Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Yens

For one person, living is cheaper in Yens: $3,568 a month against $3,709 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

177

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index
167

Cost of Living Index in Yens
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Yens Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,709

/mo nomad

Yens

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Yens

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,709 in Basel versus $3,568 in Yens.

Basel $3,709
Yens $3,568

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,695 in Basel versus $5,328 in Yens.

Basel $5,695
Yens $5,328

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,682 in Basel versus $7,088 in Yens.

Basel $7,682
Yens $7,088

Living in Basel is roughly 4% more expensive than in Yens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 174% above, Yens 164% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.43 CHF 24.84

$29.48 CHF 24.07

3.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$129 CHF 105

$116 CHF 94.4

11.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.53 CHF 15.13

$16.12 CHF 13.16

14.95%

Cappuccino

$6.34 CHF 5.18

$6.35 CHF 5.19

-0.16%

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

$6.44 CHF 5.26

$5.07 CHF 4.14

27.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.19 CHF 5.05

$4.04 CHF 3.30

53.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.69 CHF 7.91

$9.34 CHF 7.63

3.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.64 CHF 7.87

$7.91 CHF 6.46

21.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 CHF 1.84

$2.26 CHF 1.85

-0.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 CHF 2.60

$3.06 CHF 2.50

3.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 CHF 2.72

$3.32 CHF 2.71

0.30%

Eggs

$8.20 CHF 6.70

$7.55 CHF 6.17

8.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.64 CHF 21.75

$24.49 CHF 19.99

8.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.19 CHF 22.20

$27.77 CHF 22.67

-2.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.07 CHF 33.53

$40.09 CHF 32.73

2.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 CHF 2.91

$3.63 CHF 2.97

-1.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 CHF 1.87

$2.00 CHF 1.63

14.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 CHF 2.41

$2.52 CHF 2.06

17.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.64 CHF 3.79

$4.74 CHF 3.87

-2.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 CHF 1.13

$1.66 CHF 1.35

-16.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 CHF 1.57

$1.97 CHF 1.61

-2.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 CHF 1.87

$2.08 CHF 1.70

10.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 CHF 1.34

$1.37 CHF 1.12

19.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.52 CHF 9.41

$11.04 CHF 9.01

4.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.01 CHF 9.80

$12.38 CHF 10.10

-2.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 CHF 2.11

$2.23 CHF 1.82

15.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 CHF 2.57

$3.05 CHF 2.49

2.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.20 CHF 4.25

$3.99 CHF 3.26

30.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 CHF 86.5

$107 CHF 87.7

-1.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.02 CHF 6.55

$7.99 CHF 6.52

0.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.60 CHF 3.75

$4.69 CHF 3.83

-1.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$86.6 CHF 70.7

$85.7 CHF 70.0

0.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 CHF 1.93

$2.34 CHF 1.91

0.85%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.2K

$39.0K CHF 31.9K

1.07%

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

$39.9K CHF 32.6K

-0.05%

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

$293 CHF 239

$280 CHF 229

4.52%

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

$45.83 CHF 37.42

$28.64 CHF 23.38

60.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.1 CHF 53.2

$53.4 CHF 43.61

21.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.8 CHF 67.6

$76.2 CHF 62.2

8.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.7 CHF 47.89

$47.19 CHF 38.52

24.31%

Cinema Ticket

$23.03 CHF 18.80

$24.30 CHF 19.84

-5.23%

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

$3,165 CHF 2,584

$2,957 CHF 2,414

7.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.5K CHF 29.8K

$35.6K CHF 29.1K

2.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$148 CHF 121

$143 CHF 117

3.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$81.0 CHF 66.1

$61.4 CHF 50.1

31.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$161 CHF 131

$141 CHF 115

13.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$203 CHF 166

$195 CHF 159

4.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,144 CHF 1,751

$1,735 CHF 1,416

23.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,672 CHF 1,365

$1,655 CHF 1,351

1.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,637 CHF 2,970

$2,868 CHF 2,342

26.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,971 CHF 2,426

$2,682 CHF 2,189

10.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K CHF 14.8K

$16.6K CHF 13.6K

9.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.4K CHF 11.0K

$11.5K CHF 9,368

17.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,781 CHF 5,536

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

1.95

24.10%

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

Last update for Basel: November 2, 2026

Last update for Yens: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.7K 45.1%

Yens

$1.7K 46.4% 1% $17

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$586 15.8%

Yens

$569 16% 2.9% $17

Eating Out

Basel

$493 13.3%

Yens

$459 12.9% 6.9% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$404 10.9%

Yens

$362 10.2% 10.3% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$267 7.2%

Yens

$243 6.8% 8.8% $24

Getting Around

Basel

$158 4.3%

Yens

$155 4.3% 1.9% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$129 3.5%

Yens

$125 3.5% 3.2% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,144 in Basel and $1,735 in Yens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $129 in Basel vs $116 in Yens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $586 vs $569 per month, with Yens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Yens

🕒 Local time

10:26 10:26 AM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

2,200

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Yens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yens wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Yens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $5,563 in Basel and $5,352 in Yens 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: $2,144 in Basel versus $1,735 in Yens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,165 in Basel versus $2,957 in Yens. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Yens – a meal for two runs $116 versus $129 in Basel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Yens 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 Yens are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.