Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bern and Geneva

For one person, living is cheaper in Bern: $3,524 a month against $4,079 in Geneva, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

171

Cost of Living Index in Bern
Learn more

Bern Living Index
198

Cost of Living Index in Geneva
Learn more

Geneva Living Index

Jump to prices

Bern

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,524

/mo nomad

Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,079

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bern and in Geneva

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bern and in Geneva actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,524 in Bern versus $4,079 in Geneva.

Bern $3,524
Geneva $4,079

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,348 in Bern versus $6,308 in Geneva.

Bern $5,348
Geneva $6,308

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,171 in Bern versus $8,538 in Geneva.

Bern $7,171
Geneva $8,538

Living in Bern costs roughly 14% less than in Geneva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bern 159% above, Geneva 200% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.73 CHF 23.83

$30.31 CHF 25.15

-5.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$123 CHF 102

$129 CHF 107

-5.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.88 CHF 13.17

$19.47 CHF 16.15

-18.44%

Cappuccino

$6.89 CHF 5.72

$6.40 CHF 5.31

7.66%

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

$6.13 CHF 5.09

$4.66 CHF 3.87

31.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 CHF 5.78

$4.13 CHF 3.43

68.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.11 CHF 7.55

$9.82 CHF 8.14

-7.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.06 CHF 6.69

$9.87 CHF 8.19

-18.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 CHF 1.84

$2.35 CHF 1.95

-5.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.92 CHF 2.42

$3.26 CHF 2.70

-10.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.17 CHF 2.63

$3.39 CHF 2.81

-6.49%

Eggs

$7.70 CHF 6.39

$8.18 CHF 6.78

-5.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.56 CHF 20.37

$25.05 CHF 20.78

-1.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.33 CHF 24.33

$29.22 CHF 24.24

0.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.43 CHF 31.88

$42.51 CHF 35.27

-9.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.80 CHF 3.15

$3.53 CHF 2.93

7.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 CHF 1.67

$1.63 CHF 1.35

23.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 CHF 2.15

$2.85 CHF 2.36

-8.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.62 CHF 3.83

$4.90 CHF 4.07

-5.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 CHF 1.37

$1.64 CHF 1.36

0.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 CHF 1.70

$2.29 CHF 1.90

-10.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 CHF 1.84

$2.19 CHF 1.82

0.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CHF 1.06

$1.66 CHF 1.38

-22.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.13 CHF 9.24

$10.97 CHF 9.10

1.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.91 CHF 9.88

$12.16 CHF 10.08

-2.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 CHF 1.90

$3.21 CHF 2.66

-28.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 CHF 2.51

$3.30 CHF 2.74

-8.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.35 CHF 5.27

$3.55 CHF 2.95

78.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.9 CHF 81.2

$85.8 CHF 71.2

14.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.99 CHF 6.63

$7.61 CHF 6.31

4.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.66 CHF 3.86

$3.76 CHF 3.12

23.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$110 CHF 91.4

$64.2 CHF 53.2

71.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 CHF 1.96

$2.35 CHF 1.95

0.43%

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

$38.5K CHF 32.0K

$39.5K CHF 32.8K

-2.58%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.9K

$38.8K CHF 32.2K

1.94%

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

$272 CHF 225

$280 CHF 232

-2.88%

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

$28.10 CHF 23.31

$37.96 CHF 31.49

-25.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.0 CHF 44.82

$57.6 CHF 47.74

-6.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.2 CHF 70.7

$77.0 CHF 63.8

10.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.65 CHF 39.53

$43.34 CHF 35.95

9.94%

Cinema Ticket

$25.53 CHF 21.18

$23.96 CHF 19.88

6.55%

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

$3,123 CHF 2,591

$2,484 CHF 2,061

25.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K CHF 25.3K

$35.2K CHF 29.2K

-13.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 119

$133 CHF 110

8.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.4 CHF 50.9

$79.1 CHF 65.6

-22.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$155 CHF 129

$169 CHF 140

-7.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$198 CHF 164

$188 CHF 156

5.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CHF 1,744

$2,825 CHF 2,344

-25.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 CHF 1,314

$2,115 CHF 1,754

-25.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,558 CHF 2,952

$5,088 CHF 4,221

-30.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,670 CHF 2,215

$3,963 CHF 3,287

-32.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K CHF 15.1K

$22.5K CHF 18.6K

-18.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.0K CHF 11.6K

$16.3K CHF 13.5K

-14.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,701 CHF 5,559

$7,271 CHF 6,032

-7.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.46

1.98

24.24%

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

Last update for Bern: October 25, 2026

Last update for Geneva: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bern

$1.6K 45%

Geneva

$2.1K 51.9% 33.5% $531

Groceries & Markets

Bern

$570 16.2%

Geneva

$600 14.7% 5.3% $30

Eating Out

Bern

$474 13.5%

Geneva

$482 11.8% 1.6% $7.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bern

$354 10%

Geneva

$375 9.2% 6.1% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Bern

$251 7.1%

Geneva

$256 6.3% 2% $4.9

Getting Around

Bern

$155 4.4%

Geneva

$126 3.1% 18.2% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Bern

$136 3.9%

Geneva

$125 3.1% 8.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,102 in Bern and $2,825 in Geneva. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Geneva pays 8% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $123 in Bern vs $129 in Geneva for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $570 vs $600 per month, with Bern cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Bern

🇨🇭 Geneva

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

Same time as Bern

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

128,848 Capital

191,557

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bern Geneva 130 km

From you

Bern
Geneva

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

Bern vs Geneva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bern wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Geneva. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bern the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Bern. 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: $2,102 in Bern versus $2,825 in Geneva. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bern – a meal for two runs $123 versus $129 in Geneva. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $3,524 per month in Bern versus $4,079 in Geneva – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Bern 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, Bern and Geneva are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Bern wins on affordability, Geneva on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.