Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Zofingen

For one person, living is cheaper in Zofingen: $3,203 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Zofingen
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Zofingen Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Zofingen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel and in Zofingen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,669 in Basel versus $3,203 in Zofingen.

Basel $3,669
Zofingen $3,203

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,649 in Basel versus $4,839 in Zofingen.

Basel $5,649
Zofingen $4,839

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,629 in Basel versus $6,475 in Zofingen.

Basel $7,629
Zofingen $6,475

Living in Basel is roughly 15% more expensive than in Zofingen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Basel 170% above, Zofingen 135% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.27 CHF 25.11

$28.94 CHF 24.01

4.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 CHF 104

$123 CHF 102

1.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.91 CHF 14.86

$15.88 CHF 13.18

12.78%

Cappuccino

$6.52 CHF 5.41

$3.54 CHF 2.94

84.18%

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

$6.47 CHF 5.37

$3.07 CHF 2.55

110.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 CHF 4.90

$6.95 CHF 5.76

-14.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.41 CHF 7.81

$4.33 CHF 3.59

117.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.87

$7.73 CHF 6.42

22.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.90

$2.05 CHF 1.70

11.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CHF 2.52

$2.94 CHF 2.44

3.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CHF 2.72

$2.37 CHF 1.97

37.97%

Eggs

$7.97 CHF 6.61

$6.03 CHF 5.00

32.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.85

$24.74 CHF 20.52

6.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.32 CHF 22.66

$15.76 CHF 13.08

73.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 CHF 34.13

$26.26 CHF 21.79

56.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CHF 3.07

$3.88 CHF 3.22

-4.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.91

$1.96 CHF 1.63

17.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 CHF 2.51

$2.64 CHF 2.19

14.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 CHF 3.77

$3.92 CHF 3.25

15.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.39

$1.60 CHF 1.32

5.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.58

$1.99 CHF 1.65

-4.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.88

$2.17 CHF 1.80

4.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$1.36 CHF 1.12

17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 9.25

$10.49 CHF 8.70

6.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CHF 9.87

$12.07 CHF 10.01

-1.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.03

$2.20 CHF 1.83

10.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CHF 2.52

$2.37 CHF 1.96

27.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 CHF 4.33

$5.66 CHF 4.70

-7.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.9

$102 CHF 84.3

3.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 CHF 6.62

$8.20 CHF 6.80

-2.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.83

$4.51 CHF 3.74

2.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.3 CHF 69.1

$108 CHF 89.4

-22.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 CHF 2.01

$2.10 CHF 1.74

15.24%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.8K

$39.7K CHF 32.9K

-3.43%

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

$40.0K CHF 33.2K

$39.6K CHF 32.9K

0.89%

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

$296 CHF 245

$278 CHF 231

6.26%

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

$46.31 CHF 38.42

$28.38 CHF 23.54

63.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.4

$52.3 CHF 43.39

20.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 CHF 68.0

$85.3 CHF 70.8

-3.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.33

$52.3 CHF 43.38

11.42%

Cinema Ticket

$22.84 CHF 18.95

$25.24 CHF 20.94

-9.51%

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

$3,139 CHF 2,604

$2,733 CHF 2,267

14.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 27.1K

$30.6K CHF 25.4K

6.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 120

$79.7 CHF 66.2

81.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 66.3

$53.5 CHF 44.38

49.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$127 CHF 105

25.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 162

$107 CHF 88.7

82.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,732

$1,823 CHF 1,512

14.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,366

$1,539 CHF 1,277

6.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 CHF 3,001

$2,441 CHF 2,025

48.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,966 CHF 2,461

$2,589 CHF 2,148

14.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

$15.1K CHF 12.6K

15.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

$8,604 CHF 7,138

59.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,873

$7,403 CHF 6,141

-4.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

1.53

58.17%

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

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zofingen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

Zofingen

$1.5K 48.1% 6.5% $107

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$584 15.9%

Zofingen

$450 14.1% 22.8% $133

Eating Out

Basel

$490 13.3%

Zofingen

$399 12.5% 18.5% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$405 11%

Zofingen

$359 11.2% 11.4% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$261 7.1%

Zofingen

$165 5.2% 36.6% $95

Getting Around

Basel

$157 4.3%

Zofingen

$155 4.8% 1.1% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.5%

Zofingen

$136 4.2% 6.3% $8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,087 in Basel and $1,823 in Zofingen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zofingen pays 5% 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 $123 in Zofingen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $584 vs $450 per month, with Zofingen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇨🇭 Zofingen

🕒 Local time

21:22 9:22 PM

Same time as Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

11,543

💱 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 Zofingen 40 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 Zofingen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zofingen wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Zofingen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 4% 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 $1,823 in Zofingen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,139 in Basel versus $2,733 in Zofingen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Zofingen runs roughly 3% less than in Basel. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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