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 21.2% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Bern is 6.7% cheaper than Zurich without rent, and 17.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bern
Zurich
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$27.45 CHF 21.47
$30.84 CHF 24.12
-10.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$107 CHF 83.4
$150 CHF 118
-29.06%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$17.00 CHF 13.29
$20.90 CHF 16.34
-18.66%
Cappuccino
$5.95 CHF 4.65
$6.84 CHF 5.35
-13.01%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.80 CHF 3.75
$6.08 CHF 4.76
-21.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.75 CHF 3.72
$5.25 CHF 4.10
-9.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.40 CHF 6.57
$10.10 CHF 7.90
-16.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.98 CHF 4.68
$8.57 CHF 6.70
-30.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bern
Zurich
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.15 CHF 1.68
$2.17 CHF 1.69
-0.92%
White Bread (500g)
$3.45 CHF 2.70
$3.36 CHF 2.63
2.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.09 CHF 3.20
$4.10 CHF 3.20
-0.24%
Eggs
$7.06 CHF 5.52
$7.49 CHF 5.86
-5.74%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$28.55 CHF 22.33
$29.78 CHF 23.28
-4.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$35.12 CHF 27.47
$34.08 CHF 26.65
3.05%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$41.13 CHF 32.17
$49.33 CHF 38.58
-16.62%
Apples (1kg)
$3.44 CHF 2.69
$4.01 CHF 3.14
-14.21%
Banana (1kg)
$2.21 CHF 1.73
$2.83 CHF 2.21
-21.91%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.76 CHF 2.16
$2.98 CHF 2.33
-7.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.10 CHF 5.56
$5.22 CHF 4.08
36.02%
Potato (1kg)
$2.25 CHF 1.76
$2.88 CHF 2.25
-21.87%
Onion (1kg)
$2.17 CHF 1.69
$2.28 CHF 1.78
-4.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.56 CHF 2.00
$2.58 CHF 2.02
-0.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.10 CHF 0.86
$1.73 CHF 1.36
-36.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.27 CHF 8.81
$11.16 CHF 8.73
0.99%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.95 CHF 10.13
$15.04 CHF 11.76
-13.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.92 CHF 1.50
$2.65 CHF 2.08
-27.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 CHF 1.78
$3.34 CHF 2.62
-32.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Bern
Zurich
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.68 CHF 2.88
$4.82 CHF 3.77
-23.65%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$95.7 CHF 74.8
$110 CHF 85.8
-12.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$8.08 CHF 6.32
$7.64 CHF 5.97
5.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.24 CHF 3.32
$4.29 CHF 3.36
-1.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$94.1 CHF 73.6
$87.2 CHF 68.2
7.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.14 CHF 1.67
$2.30 CHF 1.80
-6.96%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.5K CHF 31.7K
$41.1K CHF 32.1K
-1.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$58.2K CHF 45.5K
$40.1K CHF 31.4K
45.17%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bern
Zurich
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$371 CHF 290
$253 CHF 198
46.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$58.6 CHF 45.81
$36.27 CHF 28.36
61.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$57.3 CHF 44.79
$58.4 CHF 45.65
-1.87%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bern
Zurich
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$82.7 CHF 64.7
$87.7 CHF 68.6
-5.75%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$47.72 CHF 37.32
$50.1 CHF 39.18
-4.77%
Cinema Ticket
$24.30 CHF 19.00
$24.74 CHF 19.35
-1.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bern
Zurich
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,359 CHF 2,627
$3,342 CHF 2,613
0.51%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$40.7K CHF 31.8K
$38.6K CHF 30.2K
5.48%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bern
Zurich
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$150 CHF 117
$138 CHF 108
8.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$68.8 CHF 53.8
$61.1 CHF 47.75
12.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$175 CHF 137
$148 CHF 116
17.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$186 CHF 145
$199 CHF 155
-6.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bern
Zurich
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,912 CHF 1,495
$2,700 CHF 2,112
-29.19%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,254 CHF 981
$2,181 CHF 1,705
-42.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,215 CHF 2,514
$4,895 CHF 3,828
-34.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,366 CHF 1,851
$3,804 CHF 2,975
-37.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$15.7K CHF 12.3K
$25.5K CHF 19.9K
-38.50%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$12.2K CHF 9,573
$16.3K CHF 12.8K
-25.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bern
Zurich
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$7,483 CHF 5,852
$8,581 CHF 6,711
-12.79%
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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Zurich: April 11, 2026

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

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