Cost of Living Comparison Between Bern and Basel Cost of Living Comparison Between Bern and Basel

🙂 Solo nomad: Bern is 8.3% cheaper than Basel without rent, and 8.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Bern is 9.3% cheaper than Basel without rent, and 11.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bern
Basel
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$28.53 CHF 22.26
$30.35 CHF 23.67
-6.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$108 CHF 84.6
$154 CHF 121
-29.78%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$17.04 CHF 13.29
$19.43 CHF 15.15
-12.30%
Cappuccino
$5.82 CHF 4.54
$7.03 CHF 5.48
-17.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.96 CHF 3.87
$5.76 CHF 4.50
-13.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.68 CHF 3.65
$5.06 CHF 3.94
-7.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.25 CHF 6.44
$9.82 CHF 7.66
-15.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.06 CHF 4.72
$7.29 CHF 5.68
-16.87%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bern
Basel
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.27 CHF 1.77
$2.19 CHF 1.71
3.65%
White Bread (500g)
$3.34 CHF 2.60
$3.88 CHF 3.03
-13.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.06 CHF 3.17
$5.15 CHF 4.02
-21.17%
Eggs
$7.11 CHF 5.55
$7.87 CHF 6.14
-9.66%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$28.57 CHF 22.28
$28.96 CHF 22.59
-1.35%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$35.59 CHF 27.76
$36.22 CHF 28.25
-1.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$40.29 CHF 31.42
$43.87 CHF 34.22
-8.16%
Apples (1kg)
$3.53 CHF 2.76
$3.95 CHF 3.08
-10.63%
Banana (1kg)
$2.22 CHF 1.73
$2.61 CHF 2.04
-14.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.88 CHF 2.24
$4.05 CHF 3.16
-28.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.96 CHF 5.43
$6.96 CHF 5.43
-
Potato (1kg)
$2.16 CHF 1.69
$3.28 CHF 2.56
-34.15%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 CHF 1.70
$2.92 CHF 2.28
-25.34%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.42 CHF 1.89
$2.62 CHF 2.04
-7.63%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 CHF 0.90
$1.55 CHF 1.21
-25.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.46 CHF 8.94
$11.87 CHF 9.26
-3.45%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.03 CHF 10.16
$15.48 CHF 12.07
-15.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.88 CHF 1.47
$2.47 CHF 1.93
-23.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.32 CHF 1.81
$3.15 CHF 2.46
-26.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Bern
Basel
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.61 CHF 2.82
$4.80 CHF 3.74
-24.79%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$98.2 CHF 76.6
$107 CHF 83.4
-8.15%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$8.12 CHF 6.33
$8.15 CHF 6.36
-0.37%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.41 CHF 3.44
$4.18 CHF 3.26
5.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$91.4 CHF 71.3
$86.7 CHF 67.6
5.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.24 CHF 1.74
$2.15 CHF 1.68
4.19%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.5K CHF 31.6K
$40.6K CHF 31.7K
-0.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$57.0K CHF 44.5K
$45.3K CHF 35.3K
26.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bern
Basel
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$366 CHF 286
$299 CHF 233
22.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$58.7 CHF 45.76
$54.6 CHF 42.56
7.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$57.1 CHF 44.51
$60.4 CHF 47.07
-5.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bern
Basel
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$82.7 CHF 64.5
$88.5 CHF 69.0
-6.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$47.96 CHF 37.41
$41.45 CHF 32.33
15.71%
Cinema Ticket
$24.94 CHF 19.45
$23.14 CHF 18.05
7.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bern
Basel
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,330 CHF 2,597
$2,625 CHF 2,047
26.85%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$39.7K CHF 31.0K
$34.2K CHF 26.7K
16.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bern
Basel
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$151 CHF 118
$133 CHF 104
13.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$68.7 CHF 53.6
$88.7 CHF 69.2
-22.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$173 CHF 135
$178 CHF 139
-2.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$184 CHF 143
$230 CHF 179
-20.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bern
Basel
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,884 CHF 1,470
$2,087 CHF 1,628
-9.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,248 CHF 973
$1,476 CHF 1,151
-15.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,311 CHF 2,582
$3,778 CHF 2,947
-12.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,409 CHF 1,879
$2,825 CHF 2,203
-14.71%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$15.6K CHF 12.2K
$17.7K CHF 13.8K
-11.61%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$11.9K CHF 9,293
$13.6K CHF 10.6K
-12.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bern
Basel
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$7,431 CHF 5,796
$8,090 CHF 6,310
-8.15%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.52
2.55
-1.18%

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

Last update for Bern: March 2, 2026

Last update for Basel: March 3, 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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