Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Winterthur

For one person, living costs are similar in Basel and in Winterthur: $3,669 and $3,759 a month, rent and utilities included.

176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index
182

Cost of Living Index in Winterthur
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Winterthur Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Winterthur

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Winterthur

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,669 in Basel versus $3,759 in Winterthur.

Basel $3,669
Winterthur $3,759

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,649 in Basel versus $5,534 in Winterthur.

Basel $5,649
Winterthur $5,534

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,629 in Basel versus $7,309 in Winterthur.

Basel $7,629
Winterthur $7,309

Monthly costs are close between Basel and Winterthur; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 170% above, Winterthur 176% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.27 CHF 24.96

$29.70 CHF 24.50

1.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 CHF 103

$121 CHF 99.9

3.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.91 CHF 14.77

$17.77 CHF 14.66

0.79%

Cappuccino

$6.52 CHF 5.38

$5.75 CHF 4.74

13.39%

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

$6.47 CHF 5.34

$5.35 CHF 4.42

20.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 CHF 4.87

$4.81 CHF 3.96

22.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.41 CHF 7.76

$8.70 CHF 7.18

8.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.82

$6.74 CHF 5.56

40.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$2.25 CHF 1.85

1.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CHF 2.51

$3.65 CHF 3.01

-16.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CHF 2.70

$4.35 CHF 3.58

-24.83%

Eggs

$7.97 CHF 6.57

$7.05 CHF 5.82

13.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.72

$30.76 CHF 25.37

-14.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.32 CHF 22.53

$29.27 CHF 24.14

-6.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 CHF 33.94

$42.10 CHF 34.72

-2.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CHF 3.05

$4.05 CHF 3.34

-8.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.90

$2.08 CHF 1.72

10.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$3.02 CHF 2.49

0.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 CHF 3.74

$6.61 CHF 5.45

-31.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.38

$2.33 CHF 1.92

-27.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.58

$2.51 CHF 2.07

-23.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.87

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-0.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$1.11 CHF 0.91

44.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 9.20

$10.68 CHF 8.81

4.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CHF 9.82

$12.15 CHF 10.02

-2.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$2.78 CHF 2.29

-12.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$3.56 CHF 2.93

-14.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 CHF 4.30

$5.24 CHF 4.33

-0.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.4

$83.1 CHF 68.6

26.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 CHF 6.58

$4.42 CHF 3.65

80.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.81

$2.96 CHF 2.44

55.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.3 CHF 68.7

$61.3 CHF 50.5

35.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 CHF 1.99

$2.28 CHF 1.88

6.14%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.6K

$38.6K CHF 31.9K

-0.79%

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

$40.0K CHF 33.0K

$38.6K CHF 31.8K

3.54%

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

$296 CHF 244

$417 CHF 344

-29.14%

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

$46.31 CHF 38.20

$28.64 CHF 23.62

61.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.1

$66.3 CHF 54.7

-4.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 CHF 67.7

$71.5 CHF 58.9

14.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.06

$26.10 CHF 21.53

123.22%

Cinema Ticket

$22.84 CHF 18.84

$21.50 CHF 17.73

6.23%

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

$3,139 CHF 2,589

$1,495 CHF 1,233

109.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 26.9K

$24.7K CHF 20.4K

31.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 119

$181 CHF 149

-19.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 65.9

$125 CHF 103

-35.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 131

$173 CHF 143

-7.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 161

$325 CHF 268

-39.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,722

$2,166 CHF 1,787

-3.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,358

$1,563 CHF 1,289

5.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 CHF 2,984

$3,461 CHF 2,855

4.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,966 CHF 2,446

$2,436 CHF 2,009

21.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.4K

$21.3K CHF 17.6K

-18.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.3K

$15.2K CHF 12.5K

-9.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,839

$6,646 CHF 5,482

6.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

2.41

0.41%

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

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Last update for Winterthur: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

Winterthur

$1.6K 41.6% 5.1% $84

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$584 15.9%

Winterthur

$627 16.7% 7.5% $44

Eating Out

Basel

$490 13.3%

Winterthur

$458 12.2% 6.6% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$405 11%

Winterthur

$512 13.6% 26.4% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$261 7.1%

Winterthur

$362 9.6% 38.8% $101

Getting Around

Basel

$157 4.3%

Winterthur

$123 3.3% 21.3% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.5%

Winterthur

$114 3.1% 10.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,087 in Basel and $2,166 in Winterthur. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays 7% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $125 in Basel vs $121 in Winterthur. Groceries flip the comparison at $584 vs $627, with Basel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Winterthur

🕒 Local time

06:10 6:10 AM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

108,044

💱 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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Between locations

Basel Winterthur 86 km

From you

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 Winterthur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 7% 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 $2,166 in Winterthur. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,139 in Basel versus $1,495 in Winterthur. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Winterthur – a meal for two runs $121 versus $125 in Basel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 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 Winterthur are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.