Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and St. Moritz

For one person, living costs are similar in Basel and in St. Moritz: $3,669 and $3,626 a month, rent and utilities included.

176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index
174

Cost of Living Index in St. Moritz
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St. Moritz Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

St. Moritz

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,669 in Basel versus $3,626 in St. Moritz.

Basel $3,669
St. Moritz $3,626

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,649 in Basel versus $6,508 in St. Moritz.

Basel $5,649
St. Moritz $6,508

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,629 in Basel versus $9,390 in St. Moritz.

Basel $7,629
St. Moritz $9,390

Living in Basel is roughly 1% more expensive than in St. Moritz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 170% above, St. Moritz 166% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.27 CHF 25.11

$34.20 CHF 28.37

-11.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 CHF 104

$143 CHF 119

-12.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.91 CHF 14.86

$14.40 CHF 11.94

24.37%

Cappuccino

$6.52 CHF 5.41

$5.90 CHF 4.90

10.51%

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

$6.47 CHF 5.37

$5.54 CHF 4.60

16.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 CHF 4.90

$4.60 CHF 3.82

28.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.41 CHF 7.81

$9.90 CHF 8.21

-4.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.87

$6.03 CHF 5.00

57.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.90

$1.81 CHF 1.50

26.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CHF 2.52

$3.96 CHF 3.29

-23.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CHF 2.72

$3.60 CHF 2.99

-9.17%

Eggs

$7.97 CHF 6.61

$7.67 CHF 6.36

3.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.85

$27.09 CHF 22.47

-2.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.32 CHF 22.66

$28.89 CHF 23.97

-5.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 CHF 34.13

$60.5 CHF 50.2

-31.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CHF 3.07

$4.09 CHF 3.39

-9.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.91

$2.75 CHF 2.28

-16.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 CHF 2.51

$3.60 CHF 2.99

-15.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 CHF 3.77

$4.59 CHF 3.81

-1.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.39

$2.55 CHF 2.11

-34.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.58

$2.34 CHF 1.94

-18.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.88

$2.49 CHF 2.06

-8.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$1.25 CHF 1.03

28.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 9.25

$10.77 CHF 8.94

3.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CHF 9.87

$13.92 CHF 11.54

-14.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.03

$2.88 CHF 2.39

-15.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CHF 2.52

$3.21 CHF 2.66

-5.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 CHF 4.33

$3.92 CHF 3.26

32.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.9

$92.6 CHF 76.8

13.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 CHF 6.62

$8.08 CHF 6.70

-1.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.83

$4.54 CHF 3.77

1.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.3 CHF 69.1

$87.8 CHF 72.8

-5.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 CHF 2.01

$2.14 CHF 1.77

13.08%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.8K

$38.6K CHF 32.0K

-0.73%

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

$40.0K CHF 33.2K

$39.6K CHF 32.9K

0.96%

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

$296 CHF 245

$96.8 CHF 80.3

205.24%

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

$46.31 CHF 38.42

$39.12 CHF 32.45

18.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.4

$54.8 CHF 45.42

15.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 CHF 68.0

$73.0 CHF 60.5

12.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.33

Cinema Ticket

$22.84 CHF 18.95

$18.96 CHF 15.73

20.46%

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

$3,139 CHF 2,604

$3,402 CHF 2,823

-7.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 27.1K

$41.2K CHF 34.2K

-20.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 120

$140 CHF 116

3.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 66.3

$55.1 CHF 45.69

44.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$161 CHF 133

-0.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 162

$249 CHF 206

-21.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,732

$1,794 CHF 1,488

16.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,366

$1,753 CHF 1,454

-6.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 CHF 3,001

$5,403 CHF 4,482

-33.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,966 CHF 2,461

$4,730 CHF 3,924

-37.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

$12.3K CHF 10.2K

11.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,873

$4,889 CHF 4,056

44.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

1.8

34.44%

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

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Last update for St. Moritz: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

St. Moritz

$1.8K 48.3% 6.5% $107

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$584 15.9%

St. Moritz

$670 18.5% 14.8% $87

Eating Out

Basel

$490 13.3%

St. Moritz

$490 13.5% 0% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$405 11%

St. Moritz

$191 5.3% 52.9% $214

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$261 7.1%

St. Moritz

$272 7.5% 4.4% $11

Getting Around

Basel

$157 4.3%

St. Moritz

$139 3.8% 11.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.5%

St. Moritz

$111 3.1% 13.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,087 in Basel and $1,794 in St. Moritz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays 45% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $125 in Basel vs $143 in St. Moritz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $584 vs $670 per month, with Basel cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 St. Moritz

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

5,000

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Basel St. Moritz 210 km

From you

Basel
St. Moritz

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 St. Moritz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St. Moritz wins on cost – living expenses run 1% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making St. Moritz the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 45% 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 $1,794 in St. Moritz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,139 in Basel versus $3,402 in St. Moritz. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Basel pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. St. Moritz 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.

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