Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cham and Zurich

For one person, living is cheaper in Cham: $3,575 a month against $4,270 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

172

Cost of Living Index in Cham
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Cham Living Index
207

Cost of Living Index in Zurich
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Zurich Living Index

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Cham

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,575

/mo nomad

Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,575 in Cham versus $4,270 in Zurich.

Cham $3,575
Zurich $4,270

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,453 in Cham versus $6,666 in Zurich.

Cham $5,453
Zurich $6,666

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,331 in Cham versus $9,061 in Zurich.

Cham $7,331
Zurich $9,061

Living in Cham costs roughly 16% less than in Zurich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cham 163% above, Zurich 214% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.74 CHF 24.67

$33.89 CHF 28.11

-12.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 101

$146 CHF 121

-16.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.93 CHF 14.87

$18.10 CHF 15.02

-0.94%

Cappuccino

$5.82 CHF 4.83

$6.88 CHF 5.71

-15.41%

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

$5.32 CHF 4.42

$5.73 CHF 4.75

-7.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 CHF 4.04

$5.25 CHF 4.36

-7.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.45 CHF 7.01

$9.61 CHF 7.97

-12.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 CHF 5.42

$8.37 CHF 6.94

-21.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 CHF 1.76

$2.11 CHF 1.75

0.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.76 CHF 3.12

$3.95 CHF 3.28

-4.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.62 CHF 3.00

$3.81 CHF 3.16

-4.99%

Eggs

$7.27 CHF 6.03

$8.40 CHF 6.97

-13.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.38 CHF 21.88

$27.05 CHF 22.44

-2.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.65 CHF 23.77

$28.85 CHF 23.93

-0.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.06 CHF 34.89

$59.4 CHF 49.27

-29.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.91 CHF 3.25

$4.13 CHF 3.42

-5.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.78

$2.86 CHF 2.37

-24.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 CHF 2.57

$3.50 CHF 2.91

-11.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.80

$4.56 CHF 3.78

0.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 CHF 1.87

$2.55 CHF 2.11

-11.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 CHF 1.86

$2.31 CHF 1.92

-3.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 CHF 1.98

$2.47 CHF 2.05

-3.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 CHF 0.92

$1.29 CHF 1.07

-13.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.02 CHF 9.15

$11.04 CHF 9.16

-0.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 CHF 10.02

$14.00 CHF 11.61

-13.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 CHF 2.34

$2.88 CHF 2.39

-2.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 CHF 2.58

$3.18 CHF 2.64

-2.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.13 CHF 4.26

$5.44 CHF 4.51

-5.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$146 CHF 121

$105 CHF 86.7

39.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 CHF 3.69

$8.14 CHF 6.75

-45.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.96 CHF 2.45

$4.56 CHF 3.79

-35.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.7 CHF 49.49

$89.8 CHF 74.5

-33.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 CHF 1.82

$2.32 CHF 1.93

-5.60%

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

$39.7K CHF 32.9K

$38.9K CHF 32.2K

2.08%

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

$39.9K CHF 33.1K

$39.0K CHF 32.4K

2.34%

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

$286 CHF 237

$282 CHF 234

1.34%

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

$29.15 CHF 24.18

$39.00 CHF 32.35

-25.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.8 CHF 45.49

$55.0 CHF 45.65

-0.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.3 CHF 70.7

$84.6 CHF 70.2

0.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.01 CHF 33.19

$61.7 CHF 51.2

-35.14%

Cinema Ticket

$22.10 CHF 18.34

$24.31 CHF 20.17

-9.09%

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

$1,488 CHF 1,234

$3,444 CHF 2,857

-56.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K CHF 20.5K

$41.6K CHF 34.5K

-40.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 114

$138 CHF 114

-0.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.0 CHF 44.76

$55.0 CHF 45.64

-1.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$157 CHF 130

$159 CHF 132

-1.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$249 CHF 206

$249 CHF 207

-0.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,780 CHF 1,477

$2,878 CHF 2,387

-38.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 CHF 1,299

$2,143 CHF 1,777

-26.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,896 CHF 2,402

$5,559 CHF 4,611

-47.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,704 CHF 2,243

$4,003 CHF 3,321

-32.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.0K CHF 10.8K

$28.2K CHF 23.4K

-53.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.7K CHF 9,730

$16.9K CHF 14.0K

-30.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,230 CHF 6,827

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.03

2.09

-2.87%

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

Last update for Cham: October 24, 2026

Last update for Zurich: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cham

$1.6K 43.8%

Zurich

$2.1K 50.2% 36.8% $576

Groceries & Markets

Cham

$597 16.7%

Zurich

$674 15.8% 12.8% $77

Eating Out

Cham

$458 12.8%

Zurich

$517 12.1% 12.9% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cham

$370 10.4%

Zurich

$376 8.8% 1.7% $6.3

Clothing & Footwear

Cham

$268 7.5%

Zurich

$270 6.3% 0.7% $1.9

Getting Around

Cham

$186 5.2%

Zurich

$157 3.7% 15.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Cham

$129 3.6%

Zurich

$133 3.1% 2.9% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,780 in Cham and $2,878 in Zurich. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $122 in Cham vs $146 in Zurich for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $597 vs $674 per month, with Cham cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Cham

🇨🇭 Zurich

🕒 Local time

15:02 3:02 PM

Same time as Cham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,060

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

On the map

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Between locations

Cham Zurich 22 km

From you

Cham
Zurich

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 Zurich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cham is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 19% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $5,362 in Cham and $6,406 in Zurich 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 $2,878 in Zurich. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,488 in Cham versus $3,444 in Zurich. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Zurich. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 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.