Cost of Living Comparison Between Bern and Zurich Cost of Living Comparison Between Bern and Zurich

🙂 Solo nomad: Bern is 5% cheaper than Zurich without rent, and 19.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Bern is 7.4% cheaper than Zurich without rent, and 15.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bern
Zurich
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$28.32 CHF 23.03
$31.12 CHF 25.3
-9.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$110 CHF 89.3
$148 CHF 120
-25.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$17.37 CHF 14.12
$20.93 CHF 17.02
-17.01%
Cappuccino
$5.8 CHF 4.72
$6.67 CHF 5.43
-13.04%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.78 CHF 3.89
$6.1 CHF 4.96
-21.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.77 CHF 3.88
$5.18 CHF 4.21
-7.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.08 CHF 6.57
$9.93 CHF 8.08
-18.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.27 CHF 5.09
$8.68 CHF 7.05
-27.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bern
Zurich
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.24 CHF 1.82
$2.17 CHF 1.77
3.23%
White Bread (500g)
$3.29 CHF 2.68
$3.4 CHF 2.77
-3.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.08 CHF 3.32
$3.94 CHF 3.2
3.55%
Eggs
$6.93 CHF 5.64
$7.42 CHF 6.03
-6.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$28.01 CHF 22.77
$29.63 CHF 24.09
-5.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$35.98 CHF 29.26
$33.86 CHF 27.53
6.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$41.51 CHF 33.75
$49.36 CHF 40.13
-15.90%
Apples (1kg)
$3.49 CHF 2.84
$4.12 CHF 3.35
-15.29%
Banana (1kg)
$2.13 CHF 1.73
$2.83 CHF 2.3
-24.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.78 CHF 2.26
$3.01 CHF 2.45
-7.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.02 CHF 5.7
$5 CHF 4.06
40.40%
Potato (1kg)
$2.23 CHF 1.81
$2.78 CHF 2.26
-19.78%
Onion (1kg)
$2.22 CHF 1.8
$2.38 CHF 1.94
-6.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.53 CHF 2.06
$2.58 CHF 2.1
-1.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.11 CHF 0.9
$1.66 CHF 1.35
-33.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.5 CHF 9.35
$10.87 CHF 8.84
5.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.65 CHF 10.29
$15.34 CHF 12.48
-17.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.87 CHF 1.52
$2.64 CHF 2.15
-29.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 CHF 1.83
$3.23 CHF 2.62
-30.03%
🚌 Getting Around
Bern
Zurich
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.59 CHF 2.92
$4.89 CHF 3.98
-26.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$96 CHF 78
$107 CHF 87.3
-10.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$8.03 CHF 6.53
$7.55 CHF 6.14
6.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.32 CHF 3.52
$4.32 CHF 3.52
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$92.7 CHF 75.4
$86.9 CHF 70.7
6.64%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.2 CHF 1.79
$2.32 CHF 1.88
-5.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.2K CHF 32.7K
$39.6K CHF 32.2K
1.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$57.5K CHF 46.7K
$40.2K CHF 32.7K
43.09%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bern
Zurich
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$377 CHF 307
$253 CHF 206
48.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$59 CHF 47.97
$36.2 CHF 29.43
62.98%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$58.1 CHF 47.2
$57.7 CHF 46.92
0.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bern
Zurich
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$82.8 CHF 67.4
$89.6 CHF 72.9
-7.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$47.33 CHF 38.49
$49.81 CHF 40.5
-4.98%
Cinema Ticket
$24.24 CHF 19.71
$25.08 CHF 20.39
-3.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bern
Zurich
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,311 CHF 2,692
$3,449 CHF 2,805
-4.01%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$39.8K CHF 32.4K
$39.4K CHF 32.1K
0.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bern
Zurich
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$152 CHF 124
$140 CHF 114
8.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$67 CHF 54.5
$62.2 CHF 50.5
7.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$173 CHF 141
$145 CHF 118
19.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$189 CHF 153
$198 CHF 161
-4.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bern
Zurich
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,884 CHF 1,532
$2,766 CHF 2,249
-31.89%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,282 CHF 1,042
$2,234 CHF 1,816
-42.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,314 CHF 2,694
$4,875 CHF 3,964
-32.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,401 CHF 1,952
$3,725 CHF 3,029
-35.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$22.6K CHF 18.4K
$24.6K CHF 20K
-8.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$17.7K CHF 14.4K
$18K CHF 14.7K
-2.07%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bern
Zurich
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$7,599 CHF 6,178
$8,196 CHF 6,664
-7.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.52
2.09
20.57%

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

Last update for Bern: October 27, 2025

Last update for Zurich: October 27, 2025

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