Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and St. Gallen

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Gallen: $3,451 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
167

Cost of Living Index in St. Gallen
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St. Gallen Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

St. Gallen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,451

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in St. Gallen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,669 in Basel versus $3,451 in St. Gallen.

Basel $3,669
St. Gallen $3,451

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,649 in Basel versus $5,120 in St. Gallen.

Basel $5,649
St. Gallen $5,120

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,629 in Basel versus $6,789 in St. Gallen.

Basel $7,629
St. Gallen $6,789

Living in Basel is roughly 6% more expensive than in St. Gallen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 170% above, St. Gallen 154% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.27 CHF 24.96

$28.78 CHF 23.74

5.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 CHF 103

$144 CHF 119

-13.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.91 CHF 14.77

$18.04 CHF 14.88

-0.72%

Cappuccino

$6.52 CHF 5.38

$6.03 CHF 4.97

8.13%

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

$6.47 CHF 5.34

$5.95 CHF 4.91

8.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 CHF 4.87

$5.10 CHF 4.21

15.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.41 CHF 7.76

$8.80 CHF 7.26

6.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.82

$6.38 CHF 5.26

48.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$2.25 CHF 1.86

1.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CHF 2.51

$3.16 CHF 2.61

-3.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CHF 2.70

$3.77 CHF 3.11

-13.26%

Eggs

$7.97 CHF 6.57

$7.72 CHF 6.36

3.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.72

$24.91 CHF 20.55

5.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.32 CHF 22.53

$29.02 CHF 23.94

-5.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 CHF 33.94

$39.94 CHF 32.94

3.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CHF 3.05

$3.06 CHF 2.52

20.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.90

$1.56 CHF 1.28

47.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$2.40 CHF 1.98

26.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 CHF 3.74

$6.17 CHF 5.09

-26.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.38

$1.71 CHF 1.41

-1.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.58

$2.14 CHF 1.76

-10.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.87

$2.20 CHF 1.82

3.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$1.18 CHF 0.97

35.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 9.20

$10.98 CHF 9.06

1.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CHF 9.82

$11.23 CHF 9.26

5.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$2.10 CHF 1.73

16.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$2.28 CHF 1.88

32.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 CHF 4.30

$4.08 CHF 3.36

27.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.4

$86.4 CHF 71.2

21.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 CHF 6.58

$6.62 CHF 5.46

20.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.81

$4.76 CHF 3.93

-3.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.3 CHF 68.7

$79.2 CHF 65.3

5.13%

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

$38.4K CHF 31.6K

-0.12%

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

$40.0K CHF 33.0K

$38.6K CHF 31.8K

3.59%

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

$296 CHF 244

$312 CHF 257

-5.30%

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

$46.31 CHF 38.20

$37.60 CHF 31.01

23.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.1

$54.0 CHF 44.50

17.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 CHF 67.7

$79.6 CHF 65.6

3.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.06

Cinema Ticket

$22.84 CHF 18.84

$28.27 CHF 23.32

-19.21%

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

$3,139 CHF 2,589

$2,308 CHF 1,904

36.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 26.9K

$32.2K CHF 26.5K

1.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 119

-0.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 65.9

$64.0 CHF 52.8

24.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 131

$146 CHF 120

9.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 161

$183 CHF 151

6.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,722

$1,895 CHF 1,563

10.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,358

$1,504 CHF 1,240

9.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 CHF 2,984

$2,868 CHF 2,366

26.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,966 CHF 2,446

$2,256 CHF 1,860

31.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.4K

$11.3K CHF 9,283

55.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.3K

$8,285 CHF 6,833

65.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,839

$6,694 CHF 5,521

5.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

2.1

15.24%

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

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Last update for St. Gallen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

St. Gallen

$1.5K 43.6% 8.7% $143

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$584 15.9%

St. Gallen

$575 16.7% 1.5% $8.8

Eating Out

Basel

$490 13.3%

St. Gallen

$458 13.3% 6.5% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$405 11%

St. Gallen

$404 11.7% 0.4% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$261 7.1%

St. Gallen

$242 7% 7.1% $18

Getting Around

Basel

$157 4.3%

St. Gallen

$133 3.9% 15% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.5%

St. Gallen

$136 3.9% 6.6% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,087 in Basel and $1,895 in St. Gallen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays 6% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $125 in Basel vs $144 in St. Gallen. Groceries flip the comparison at $584 vs $575, with St. Gallen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 St. Gallen

🕒 Local time

01:46 1:46 AM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

78,213

💱 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

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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 St. Gallen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 6% higher in Basel, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,087 in Basel versus $1,895 in St. Gallen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,139 in Basel versus $2,308 in St. Gallen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Basel – a meal for two runs $125 versus $144 in St. Gallen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. St. Gallen is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, St. Gallen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Basel, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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

It comes down to priorities – St. Gallen wins on affordability, Basel on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.