Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bern and Montreux

For one person, living costs are similar in Bern and in Montreux: $3,337 and $3,392 a month, rent and utilities included.

162

Cost of Living Index in Bern
Learn more

Bern Living Index
165

Cost of Living Index in Montreux
Learn more

Montreux Living Index

Jump to prices

Bern

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,337

/mo nomad

Montreux

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,392

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bern and in Montreux

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,337 in Bern versus $3,392 in Montreux.

Bern $3,337
Montreux $3,392

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,148 in Bern versus $5,203 in Montreux.

Bern $5,148
Montreux $5,203

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,958 in Bern versus $7,015 in Montreux.

Bern $6,958
Montreux $7,015

Living in Bern costs roughly 2% less than in Montreux, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bern 147% above, Montreux 151% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.53 CHF 23.50

$30.50 CHF 25.12

-6.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 CHF 98.3

$132 CHF 109

-9.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.35 CHF 12.64

$18.41 CHF 15.16

-16.62%

Cappuccino

$6.90 CHF 5.68

$5.93 CHF 4.89

16.36%

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

$6.13 CHF 5.05

$4.86 CHF 4.00

26.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.79 CHF 5.59

$4.11 CHF 3.38

65.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.89 CHF 7.32

$9.83 CHF 8.10

-9.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.72 CHF 6.36

$9.85 CHF 8.11

-21.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 CHF 1.79

$2.12 CHF 1.75

2.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 CHF 2.49

$3.35 CHF 2.76

-9.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 CHF 2.67

$3.23 CHF 2.66

0.62%

Eggs

$7.79 CHF 6.42

$7.08 CHF 5.83

10.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.73 CHF 19.54

$24.74 CHF 20.37

-4.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.58 CHF 23.54

$28.15 CHF 23.19

1.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.02 CHF 31.31

$39.23 CHF 32.31

-3.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.93 CHF 3.23

$3.47 CHF 2.86

13.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 CHF 1.63

$1.63 CHF 1.35

20.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 CHF 2.22

$2.43 CHF 2.00

11.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 CHF 3.76

$4.62 CHF 3.81

-1.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 CHF 1.33

$1.79 CHF 1.47

-10.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$1.92 CHF 1.58

6.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.87

$1.96 CHF 1.61

15.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CHF 1.05

$1.72 CHF 1.42

-25.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.37 CHF 9.37

$10.67 CHF 8.79

6.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.12 CHF 9.98

$11.98 CHF 9.87

1.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$2.70 CHF 2.22

-18.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 CHF 2.45

$3.16 CHF 2.60

-6.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.11 CHF 5.03

$4.54 CHF 3.74

34.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.4 CHF 81.0

$101 CHF 82.8

-2.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.19 CHF 6.75

$7.52 CHF 6.20

8.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.79

$3.95 CHF 3.25

16.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$106 CHF 87.3

$62.4 CHF 51.4

69.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.93

$2.30 CHF 1.89

2.17%

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

$42.0K CHF 34.6K

$38.2K CHF 31.4K

9.90%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

0.56%

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

$275 CHF 227

$285 CHF 234

-3.23%

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

$28.22 CHF 23.24

$36.64 CHF 30.18

-22.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.9 CHF 44.43

$50.9 CHF 41.94

5.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.2 CHF 73.4

$88.5 CHF 72.9

0.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.49 CHF 38.29

$45.52 CHF 37.49

2.13%

Cinema Ticket

$23.80 CHF 19.60

$23.83 CHF 19.63

-0.13%

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

$3,103 CHF 2,556

$2,416 CHF 1,990

28.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K CHF 25.4K

$35.8K CHF 29.5K

-13.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 113

0.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.7 CHF 50.0

$76.0 CHF 62.6

-20.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$156 CHF 128

$163 CHF 134

-4.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$192 CHF 158

$185 CHF 152

4.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,841 CHF 1,516

$1,673 CHF 1,378

10.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 CHF 1,162

$1,440 CHF 1,186

-2.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,449 CHF 2,841

$2,879 CHF 2,371

19.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,508 CHF 2,066

$2,458 CHF 2,025

2.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K CHF 15.0K

$15.6K CHF 12.9K

16.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$15.1K CHF 12.4K

$12.1K CHF 9,982

24.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,708 CHF 5,525

$8,082 CHF 6,657

-17.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.46

1.95

26.15%

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

Last update for Bern: October 12, 2026

Last update for Montreux: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bern

$1.4K 42.3%

Montreux

$1.4K 42.5% 2.1% $29

Groceries & Markets

Bern

$564 16.9%

Montreux

$570 16.8% 1.1% $6.3

Eating Out

Bern

$469 14%

Montreux

$475 14% 1.4% $6.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bern

$358 10.7%

Montreux

$372 11% 4.1% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Bern

$246 7.4%

Montreux

$252 7.4% 2.7% $6.6

Getting Around

Bern

$154 4.6%

Montreux

$146 4.3% 5.2% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Bern

$137 4.1%

Montreux

$136 4% 0.5% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,841 in Bern and $1,673 in Montreux. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreux pays 20% 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: $119 in Bern vs $132 in Montreux for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $564 vs $570 per month, with Bern cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Bern

🇨🇭 Montreux

🕒 Local time

05:24 5:24 AM

Same time as Bern

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

128,848 Capital

26,208

💱 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 Montreux 71 km

From you

Bern
Montreux

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 Montreux: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bern wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Montreux. 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 20% lower in Montreux. 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: $1,841 in Bern versus $1,673 in Montreux. 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 $119 versus $132 in Montreux. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,337 per month in Bern versus $3,392 in Montreux – a 2% 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 work as nomad bases, but Bern delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $3,337 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bern hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bern and Montreux are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bern gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Montreux. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.