,443 in Riehen.

Basel $3,669
Riehen $3,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,649 in Basel versus $5,179 in Riehen.

Basel $5,649
Riehen $5,179

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,629 in Basel versus $6,916 in Riehen.

Basel $7,629
Riehen $6,916

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 170% above, Riehen 153% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.27 CHF 24.96

$29.94 CHF 24.70

1.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 CHF 103

$122 CHF 101

2.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.91 CHF 14.77

$15.88 CHF 13.10

12.78%

Cappuccino

$6.52 CHF 5.38

$6.29 CHF 5.19

3.66%

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

$6.47 CHF 5.34

$4.87 CHF 4.01

32.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 CHF 4.87

$5.26 CHF 4.34

12.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.41 CHF 7.76

$7.06 CHF 5.82

33.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.82

$6.77 CHF 5.59

40.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$2.19 CHF 1.80

4.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CHF 2.51

$3.29 CHF 2.71

-7.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CHF 2.70

$3.56 CHF 2.94

-8.15%

Eggs

$7.97 CHF 6.57

$7.44 CHF 6.13

7.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.72

$24.29 CHF 20.04

8.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.32 CHF 22.53

$25.08 CHF 20.69

8.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 CHF 33.94

$37.05 CHF 30.56

11.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CHF 3.05

$3.36 CHF 2.77

10.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.90

$1.70 CHF 1.40

35.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$2.45 CHF 2.02

23.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 CHF 3.74

$4.43 CHF 3.65

2.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.38

$1.72 CHF 1.42

-2.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.58

$2.01 CHF 1.66

-4.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.87

$2.24 CHF 1.85

1.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$1.24 CHF 1.03

29.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 9.20

$11.05 CHF 9.12

0.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CHF 9.82

$10.35 CHF 8.53

14.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$3.43 CHF 2.83

-28.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$2.44 CHF 2.01

24.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 CHF 4.30

$4.17 CHF 3.44

24.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.4

$99.9 CHF 82.4

4.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 CHF 6.58

$9.90 CHF 8.16

-19.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.81

$4.08 CHF 3.37

12.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.3 CHF 68.7

$73.6 CHF 60.7

13.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 CHF 1.99

$2.23 CHF 1.84

8.52%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.6K

$38.6K CHF 31.8K

-0.67%

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

$40.0K CHF 33.0K

$39.9K CHF 32.9K

0.29%

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

$296 CHF 244

$341 CHF 281

-13.30%

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

$46.31 CHF 38.20

$41.65 CHF 34.35

11.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.1

$57.8 CHF 47.69

9.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 CHF 67.7

$88.1 CHF 72.7

-6.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.06

$45.63 CHF 37.64

27.68%

Cinema Ticket

$22.84 CHF 18.84

$21.31 CHF 17.57

7.18%

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

$3,139 CHF 2,589

$1,792 CHF 1,478

75.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 26.9K

$37.0K CHF 30.5K

-11.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 119

$102 CHF 84.0

41.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 65.9

$58.0 CHF 47.84

37.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 131

$165 CHF 136

-3.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 161

$191 CHF 157

2.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,722

$1,775 CHF 1,464

17.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,358

$1,498 CHF 1,235

9.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 CHF 2,984

$3,446 CHF 2,842

4.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,966 CHF 2,446

$2,496 CHF 2,058

18.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.4K

$16.8K CHF 13.9K

3.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.3K

$12.6K CHF 10.4K

8.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,839

$8,542 CHF 7,045

-17.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

2.31

4.76%

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

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Last update for Riehen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

Riehen

$1.5K 43.5% 9% $149

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$584 15.9%

Riehen

$543 15.8% 7% $41

Eating Out

Basel

$490 13.3%

Riehen

$452 13.1% 7.7% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$405 11%

Riehen

$440 12.8% 8.7% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$261 7.1%

Riehen

$232 6.8% 10.9% $28

Getting Around

Basel

$157 4.3%

Riehen

$147 4.3% 6.2% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.5%

Riehen

$131 3.8% 2.4% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,087 in Basel and $1,775 in Riehen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riehen pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $125 in Basel vs $122 in Riehen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $584 vs $543 per month, with Riehen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Riehen

🕒 Local time

07:00 7:00 AM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

20,970

💱 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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Between locations

Basel Riehen 5 km

From you

Basel
Riehen

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 Riehen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 17% lower in Basel. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,087 in Basel versus $1,775 in Riehen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,139 in Basel versus $1,792 in Riehen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Riehen runs roughly 5% less than in Basel. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Riehen 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 Riehen delivers better value at $3,443 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Riehen hard to pass up.

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