Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Zermatt

For one person, living is cheaper in Zermatt: $3,441 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index
166

Cost of Living Index in Zermatt
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Zermatt Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Zermatt

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,441

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Zermatt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,669 in Basel versus $3,441 in Zermatt.

Basel $3,669
Zermatt $3,441

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,649 in Basel versus $5,226 in Zermatt.

Basel $5,649
Zermatt $5,226

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,629 in Basel versus $7,010 in Zermatt.

Basel $7,629
Zermatt $7,010

Living in Basel is roughly 7% more expensive than in Zermatt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 170% above, Zermatt 153% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.27 CHF 25.11

$29.72 CHF 24.66

1.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 CHF 104

$121 CHF 101

2.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.91 CHF 14.86

$18.42 CHF 15.28

-2.77%

Cappuccino

$6.52 CHF 5.41

$5.91 CHF 4.90

10.32%

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

$6.47 CHF 5.37

$5.40 CHF 4.48

19.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 CHF 4.90

$4.87 CHF 4.04

21.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.41 CHF 7.81

$8.92 CHF 7.40

5.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.87

$7.36 CHF 6.11

28.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.90

$2.21 CHF 1.84

3.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CHF 2.52

$3.58 CHF 2.97

-15.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CHF 2.72

$3.71 CHF 3.08

-11.86%

Eggs

$7.97 CHF 6.61

$7.90 CHF 6.56

0.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.85

$26.11 CHF 21.66

0.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.32 CHF 22.66

$27.74 CHF 23.01

-1.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 CHF 34.13

$40.83 CHF 33.87

0.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CHF 3.07

$3.58 CHF 2.97

3.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.91

$2.06 CHF 1.71

11.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 CHF 2.51

$2.77 CHF 2.30

9.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 CHF 3.77

$4.64 CHF 3.85

-2.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.39

$1.79 CHF 1.49

-6.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.58

$2.08 CHF 1.72

-8.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.88

$2.24 CHF 1.86

1.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$1.25 CHF 1.04

28.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 9.25

$10.83 CHF 8.99

2.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CHF 9.87

$12.94 CHF 10.74

-8.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.03

$2.71 CHF 2.25

-9.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CHF 2.52

$3.21 CHF 2.67

-5.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 CHF 4.33

$4.25 CHF 3.53

22.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.9

$101 CHF 83.5

4.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 CHF 6.62

$7.76 CHF 6.43

2.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.83

$4.63 CHF 3.84

-0.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.3 CHF 69.1

$74.8 CHF 62.1

11.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 CHF 2.01

$2.28 CHF 1.89

6.14%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.8K

$39.3K CHF 32.6K

-2.44%

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

$40.0K CHF 33.2K

$39.7K CHF 32.9K

0.68%

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

$296 CHF 245

$281 CHF 233

5.33%

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

$46.31 CHF 38.42

$32.46 CHF 26.93

42.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.4

$56.9 CHF 47.17

11.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 CHF 68.0

$87.8 CHF 72.9

-6.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.33

$46.76 CHF 38.79

24.59%

Cinema Ticket

$22.84 CHF 18.95

$23.47 CHF 19.47

-2.68%

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

$3,139 CHF 2,604

$2,954 CHF 2,451

6.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 27.1K

$32.4K CHF 26.9K

0.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 120

$139 CHF 115

3.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 66.3

$57.8 CHF 47.95

38.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$162 CHF 135

-1.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 162

$189 CHF 157

3.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,732

$2,219 CHF 1,841

-5.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,366

$1,489 CHF 1,236

10.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 CHF 3,001

$2,968 CHF 2,462

21.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,966 CHF 2,461

$2,501 CHF 2,074

18.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

$16.6K CHF 13.8K

4.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

$12.5K CHF 10.4K

9.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,873

$9,590 CHF 7,956

-26.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

2.07

16.91%

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

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zermatt: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

Zermatt

$1.5K 43.3% 9.5% $157

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$584 15.9%

Zermatt

$588 17.1% 0.7% $4.2

Eating Out

Basel

$490 13.3%

Zermatt

$464 13.5% 5.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$405 11%

Zermatt

$370 10.8% 8.7% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$261 7.1%

Zermatt

$247 7.2% 5.3% $14

Getting Around

Basel

$157 4.3%

Zermatt

$148 4.3% 5.2% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.5%

Zermatt

$135 3.9% 5.5% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,087 in Basel and $2,219 in Zermatt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zermatt pays 35% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $125 in Basel vs $121 in Zermatt. Groceries flip the comparison at $584 vs $588, with Basel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Zermatt

🕒 Local time

21:26 9:26 PM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

5,800

💱 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 Zermatt 170 km

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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 Zermatt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zermatt wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Zermatt the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Basel. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,087 in Basel versus $2,219 in Zermatt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,139 in Basel versus $2,954 in Zermatt. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Zermatt – 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 $2,500. Zermatt 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 Zermatt are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.