Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Uster

For one person, living is cheaper in Basel: $3,461 a month against $3,689 in Uster, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Uster outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

169

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index
178

Cost of Living Index in Uster
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Uster Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,461

/mo nomad

Uster

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Uster

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,461 in Basel versus $3,689 in Uster.

Basel $3,461
Uster $3,689

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,427 in Basel versus $5,289 in Uster.

Basel $5,427
Uster $5,289

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,394 in Basel versus $6,889 in Uster.

Basel $7,394
Uster $6,889

Living in Basel costs roughly 6% less than in Uster, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 156% above, Uster 173% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.60 CHF 24.38

$30.11 CHF 24.80

-1.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$123 CHF 102

$120 CHF 98.7

2.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.93 CHF 14.77

$18.34 CHF 15.10

-2.24%

Cappuccino

$6.21 CHF 5.12

$6.04 CHF 4.97

2.81%

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

$6.50 CHF 5.35

$5.33 CHF 4.39

21.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 CHF 4.75

$4.79 CHF 3.95

20.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.20 CHF 7.58

$8.59 CHF 7.08

7.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.79 CHF 8.07

$6.73 CHF 5.54

45.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 CHF 1.86

$2.23 CHF 1.83

1.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 CHF 2.57

$3.34 CHF 2.75

-6.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.17 CHF 2.61

$4.39 CHF 3.61

-27.79%

Eggs

$7.83 CHF 6.45

$7.35 CHF 6.05

6.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.04 CHF 21.45

$32.17 CHF 26.49

-19.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.78 CHF 22.05

$29.34 CHF 24.17

-8.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.31 CHF 33.20

$42.64 CHF 35.12

-5.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 CHF 2.90

$3.44 CHF 2.84

2.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 CHF 1.92

$2.10 CHF 1.73

11.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 CHF 2.44

$2.81 CHF 2.31

5.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 CHF 3.72

$4.58 CHF 3.78

-1.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 CHF 1.42

$2.04 CHF 1.68

-15.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 CHF 1.56

$2.18 CHF 1.79

-13.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 CHF 1.84

$2.43 CHF 2.00

-7.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 CHF 1.33

$1.33 CHF 1.10

21.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.08 CHF 9.13

$10.65 CHF 8.77

4.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.84 CHF 9.75

$12.97 CHF 10.69

-8.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CHF 2.08

$3.25 CHF 2.68

-22.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 CHF 2.44

$3.34 CHF 2.75

-11.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.53 CHF 3.73

$4.60 CHF 3.79

-1.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.5

$99.8 CHF 82.2

5.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.95 CHF 6.54

$5.46 CHF 4.50

45.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.51 CHF 3.71

$3.28 CHF 2.70

37.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$84.6 CHF 69.7

$59.4 CHF 48.94

42.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 CHF 1.91

$2.19 CHF 1.80

5.48%

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

$42.3K CHF 34.8K

$43.3K CHF 35.6K

-2.31%

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

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

$39.7K CHF 32.7K

-2.48%

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

$292 CHF 240

$233 CHF 192

25.20%

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

$46.45 CHF 38.25

$31.89 CHF 26.26

45.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.9 CHF 51.0

$65.4 CHF 53.8

-5.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.1 CHF 66.8

$73.6 CHF 60.6

10.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.5 CHF 48.17

$45.51 CHF 37.49

28.50%

Cinema Ticket

$22.48 CHF 18.52

$21.75 CHF 17.92

3.36%

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

$2,993 CHF 2,465

$1,802 CHF 1,484

66.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.0K CHF 26.3K

$32.6K CHF 26.8K

-1.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$142 CHF 117

$164 CHF 135

-13.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.1 CHF 63.5

$86.4 CHF 71.1

-10.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 131

$143 CHF 118

11.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$198 CHF 163

$173 CHF 142

14.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,953 CHF 1,609

$1,678 CHF 1,382

16.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,465 CHF 1,207

$1,759 CHF 1,448

-16.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,586 CHF 2,954

$2,928 CHF 2,412

22.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,796 CHF 2,302

$2,382 CHF 1,962

17.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.1K CHF 14.9K

$15.9K CHF 13.1K

13.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.3K CHF 11.8K

$12.1K CHF 9,993

17.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,863 CHF 5,652

$6,850 CHF 5,642

0.18%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Uster: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.5K 42.4%

Uster

$1.8K 47.7% 20% $293

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$576 16.7%

Uster

$623 16.9% 8.1% $46

Eating Out

Basel

$480 13.9%

Uster

$465 12.6% 3% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$400 11.6%

Uster

$330 9% 17.4% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$260 7.5%

Uster

$255 6.9% 1.8% $4.6

Getting Around

Basel

$154 4.4%

Uster

$140 3.8% 8.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$126 3.6%

Uster

$117 3.2% 7.1% $9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,953 in Basel and $1,678 in Uster. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays 0% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $123 in Basel vs $120 in Uster. Groceries flip the comparison at $576 vs $623, with Basel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Uster

🕒 Local time

09:19 9:19 AM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

33,097

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Basel Uster 88 km

From you

Basel
Uster

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 Uster: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Basel wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Uster. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Basel the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 0% 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: $1,953 in Basel versus $1,678 in Uster. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,993 in Basel versus $1,802 in Uster. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Uster. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 $3,461 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Basel hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Basel and Uster 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 7% less than in Uster. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.