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

😐 Solo nomad: Basel is 3.1% more expensive than Zurich without rent, and 12.3% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Basel is 3.6% more expensive than Zurich without rent, and 7.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.10 CHF 24.35

$30.84 CHF 24.15

0.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$154 CHF 121

$150 CHF 118

2.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.39 CHF 15.18

$20.90 CHF 16.37

-7.22%

Cappuccino

$6.74 CHF 5.27

$6.84 CHF 5.36

-1.46%

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

$5.71 CHF 4.47

$6.08 CHF 4.76

-6.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.26 CHF 4.12

$5.25 CHF 4.11

0.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.05 CHF 7.87

$10.10 CHF 7.91

-0.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.61 CHF 5.96

$8.57 CHF 6.71

-11.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 CHF 1.68

$2.17 CHF 1.70

-1.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.85 CHF 3.01

$3.36 CHF 2.63

14.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.07 CHF 3.97

$4.10 CHF 3.21

23.66%

Eggs

$7.82 CHF 6.12

$7.49 CHF 5.86

4.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.16 CHF 22.05

$29.78 CHF 23.31

-5.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$37.35 CHF 29.24

$34.08 CHF 26.69

9.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$43.13 CHF 33.77

$49.33 CHF 38.63

-12.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.87 CHF 3.03

$4.01 CHF 3.14

-3.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 CHF 2.08

$2.83 CHF 2.21

-6.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 CHF 3.18

$2.98 CHF 2.34

36.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.96 CHF 5.45

$5.22 CHF 4.08

33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 CHF 2.52

$2.88 CHF 2.25

11.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 CHF 2.31

$2.28 CHF 1.78

29.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.62 CHF 2.05

$2.58 CHF 2.02

1.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 CHF 1.22

$1.73 CHF 1.36

-9.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.90 CHF 9.32

$11.16 CHF 8.74

6.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.30 CHF 11.98

$15.04 CHF 11.78

1.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 CHF 1.87

$2.65 CHF 2.08

-10.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 CHF 2.44

$3.34 CHF 2.62

-6.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.77 CHF 3.74

$4.82 CHF 3.78

-1.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 CHF 83.6

$110 CHF 85.9

-2.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.94 CHF 6.22

$7.64 CHF 5.98

3.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.26 CHF 3.34

$4.29 CHF 3.36

-0.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$87.2 CHF 68.3

0.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.75

$2.30 CHF 1.80

-3.04%

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

$41.1K CHF 32.2K

$41.1K CHF 32.1K

0.05%

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

$45.3K CHF 35.4K

$40.1K CHF 31.4K

12.92%

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

$301 CHF 236

$253 CHF 198

19.19%

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

$54.2 CHF 42.45

$36.27 CHF 28.40

49.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 CHF 47.18

$58.4 CHF 45.70

3.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.8 CHF 71.9

$87.7 CHF 68.7

4.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.35 CHF 33.16

$50.1 CHF 39.23

-15.49%

Cinema Ticket

$22.73 CHF 17.80

$24.74 CHF 19.37

-8.12%

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

$2,621 CHF 2,052

$3,342 CHF 2,617

-21.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.5K CHF 27.0K

$38.6K CHF 30.2K

-10.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$135 CHF 106

$138 CHF 108

-1.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$87.6 CHF 68.6

$61.1 CHF 47.81

43.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$175 CHF 137

$148 CHF 116

17.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$228 CHF 179

$199 CHF 156

14.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CHF 1,673

$2,700 CHF 2,114

-20.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,462 CHF 1,145

$2,181 CHF 1,708

-32.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,717 CHF 2,910

$4,895 CHF 3,833

-24.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,837 CHF 2,221

$3,804 CHF 2,978

-25.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.4K CHF 13.6K

$25.5K CHF 20.0K

-31.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.5K CHF 10.6K

$16.3K CHF 12.8K

-17.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,891 CHF 6,179

$8,581 CHF 6,719

-8.05%

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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Zurich: April 11, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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