Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Zurich Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Zurich

🙂 Solo nomad: Basel is 0.1% cheaper than Zurich without rent, and 14.3% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Basel is 2.9% more expensive than Zurich without rent, and 9.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.64 CHF 24.61

$30.44 CHF 24.44

0.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$155 CHF 124

$145 CHF 117

6.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$20.06 CHF 16.11

$20.65 CHF 16.58

-2.86%

Cappuccino

$6.82 CHF 5.48

$6.98 CHF 5.61

-2.29%

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

$5.77 CHF 4.64

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 CHF 4.10

$5.17 CHF 4.15

-1.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.97 CHF 8.01

$10.08 CHF 8.09

-1.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 CHF 5.94

$8.64 CHF 6.93

-14.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 CHF 1.73

White Bread (500g)

$3.87 CHF 3.11

$3.37 CHF 2.71

14.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.15 CHF 4.13

$4.02 CHF 3.23

28.11%

Eggs

$7.90 CHF 6.34

$7.54 CHF 6.05

4.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.62 CHF 22.98

$29.47 CHF 23.67

-2.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$36.22 CHF 29.08

$33.72 CHF 27.08

7.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$43.52 CHF 34.95

$50.2 CHF 40.31

-13.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 CHF 3.09

$4.17 CHF 3.35

-7.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 CHF 2.11

$2.87 CHF 2.31

-8.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.24 CHF 3.40

$2.99 CHF 2.40

41.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.77 CHF 5.44

$5.10 CHF 4.09

32.75%

Potato (1kg)

$3.19 CHF 2.56

$2.84 CHF 2.28

12.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 CHF 2.27

$2.29 CHF 1.84

23.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 CHF 2.07

$2.59 CHF 2.08

-0.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 CHF 1.20

$1.71 CHF 1.37

-12.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.57 CHF 9.29

$11.06 CHF 8.88

4.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.93 CHF 11.99

$14.25 CHF 11.44

4.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 1.96

$2.62 CHF 2.11

-6.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 CHF 2.42

$3.25 CHF 2.61

-7.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.62 CHF 3.71

$4.86 CHF 3.91

-4.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 CHF 86.8

$109 CHF 87.7

-1.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.03 CHF 6.45

$7.61 CHF 6.11

5.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.28 CHF 3.44

$4.15 CHF 3.33

3.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$85.4 CHF 68.6

$88.7 CHF 71.2

-3.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 CHF 1.80

$2.25 CHF 1.80

-0.44%

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

$40.7K CHF 32.7K

0.12%

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

$45.7K CHF 36.7K

$39.6K CHF 31.8K

15.50%

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

$298 CHF 240

$256 CHF 206

16.51%

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

$54.6 CHF 43.86

$35.59 CHF 28.58

53.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.1 CHF 47.46

$58.2 CHF 46.72

1.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.9 CHF 73.8

$90.3 CHF 72.5

1.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.57 CHF 33.38

$49.68 CHF 39.89

-16.32%

Cinema Ticket

$22.54 CHF 18.10

$24.49 CHF 19.66

-7.96%

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

$2,618 CHF 2,102

$3,412 CHF 2,739

-23.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.1K CHF 27.4K

$39.3K CHF 31.5K

-13.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$132 CHF 106

$142 CHF 114

-7.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$87.5 CHF 70.3

$60.6 CHF 48.66

44.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$178 CHF 143

$149 CHF 120

19.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$234 CHF 188

$198 CHF 159

17.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,089 CHF 1,677

$2,720 CHF 2,184

-23.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,513 CHF 1,215

$2,250 CHF 1,807

-32.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,732 CHF 2,996

$4,982 CHF 4,000

-25.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,828 CHF 2,271

$3,719 CHF 2,986

-23.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.3K CHF 13.9K

$25.5K CHF 20.4K

-32.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.3K CHF 10.7K

$16.1K CHF 12.9K

-17.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,802 CHF 6,265

$8,135 CHF 6,532

-4.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.55

2.09

22.01%

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

Last update for Basel: January 12, 2026

Last update for Zurich: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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