Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bern and St. Moritz

For one person, living is cheaper in Bern: $3,337 a month against $3,609 in St. Moritz, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

162

Cost of Living Index in Bern
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Bern Living Index
175

Cost of Living Index in St. Moritz
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St. Moritz Living Index

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Bern

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,337

/mo nomad

St. Moritz

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,609

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bern and in St. Moritz

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,337 in Bern versus $3,609 in St. Moritz.

Bern $3,337
St. Moritz $3,609

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,148 in Bern versus $6,451 in St. Moritz.

Bern $5,148
St. Moritz $6,451

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,958 in Bern versus $9,292 in St. Moritz.

Bern $6,958
St. Moritz $9,292

Living in Bern costs roughly 8% less than in St. Moritz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bern 147% above, St. Moritz 167% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.53 CHF 23.50

$35.22 CHF 29.01

-18.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 CHF 98.3

$143 CHF 118

-16.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.35 CHF 12.64

$14.44 CHF 11.89

6.30%

Cappuccino

$6.90 CHF 5.68

$6.14 CHF 5.05

12.38%

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

$6.13 CHF 5.05

$5.49 CHF 4.52

11.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.79 CHF 5.59

$4.60 CHF 3.79

47.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.89 CHF 7.32

$9.64 CHF 7.94

-7.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.72 CHF 6.36

$6.07 CHF 5.00

27.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 CHF 1.79

$1.79 CHF 1.48

21.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 CHF 2.49

$3.76 CHF 3.09

-19.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 CHF 2.67

$3.69 CHF 3.04

-11.92%

Eggs

$7.79 CHF 6.42

$7.46 CHF 6.14

4.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.73 CHF 19.54

$26.32 CHF 21.68

-9.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.58 CHF 23.54

$27.45 CHF 22.61

4.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.02 CHF 31.31

$60.5 CHF 49.86

-37.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.93 CHF 3.23

$4.03 CHF 3.32

-2.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 CHF 1.63

$2.82 CHF 2.32

-30.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 CHF 2.22

$3.36 CHF 2.77

-19.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 CHF 3.76

$4.50 CHF 3.71

1.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 CHF 1.33

$2.53 CHF 2.08

-36.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$2.14 CHF 1.76

-4.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.87

$2.41 CHF 1.99

-5.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CHF 1.05

$1.25 CHF 1.03

2.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.37 CHF 9.37

$10.91 CHF 8.98

4.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.12 CHF 9.98

$14.04 CHF 11.56

-13.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$2.74 CHF 2.26

-20.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 CHF 2.45

$3.12 CHF 2.57

-4.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.11 CHF 5.03

$3.77 CHF 3.10

62.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.4 CHF 81.0

$92.4 CHF 76.1

6.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.19 CHF 6.75

$8.02 CHF 6.60

2.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.79

$4.58 CHF 3.77

0.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$106 CHF 87.3

$88.1 CHF 72.5

20.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.93

$2.10 CHF 1.73

11.90%

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

$42.0K CHF 34.6K

$39.8K CHF 32.8K

5.45%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

$38.2K CHF 31.4K

2.22%

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

$275 CHF 227

$97.5 CHF 80.3

182.68%

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

$28.22 CHF 23.24

$36.42 CHF 30.00

-22.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.9 CHF 44.43

$56.0 CHF 46.14

-3.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.2 CHF 73.4

$73.2 CHF 60.3

21.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.49 CHF 38.29

Cinema Ticket

$23.80 CHF 19.60

$18.35 CHF 15.11

29.70%

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

$3,103 CHF 2,556

$3,525 CHF 2,903

-11.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K CHF 25.4K

$42.5K CHF 35.0K

-27.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 113

$140 CHF 115

-1.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.7 CHF 50.0

$59.2 CHF 48.72

2.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$156 CHF 128

$163 CHF 134

-4.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$192 CHF 158

$250 CHF 206

-23.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,841 CHF 1,516

$1,799 CHF 1,481

2.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 CHF 1,162

$1,740 CHF 1,433

-18.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,449 CHF 2,841

$5,419 CHF 4,463

-36.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,508 CHF 2,066

$4,642 CHF 3,823

-45.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K CHF 15.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$15.1K CHF 12.4K

$12.1K CHF 9,973

24.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,708 CHF 5,525

$4,707 CHF 3,877

42.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.46

1.8

36.67%

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

Last update for Bern: October 12, 2026

Last update for St. Moritz: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bern

$1.4K 42.3%

St. Moritz

$1.7K 48.2% 23.3% $329

Groceries & Markets

Bern

$564 16.9%

St. Moritz

$656 18.2% 16.3% $92

Eating Out

Bern

$469 14%

St. Moritz

$499 13.8% 6.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bern

$358 10.7%

St. Moritz

$190 5.3% 46.9% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Bern

$246 7.4%

St. Moritz

$276 7.6% 12.3% $30

Getting Around

Bern

$154 4.6%

St. Moritz

$138 3.8% 10.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Bern

$137 4.1%

St. Moritz

$110 3.1% 19.6% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,841 in Bern and $1,799 in St. Moritz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bern pays 42% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $119 in Bern vs $143 in St. Moritz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $564 vs $656 per month, with Bern cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Bern

🇨🇭 St. Moritz

🕒 Local time

07:00 7:00 AM

Same time as Bern

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

128,848 Capital

5,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Bern St. Moritz 190 km

From you

Bern
St. Moritz

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 St. Moritz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bern wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in St. Moritz. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bern the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 42% higher in Bern, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,841 in Bern versus $1,799 in St. Moritz. 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 $143 in St. Moritz. 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 $3,609 in St. Moritz – a 8% 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 St. Moritz 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 8% less than in St. Moritz. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.