Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and St. Moritz Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and St. Moritz

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,725 in Basel versus $3,776 in St. Moritz.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,789 in Basel versus $6,503 in St. Moritz.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,853 in Basel versus $9,229 in St. Moritz.

Living in Basel costs roughly 1% less than in St. Moritz, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 180% above, St. Moritz 184% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.01 CHF 25.23

$31.00 CHF 25.22

0.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$154 CHF 125

$147 CHF 119

4.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.45 CHF 15.82

$14.73 CHF 11.98

32.04%

Cappuccino

$6.66 CHF 5.42

$6.32 CHF 5.14

5.38%

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

$5.74 CHF 4.67

$5.65 CHF 4.60

1.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.00 CHF 4.07

$4.50 CHF 3.66

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.58 CHF 7.79

$9.75 CHF 7.93

-1.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.70 CHF 6.26

$5.99 CHF 4.87

28.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.81

$1.32 CHF 1.08

68.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.74 CHF 3.04

$3.38 CHF 2.75

10.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.00 CHF 4.07

$4.11 CHF 3.34

21.65%

Eggs

$7.91 CHF 6.44

$7.60 CHF 6.18

4.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$29.24 CHF 23.79

$29.20 CHF 23.75

0.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$37.30 CHF 30.34

$32.92 CHF 26.78

13.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$43.14 CHF 35.09

$50.6 CHF 41.18

-14.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.84 CHF 3.13

$4.09 CHF 3.33

-6.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.60 CHF 2.12

$2.89 CHF 2.35

-10.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.05 CHF 3.29

$3.04 CHF 2.47

33.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.86 CHF 5.58

$5.20 CHF 4.23

31.92%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 CHF 2.62

$2.74 CHF 2.23

17.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 CHF 2.31

$2.31 CHF 1.88

22.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.63 CHF 2.14

$2.47 CHF 2.01

6.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 CHF 1.21

$1.73 CHF 1.40

-13.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.56 CHF 9.40

$11.16 CHF 9.08

3.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.33 CHF 10.85

$13.58 CHF 11.05

-1.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CHF 1.90

$2.70 CHF 2.20

-13.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 CHF 2.47

$3.31 CHF 2.70

-8.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.56 CHF 3.71

$3.84 CHF 3.13

18.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 CHF 87.5

$96.9 CHF 78.9

10.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.05 CHF 6.55

$7.52 CHF 6.12

7.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.19 CHF 3.41

$4.46 CHF 3.63

-6.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$85.8 CHF 69.8

$89.2 CHF 72.6

-3.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 CHF 1.78

$2.24 CHF 1.82

-2.23%

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

$40.7K CHF 33.1K

$40.5K CHF 32.9K

0.47%

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

$44.9K CHF 36.5K

$39.8K CHF 32.4K

12.81%

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

$303 CHF 246

$97.2 CHF 79.1

211.61%

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

$53.2 CHF 43.24

$36.41 CHF 29.61

46.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.5 CHF 47.61

$59.7 CHF 48.54

-1.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.7 CHF 73.8

$74.7 CHF 60.8

21.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.34 CHF 34.44

$42.41 CHF 34.50

-0.17%

Cinema Ticket

$22.39 CHF 18.21

$18.87 CHF 15.35

18.65%

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

$2,538 CHF 2,065

$3,368 CHF 2,739

-24.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.4K CHF 28.0K

$39.7K CHF 32.3K

-13.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$135 CHF 110

$137 CHF 112

-1.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$89.2 CHF 72.5

$62.3 CHF 50.6

43.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$175 CHF 142

$151 CHF 123

15.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$227 CHF 184

$203 CHF 165

11.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,105 CHF 1,712

$1,702 CHF 1,385

23.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,498 CHF 1,218

$1,993 CHF 1,621

-24.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,749 CHF 3,049

$2,808 CHF 2,284

33.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,888 CHF 2,349

$4,655 CHF 3,787

-37.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K CHF 14.9K

$15.6K CHF 12.7K

17.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.3K CHF 11.6K

$12.2K CHF 9,957

16.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,099 CHF 5,775

$4,804 CHF 3,908

47.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.55

1.8

41.67%

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

Last update for Basel: July 27, 2026

Last update for St. Moritz: July 25, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,105 in Basel and $1,702 in St. Moritz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays 48% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $154 in Basel vs $147 in St. Moritz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $689 vs $665 per month, with St. Moritz cheaper across the board.

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. Moritz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Basel and St. Moritz differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($3,725 vs $3,776 including rent). Basel is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 48% 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: $2,105 in Basel versus $1,702 in St. Moritz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,538 in Basel versus $3,368 in St. Moritz. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in St. Moritz pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Basel 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 Basel delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $3,725 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Basel hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Basel and St. Moritz are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Basel gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in St. Moritz. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.