Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cham and Basel

For one person, living costs are similar in Cham and in Basel: $3,575 and $3,669 a month, rent and utilities included.

172

Cost of Living Index in Cham
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Cham Living Index
176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Cham

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,575

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cham 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 Cham and in Basel actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,575 in Cham versus $3,669 in Basel.

Cham $3,575
Basel $3,669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,453 in Cham versus $5,649 in Basel.

Cham $5,453
Basel $5,649

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,331 in Cham versus $7,629 in Basel.

Cham $7,331
Basel $7,629

Living in Cham costs roughly 3% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cham 163% above, Basel 170% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.74 CHF 24.65

$30.27 CHF 25.09

-1.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 101

$125 CHF 103

-2.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.93 CHF 14.86

$17.91 CHF 14.84

0.11%

Cappuccino

$5.82 CHF 4.83

$6.52 CHF 5.40

-10.74%

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

$5.32 CHF 4.41

$6.47 CHF 5.36

-17.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 CHF 4.04

$5.91 CHF 4.90

-17.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.45 CHF 7.00

$9.41 CHF 7.80

-10.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 CHF 5.41

$9.48 CHF 7.86

-31.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 CHF 1.76

$2.29 CHF 1.90

-6.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.76 CHF 3.12

$3.04 CHF 2.52

23.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.62 CHF 3.00

$3.27 CHF 2.71

10.70%

Eggs

$7.27 CHF 6.02

$7.97 CHF 6.60

-8.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.38 CHF 21.86

$26.34 CHF 21.83

0.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.65 CHF 23.75

$27.32 CHF 22.64

4.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.06 CHF 34.86

$41.15 CHF 34.10

2.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.91 CHF 3.24

$3.70 CHF 3.07

5.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.78

$2.30 CHF 1.91

-6.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 CHF 2.57

$3.03 CHF 2.51

2.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.79

$4.54 CHF 3.76

0.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 CHF 1.87

$1.68 CHF 1.39

33.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 CHF 1.86

$1.91 CHF 1.58

17.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 CHF 1.98

$2.27 CHF 1.88

5.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 CHF 0.92

$1.60 CHF 1.32

-30.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.02 CHF 9.14

$11.15 CHF 9.24

-1.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 CHF 10.01

$11.90 CHF 9.86

1.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 CHF 2.33

$2.44 CHF 2.02

15.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 CHF 2.57

$3.03 CHF 2.51

2.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.13 CHF 4.25

$5.21 CHF 4.32

-1.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$146 CHF 121

$105 CHF 86.8

39.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 CHF 3.68

$7.98 CHF 6.61

-44.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.96 CHF 2.45

$4.61 CHF 3.82

-35.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.7 CHF 49.45

$83.3 CHF 69.0

-28.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 CHF 1.82

$2.42 CHF 2.00

-9.50%

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

$39.7K CHF 32.9K

$38.3K CHF 31.8K

3.52%

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

$39.9K CHF 33.1K

$40.0K CHF 33.1K

-0.18%

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

$286 CHF 237

$296 CHF 245

-3.22%

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

$29.15 CHF 24.16

$46.31 CHF 38.39

-37.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.8 CHF 45.46

$63.2 CHF 52.4

-13.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.3 CHF 70.7

$82.0 CHF 68.0

3.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.01 CHF 33.16

$58.3 CHF 48.29

-31.33%

Cinema Ticket

$22.10 CHF 18.32

$22.84 CHF 18.94

-3.24%

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

$1,488 CHF 1,233

$3,139 CHF 2,602

-52.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K CHF 20.5K

$32.6K CHF 27.0K

-24.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 114

$144 CHF 120

-5.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.0 CHF 44.72

$79.9 CHF 66.2

-32.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$157 CHF 130

$159 CHF 132

-1.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$249 CHF 206

$195 CHF 162

27.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,780 CHF 1,476

$2,087 CHF 1,730

-14.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 CHF 1,298

$1,646 CHF 1,365

-4.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,896 CHF 2,400

$3,618 CHF 2,999

-19.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,704 CHF 2,242

$2,966 CHF 2,459

-8.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.0K CHF 10.8K

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

-25.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.7K CHF 9,721

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

-14.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,868

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.03

2.42

-16.12%

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

Last update for Cham: October 24, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cham

$1.6K 43.8%

Basel

$1.6K 44.9% 5.1% $80

Groceries & Markets

Cham

$597 16.7%

Basel

$584 15.9% 2.3% $14

Eating Out

Cham

$458 12.8%

Basel

$490 13.3% 7% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cham

$370 10.4%

Basel

$405 11% 9.5% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Cham

$268 7.5%

Basel

$261 7.1% 3% $8

Getting Around

Cham

$186 5.2%

Basel

$157 4.3% 15.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Cham

$129 3.6%

Basel

$128 3.5% 1.3% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,780 in Cham and $2,087 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $122 in Cham vs $125 in Basel. Groceries flip the comparison at $597 vs $584, with Basel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Cham

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

Same time as Cham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,060

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

On the map

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Between locations

Cham Basel 78 km

From you

Cham
Basel

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

Cham vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cham wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cham the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $5,362 in Cham and $5,504 in Basel to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,780 in Cham versus $2,087 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,575 per month in Cham versus $3,669 in Basel – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Basel runs roughly 28% less than in Cham. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Cham 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, Cham 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.