Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buchs and Zurich

For one person, living is cheaper in Buchs: $3,009 a month against $4,502 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Buchs
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Buchs Living Index
219

Cost of Living Index in Zurich
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Zurich Living Index

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Buchs

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,009

/mo nomad

Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,502

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buchs and in Zurich

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,009 in Buchs versus $4,502 in Zurich.

Buchs $3,009
Zurich $4,502

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,535 in Buchs versus $6,894 in Zurich.

Buchs $4,535
Zurich $6,894

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,062 in Buchs versus $9,287 in Zurich.

Buchs $6,062
Zurich $9,287

Living in Buchs costs roughly 33% less than in Zurich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buchs 122% above, Zurich 232% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.43 CHF 19.30

$34.81 CHF 28.67

-32.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 CHF 69.4

$148 CHF 122

-43.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.36 CHF 12.65

$17.95 CHF 14.78

-14.43%

Cappuccino

$4.71 CHF 3.88

$6.93 CHF 5.70

-32.03%

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

$3.77 CHF 3.10

$5.74 CHF 4.73

-34.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 CHF 2.63

$5.38 CHF 4.43

-40.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.13 CHF 5.04

$9.57 CHF 7.88

-35.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.39 CHF 4.44

$8.23 CHF 6.78

-34.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 CHF 1.66

$2.15 CHF 1.77

-6.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 CHF 3.24

$3.89 CHF 3.21

1.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.64 CHF 3.82

$3.87 CHF 3.19

19.90%

Eggs

$7.32 CHF 6.03

$8.35 CHF 6.88

-12.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$32.21 CHF 26.53

$26.80 CHF 22.08

20.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.51 CHF 15.24

$28.59 CHF 23.55

-35.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.47 CHF 26.74

$61.2 CHF 50.4

-46.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 CHF 2.91

$4.25 CHF 3.50

-16.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$2.76 CHF 2.27

-22.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 CHF 2.59

$3.57 CHF 2.94

-12.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.70 CHF 5.52

$4.57 CHF 3.76

46.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 CHF 1.46

$2.57 CHF 2.11

-30.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 CHF 2.10

$2.14 CHF 1.76

18.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$2.47 CHF 2.03

-1.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 CHF 1.00

$1.24 CHF 1.02

-2.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.84 CHF 8.92

$10.74 CHF 8.85

0.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 CHF 10.46

$13.96 CHF 11.50

-9.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.28 CHF 2.70

$2.74 CHF 2.26

19.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 CHF 3.22

$3.11 CHF 2.56

25.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.17 CHF 4.25

$5.51 CHF 4.54

-6.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 CHF 88.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 CHF 4.42

$7.99 CHF 6.58

-32.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.46 CHF 2.85

$4.50 CHF 3.71

-23.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.2 CHF 50.4

$88.6 CHF 73.0

-31.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.83

$2.39 CHF 1.96

-6.69%

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

$42.5K CHF 35.0K

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

9.55%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$40.1K CHF 33.0K

-1.21%

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

$184 CHF 152

$284 CHF 234

-35.14%

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

$31.24 CHF 25.73

$38.69 CHF 31.86

-19.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.2 CHF 55.4

$55.8 CHF 45.93

20.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$92.1 CHF 75.9

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$61.2 CHF 50.4

Cinema Ticket

$15.20 CHF 12.52

$25.49 CHF 21.00

-40.37%

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

$611 CHF 503

$3,632 CHF 2,991

-83.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K CHF 17.0K

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

-50.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 CHF 88.0

$142 CHF 117

-24.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.70 CHF 19.52

$57.8 CHF 47.56

-58.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 CHF 78.4

$163 CHF 134

-41.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 CHF 140

$254 CHF 210

-33.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,828 CHF 1,505

$2,953 CHF 2,432

-38.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 CHF 1,285

$2,342 CHF 1,929

-33.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,690 CHF 2,216

$5,897 CHF 4,857

-54.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,746 CHF 2,261

$4,150 CHF 3,418

-33.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.1K CHF 22.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.3K CHF 13.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,480 CHF 6,984

$8,247 CHF 6,792

2.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.93

2.07

-6.76%

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

Last update for Buchs: October 18, 2026

Last update for Zurich: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buchs

$1.6K 51.9%

Zurich

$2.3K 52% 50% $781

Groceries & Markets

Buchs

$555 18.4%

Zurich

$676 15% 21.8% $121

Eating Out

Buchs

$359 11.9%

Zurich

$524 11.6% 45.9% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buchs

$283 9.4%

Zurich

$379 8.4% 33.9% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Buchs

$178 5.9%

Zurich

$278 6.2% 56% $100

Getting Around

Buchs

$43 * 1.4%

Zurich

$160 3.6% 270% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Buchs

$30 * 1%

Zurich

$143 3.2% 371% $113

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 $2,953 in Zurich. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buchs pays 3% 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 $148 in Zurich for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $555 vs $676 per month, with Buchs cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Buchs

🇨🇭 Zurich

🕒 Local time

10:08 10:08 AM

Same time as Buchs

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,187

443,037

💱 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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Between locations

Buchs Zurich 74 km

From you

Buchs
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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

Buchs vs Zurich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buchs and Zurich differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($3,009 vs $4,502 including rent). Buchs is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 3% 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 $2,953 in Zurich. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $611 in Buchs versus $3,632 in Zurich. 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 $148 in Zurich. 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 cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Buchs and Zurich 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 50% less than in Zurich. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.