Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Schaffhausen

For one person, living is cheaper in Schaffhausen: $3,139 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
150

Cost of Living Index in Schaffhausen
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Schaffhausen Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Schaffhausen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,139

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Schaffhausen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,669 in Basel versus $3,139 in Schaffhausen.

Basel $3,669
Schaffhausen $3,139

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,649 in Basel versus $5,010 in Schaffhausen.

Basel $5,649
Schaffhausen $5,010

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,629 in Basel versus $6,882 in Schaffhausen.

Basel $7,629
Schaffhausen $6,882

Living in Basel is roughly 17% more expensive than in Schaffhausen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 170% above, Schaffhausen 131% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.27 CHF 25.11

$30.45 CHF 25.26

-0.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 CHF 104

$122 CHF 101

2.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.91 CHF 14.86

$18.19 CHF 15.09

-1.54%

Cappuccino

$6.52 CHF 5.41

$6.01 CHF 4.98

8.49%

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

$6.47 CHF 5.37

$5.32 CHF 4.41

21.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 CHF 4.90

$4.78 CHF 3.96

23.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.41 CHF 7.81

$8.39 CHF 6.96

12.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.87

$7.11 CHF 5.90

33.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.90

$2.16 CHF 1.79

6.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CHF 2.52

$4.00 CHF 3.32

-24.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CHF 2.72

$4.25 CHF 3.53

-23.06%

Eggs

$7.97 CHF 6.61

$7.81 CHF 6.48

2.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.85

$27.90 CHF 23.15

-5.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.32 CHF 22.66

$30.45 CHF 25.26

-10.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 CHF 34.13

$42.66 CHF 35.39

-3.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CHF 3.07

$3.84 CHF 3.18

-3.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.91

$2.07 CHF 1.72

11.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 CHF 2.51

$3.17 CHF 2.63

-4.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 CHF 3.77

$5.49 CHF 4.55

-17.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.39

$2.38 CHF 1.97

-29.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.58

$2.14 CHF 1.77

-10.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.88

$2.31 CHF 1.91

-1.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$1.16 CHF 0.96

37.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 9.25

$10.82 CHF 8.98

3.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CHF 9.87

$12.00 CHF 9.95

-0.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.03

$2.89 CHF 2.40

-15.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CHF 2.52

$3.59 CHF 2.98

-15.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 CHF 4.33

$4.01 CHF 3.32

29.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.9

$98.0 CHF 81.3

6.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 CHF 6.62

$6.10 CHF 5.06

30.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.83

$2.86 CHF 2.37

61.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.3 CHF 69.1

$59.6 CHF 49.43

39.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 CHF 2.01

$2.22 CHF 1.84

9.01%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.8K

$38.4K CHF 31.8K

-0.08%

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

$40.0K CHF 33.2K

$39.4K CHF 32.7K

1.44%

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

$296 CHF 245

$229 CHF 190

28.88%

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

$46.31 CHF 38.42

$28.98 CHF 24.04

59.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.4

$62.0 CHF 51.4

1.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 CHF 68.0

$110 CHF 91.3

-25.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.33

$46.30 CHF 38.41

25.83%

Cinema Ticket

$22.84 CHF 18.95

$23.59 CHF 19.57

-3.18%

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

$3,139 CHF 2,604

$3,157 CHF 2,619

-0.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 27.1K

$24.5K CHF 20.3K

33.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 120

$163 CHF 135

-11.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 66.3

$54.9 CHF 45.51

45.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$172 CHF 142

-7.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 162

$150 CHF 125

30.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,732

$1,272 CHF 1,055

64.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,366

$1,192 CHF 989

38.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 CHF 3,001

$2,689 CHF 2,230

34.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,966 CHF 2,461

$2,317 CHF 1,922

28.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

$8,110 CHF 6,728

115.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

$8,439 CHF 7,001

62.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,873

$7,148 CHF 5,930

-0.95%

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 Schaffhausen: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

Schaffhausen

$1.2K 38% 27.6% $454

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$584 15.9%

Schaffhausen

$626 19.9% 7.2% $42

Eating Out

Basel

$490 13.3%

Schaffhausen

$467 14.9% 4.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$405 11%

Schaffhausen

$320 10.2% 20.9% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$261 7.1%

Schaffhausen

$243 7.7% 6.8% $18

Getting Around

Basel

$157 4.3%

Schaffhausen

$134 4.3% 14.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.5%

Schaffhausen

$157 5% 23.1% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,087 in Basel and $1,272 in Schaffhausen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $125 in Basel vs $122 in Schaffhausen. Groceries flip the comparison at $584 vs $626, with Basel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Schaffhausen

🕒 Local time

14:01 2:01 PM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

35,927

💱 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 Schaffhausen 80 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 Schaffhausen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Schaffhausen wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Schaffhausen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $5,504 in Basel and $4,709 in Schaffhausen 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 $1,272 in Schaffhausen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,139 in Basel versus $3,157 in Schaffhausen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Schaffhausen runs roughly 6% less than in Basel. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Schaffhausen 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 Schaffhausen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.