Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buchs and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Buchs: $3,009 a month against $3,530 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Buchs
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Buchs Living Index
170

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Buchs

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,009

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buchs and in Basel

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,009 in Buchs versus $3,530 in Basel.

Buchs $3,009
Basel $3,530

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,535 in Buchs versus $5,502 in Basel.

Buchs $4,535
Basel $5,502

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,062 in Buchs versus $7,475 in Basel.

Buchs $6,062
Basel $7,475

Living in Buchs costs roughly 15% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buchs 122% above, Basel 160% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.43 CHF 19.30

$30.81 CHF 25.37

-23.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 CHF 69.4

$124 CHF 102

-32.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.36 CHF 12.65

$18.05 CHF 14.87

-14.90%

Cappuccino

$4.71 CHF 3.88

$6.21 CHF 5.12

-24.15%

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

$3.77 CHF 3.10

$6.29 CHF 5.18

-40.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 CHF 2.63

$5.84 CHF 4.81

-45.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.13 CHF 5.04

$9.11 CHF 7.50

-32.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.39 CHF 4.44

$9.86 CHF 8.12

-45.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 CHF 1.66

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-12.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 CHF 3.24

$3.10 CHF 2.55

27.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.64 CHF 3.82

$3.18 CHF 2.62

45.91%

Eggs

$7.32 CHF 6.03

$7.73 CHF 6.37

-5.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$32.21 CHF 26.53

$26.34 CHF 21.69

22.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.51 CHF 15.24

$27.70 CHF 22.82

-33.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.47 CHF 26.74

$40.59 CHF 33.43

-20.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 CHF 2.91

$3.57 CHF 2.94

-1.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$2.30 CHF 1.90

-6.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 CHF 2.59

$2.92 CHF 2.41

7.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.70 CHF 5.52

$4.53 CHF 3.73

47.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 CHF 1.46

$1.68 CHF 1.39

5.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 CHF 2.10

$1.94 CHF 1.60

30.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$2.23 CHF 1.84

9.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 CHF 1.00

$1.61 CHF 1.33

-24.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.84 CHF 8.92

$11.46 CHF 9.44

-5.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 CHF 10.46

$12.21 CHF 10.06

4.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.28 CHF 2.70

$2.49 CHF 2.05

31.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 CHF 3.22

$3.01 CHF 2.48

29.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.17 CHF 4.25

$4.62 CHF 3.81

11.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 CHF 85.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 CHF 4.42

$7.90 CHF 6.51

-32.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.46 CHF 2.85

$4.74 CHF 3.90

-27.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.2 CHF 50.4

$86.5 CHF 71.2

-29.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.83

$2.40 CHF 1.98

-7.08%

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

$42.5K CHF 35.0K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

8.16%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

0.43%

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

$184 CHF 152

$288 CHF 237

-36.04%

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

$31.24 CHF 25.73

$45.72 CHF 37.66

-31.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.2 CHF 55.4

$62.8 CHF 51.8

6.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.5 CHF 68.0

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.6 CHF 47.41

Cinema Ticket

$15.20 CHF 12.52

$22.67 CHF 18.67

-32.95%

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

$611 CHF 503

$2,996 CHF 2,468

-79.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K CHF 17.0K

$32.9K CHF 27.1K

-37.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 CHF 88.0

$145 CHF 119

-26.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.70 CHF 19.52

$79.9 CHF 65.8

-70.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 CHF 78.4

$166 CHF 136

-42.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 CHF 140

$196 CHF 161

-13.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,828 CHF 1,505

$2,016 CHF 1,660

-9.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 CHF 1,285

$1,515 CHF 1,248

2.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,690 CHF 2,216

$3,521 CHF 2,900

-23.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,746 CHF 2,261

$2,826 CHF 2,327

-2.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K CHF 15.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.4K CHF 11.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,480 CHF 6,984

$6,949 CHF 5,723

22.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.93

2.42

-20.25%

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

Last update for Buchs: October 18, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buchs

$1.6K 51.9%

Basel

$1.5K 42.9% 2.9% $45

Groceries & Markets

Buchs

$555 18.4%

Basel

$583 16.5% 5.1% $28

Eating Out

Buchs

$359 11.9%

Basel

$489 13.9% 36.1% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buchs

$283 9.4%

Basel

$397 11.2% 40.3% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Buchs

$178 5.9%

Basel

$264 7.5% 48.2% $86

Getting Around

Buchs

$43 * 1.4%

Basel

$154 4.4% 255% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Buchs

$30 * 1%

Basel

$128 3.6% 321% $97

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,828 in Buchs and $2,016 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buchs pays 22% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $84.0 in Buchs vs $124 in Basel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $555 vs $583 per month, with Buchs cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Buchs

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

10:09 10:09 AM

Same time as Buchs

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,187

174,491

💱 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

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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

Buchs vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buchs wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Buchs the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 22% higher in Buchs, 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: $1,828 in Buchs versus $2,016 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $611 in Buchs versus $2,996 in Basel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Buchs – a meal for two runs $84.0 versus $124 in Basel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Buchs 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 Buchs delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $3,009 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Buchs hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Buchs and Basel 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 Buchs gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Basel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.