Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Wil

For one person, living is cheaper in Wil: $3,136 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
151

Cost of Living Index in Wil
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Wil Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Wil

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,136

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Wil

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,669 in Basel versus $3,136 in Wil.

Basel $3,669
Wil $3,136

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,649 in Basel versus $4,645 in Wil.

Basel $5,649
Wil $4,645

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,629 in Basel versus $6,154 in Wil.

Basel $7,629
Wil $6,154

Living in Basel is roughly 17% more expensive than in Wil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 170% above, Wil 130% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.27 CHF 25.06

$29.06 CHF 24.06

4.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 CHF 103

$142 CHF 118

-12.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.91 CHF 14.83

$23.86 CHF 19.76

-24.94%

Cappuccino

$6.52 CHF 5.40

$6.15 CHF 5.09

6.02%

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

$6.47 CHF 5.36

$5.84 CHF 4.84

10.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 CHF 4.89

$5.09 CHF 4.22

16.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.41 CHF 7.79

$9.24 CHF 7.65

1.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.85

$6.46 CHF 5.34

46.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$2.17 CHF 1.80

5.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CHF 2.52

$3.97 CHF 3.29

-23.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CHF 2.71

$3.69 CHF 3.06

-11.38%

Eggs

$7.97 CHF 6.60

$7.95 CHF 6.58

0.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.81

$26.95 CHF 22.31

-2.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.32 CHF 22.62

$28.03 CHF 23.21

-2.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 CHF 34.07

$41.77 CHF 34.58

-1.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CHF 3.06

$3.75 CHF 3.10

-1.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.91

$2.01 CHF 1.66

14.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 CHF 2.51

$2.35 CHF 1.94

28.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 CHF 3.76

$5.31 CHF 4.40

-14.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.39

$2.04 CHF 1.69

-17.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.58

$2.13 CHF 1.77

-10.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.88

$2.30 CHF 1.90

-1.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$1.24 CHF 1.03

29.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 9.23

$10.87 CHF 9.00

2.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CHF 9.85

$18.29 CHF 15.14

-34.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.02

$2.21 CHF 1.83

10.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CHF 2.51

$2.24 CHF 1.86

35.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 CHF 4.32

$3.88 CHF 3.21

34.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.7

$89.5 CHF 74.1

17.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 CHF 6.61

$6.81 CHF 5.64

17.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.82

$4.68 CHF 3.87

-1.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.3 CHF 68.9

$36.56 CHF 30.27

127.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 CHF 2.00

$2.24 CHF 1.85

8.04%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.7K

$38.6K CHF 31.9K

-0.58%

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

$40.0K CHF 33.1K

$39.5K CHF 32.7K

1.18%

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

$296 CHF 245

$311 CHF 258

-5.08%

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

$46.31 CHF 38.34

$37.59 CHF 31.12

23.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.3

$54.7 CHF 45.30

15.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 CHF 67.9

$83.6 CHF 69.2

-1.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.24

Cinema Ticket

$22.84 CHF 18.91

$27.51 CHF 22.77

-16.98%

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

$3,139 CHF 2,599

$2,272 CHF 1,881

38.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 27.0K

$31.6K CHF 26.1K

3.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 120

$145 CHF 120

-0.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 66.1

$67.4 CHF 55.8

18.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$143 CHF 119

11.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 162

$267 CHF 221

-26.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,728

$1,470 CHF 1,217

41.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,363

$1,090 CHF 902

51.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 CHF 2,995

$2,076 CHF 1,719

74.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,966 CHF 2,456

$1,429 CHF 1,183

107.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,862

$4,382 CHF 3,628

61.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

1.9

27.37%

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

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Last update for Wil: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

Wil

$1.1K 34.8% 33.8% $556

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$584 15.9%

Wil

$608 19.4% 4.1% $24

Eating Out

Basel

$490 13.3%

Wil

$481 15.3% 1.8% $9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$405 11%

Wil

$404 12.9% 0.3% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$261 7.1%

Wil

$280 8.9% 7.5% $20

Getting Around

Basel

$157 4.3%

Wil

$135 4.3% 13.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.5%

Wil

$139 4.4% 8.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,087 in Basel and $1,470 in Wil. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays 62% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $125 in Basel vs $142 in Wil for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $584 vs $608 per month, with Basel cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Wil

🕒 Local time

01:12 1:12 AM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

18,988

💱 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

On the map

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Basel Wil 110 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 Wil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wil wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Wil the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 62% 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 $1,470 in Wil. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,139 in Basel versus $2,272 in Wil. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Wil 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 Wil are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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