Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Staefa

For one person, living is cheaper in Staefa: $3,475 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Basel outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index
166

Cost of Living Index in Staefa
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Staefa Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Staefa

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,475

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Staefa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,669 in Basel versus $3,475 in Staefa.

Basel $3,669
Staefa $3,475

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,649 in Basel versus $5,304 in Staefa.

Basel $5,649
Staefa $5,304

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,629 in Basel versus $7,132 in Staefa.

Basel $7,629
Staefa $7,132

Living in Basel is roughly 6% more expensive than in Staefa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 170% above, Staefa 155% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.27 CHF 25.08

$33.44 CHF 27.71

-9.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 CHF 103

$122 CHF 101

2.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.91 CHF 14.84

$16.20 CHF 13.42

10.56%

Cappuccino

$6.52 CHF 5.40

$6.25 CHF 5.18

4.32%

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

$6.47 CHF 5.36

$5.69 CHF 4.71

13.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 CHF 4.90

$5.10 CHF 4.22

15.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.41 CHF 7.80

$8.37 CHF 6.94

12.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.86

$8.60 CHF 7.13

10.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.90

$2.16 CHF 1.79

6.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CHF 2.52

$3.28 CHF 2.72

-7.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CHF 2.71

$3.89 CHF 3.22

-15.94%

Eggs

$7.97 CHF 6.60

$8.36 CHF 6.93

-4.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.82

$26.66 CHF 22.09

-1.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.32 CHF 22.64

$26.56 CHF 22.01

2.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 CHF 34.10

$55.3 CHF 45.81

-25.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CHF 3.07

$3.49 CHF 2.89

6.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.91

$2.78 CHF 2.31

-17.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 CHF 2.51

$3.58 CHF 2.97

-15.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 CHF 3.76

$4.52 CHF 3.75

0.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.39

$2.47 CHF 2.04

-31.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.58

$2.19 CHF 1.81

-12.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.88

$2.45 CHF 2.03

-7.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$1.29 CHF 1.07

24.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 9.24

$10.68 CHF 8.85

4.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CHF 9.86

$14.15 CHF 11.73

-15.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.02

$2.75 CHF 2.28

-11.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CHF 2.51

$3.21 CHF 2.66

-5.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 CHF 4.32

$4.36 CHF 3.61

19.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.8

$101 CHF 83.5

3.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 CHF 6.61

$7.54 CHF 6.25

5.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.82

$4.69 CHF 3.89

-1.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.3 CHF 69.0

$86.9 CHF 72.0

-4.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 CHF 2.00

$2.32 CHF 1.92

4.31%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.8K

$39.2K CHF 32.5K

-2.19%

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

$40.0K CHF 33.1K

$38.5K CHF 31.9K

3.73%

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

$296 CHF 245

$232 CHF 192

27.25%

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

$46.31 CHF 38.38

$32.86 CHF 27.23

40.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.4

$55.5 CHF 46.03

13.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 CHF 68.0

$91.1 CHF 75.5

-10.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.28

$46.55 CHF 38.58

25.16%

Cinema Ticket

$22.84 CHF 18.93

$21.56 CHF 17.86

5.94%

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

$3,139 CHF 2,601

$2,904 CHF 2,407

8.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 27.0K

$42.2K CHF 35.0K

-22.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 120

$139 CHF 115

4.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 66.2

$58.4 CHF 48.37

36.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$145 CHF 120

9.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 162

$170 CHF 141

15.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,730

$1,760 CHF 1,458

18.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,364

$1,509 CHF 1,250

9.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 CHF 2,998

$2,982 CHF 2,471

21.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,966 CHF 2,458

$2,507 CHF 2,077

18.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

$16.4K CHF 13.6K

6.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

$12.2K CHF 10.1K

12.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,867

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

1.72

40.70%

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

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Last update for Staefa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

Staefa

$1.5K 43.4% 8.3% $137

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$584 15.9%

Staefa

$639 18.4% 9.4% $55

Eating Out

Basel

$490 13.3%

Staefa

$493 14.2% 0.8% $3.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$405 11%

Staefa

$321 9.2% 20.8% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$261 7.1%

Staefa

$230 6.6% 11.6% $30

Getting Around

Basel

$157 4.3%

Staefa

$149 4.3% 4.8% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.5%

Staefa

$134 3.9% 5.1% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,087 in Basel and $1,760 in Staefa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $125 in Basel vs $122 in Staefa. Groceries flip the comparison at $584 vs $639, with Basel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Staefa

🕒 Local time

10:01 10:01 AM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

11,567

💱 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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Basel Staefa 93 km

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Basel
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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 Staefa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Staefa wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Staefa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $5,504 in Basel and $5,213 in Staefa 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 $1,760 in Staefa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,139 in Basel versus $2,904 in Staefa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Staefa runs roughly 4% 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. Staefa 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 Staefa are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.