Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chur and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Chur: $3,283 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

158

Cost of Living Index in Chur
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Chur Living Index
176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Chur

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,283

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,283 in Chur versus $3,669 in Basel.

Chur $3,283
Basel $3,669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,109 in Chur versus $5,649 in Basel.

Chur $5,109
Basel $5,649

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,934 in Chur versus $7,629 in Basel.

Chur $6,934
Basel $7,629

Living in Chur costs roughly 11% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Chur 141% above, Basel 170% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.44 CHF 24.28

$30.27 CHF 24.97

-2.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$111 CHF 91.4

$125 CHF 103

-11.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.99 CHF 13.19

$17.91 CHF 14.77

-10.72%

Cappuccino

$5.67 CHF 4.68

$6.52 CHF 5.38

-13.04%

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

$5.51 CHF 4.54

$6.47 CHF 5.34

-14.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 CHF 4.19

$5.91 CHF 4.87

-14.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.69 CHF 7.16

$9.41 CHF 7.76

-7.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.68 CHF 7.16

$9.48 CHF 7.82

-8.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 CHF 1.78

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-6.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.42 CHF 2.82

$3.04 CHF 2.51

12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.22 CHF 3.48

$3.27 CHF 2.70

29.05%

Eggs

$7.59 CHF 6.26

$7.97 CHF 6.57

-4.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.51 CHF 21.87

$26.34 CHF 21.73

0.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.64 CHF 21.98

$27.32 CHF 22.53

-2.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.08 CHF 32.24

$41.15 CHF 33.94

-5.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 CHF 2.82

$3.70 CHF 3.05

-7.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 CHF 1.75

$2.30 CHF 1.90

-7.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 CHF 2.21

$3.03 CHF 2.50

-11.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.78

$4.54 CHF 3.75

0.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 CHF 1.56

$1.68 CHF 1.38

12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 CHF 1.80

$1.91 CHF 1.58

14.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CHF 1.95

$2.27 CHF 1.87

3.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 CHF 1.12

$1.60 CHF 1.32

-15.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.94 CHF 9.03

$11.15 CHF 9.20

-1.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.75 CHF 10.52

$11.90 CHF 9.82

7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 CHF 1.96

$2.44 CHF 2.01

-2.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 CHF 2.80

$3.03 CHF 2.50

12.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.47 CHF 4.52

$5.21 CHF 4.30

4.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$184 CHF 152

$105 CHF 86.4

75.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 CHF 6.16

$7.98 CHF 6.58

-6.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.94 CHF 4.08

$4.61 CHF 3.81

7.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$88.7 CHF 73.2

$83.3 CHF 68.7

6.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.83

$2.42 CHF 1.99

-8.26%

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

$39.1K CHF 32.2K

$38.3K CHF 31.6K

1.93%

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

$38.5K CHF 31.7K

$40.0K CHF 33.0K

-3.76%

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

$232 CHF 191

$296 CHF 244

-21.46%

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

$31.60 CHF 26.07

$46.31 CHF 38.20

-31.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 CHF 44.39

$63.2 CHF 52.1

-14.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.3 CHF 64.6

$82.0 CHF 67.7

-4.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.63 CHF 27.74

$58.3 CHF 48.06

-42.28%

Cinema Ticket

$23.22 CHF 19.15

$22.84 CHF 18.84

1.66%

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

$2,413 CHF 1,990

$3,139 CHF 2,589

-23.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$44.9K CHF 37.0K

$32.6K CHF 26.9K

37.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.1 CHF 75.2

$144 CHF 119

-36.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.03 CHF 39.62

$79.9 CHF 65.9

-39.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 CHF 98.9

$159 CHF 132

-24.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$169 CHF 139

$195 CHF 161

-13.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,715 CHF 1,414

$2,087 CHF 1,722

-17.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,379 CHF 1,137

$1,646 CHF 1,358

-16.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,015 CHF 2,487

$3,618 CHF 2,984

-16.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,550 CHF 2,104

$2,966 CHF 2,447

-14.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,109 CHF 5,864

$17.5K CHF 14.4K

-59.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,446 CHF 4,492

$13.7K CHF 11.3K

-60.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,497 CHF 7,009

$7,080 CHF 5,840

20.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.72

2.42

-28.93%

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

Last update for Chur: October 25, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chur

$1.4K 42%

Basel

$1.6K 44.9% 19.4% $268

Groceries & Markets

Chur

$576 17.6%

Basel

$584 15.9% 1.3% $7.2

Eating Out

Chur

$455 13.9%

Basel

$490 13.3% 7.7% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chur

$318 9.7%

Basel

$405 11% 27.6% $88

Getting Around

Chur

$238 7.3%

Basel

$157 4.3% 34.3% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Chur

$193 5.9%

Basel

$261 7.1% 35.2% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Chur

$125 3.8%

Basel

$128 3.5% 2.4% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,715 in Chur and $2,087 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chur pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $111 in Chur vs $125 in Basel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $576 vs $584 per month, with Chur cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Chur

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

16:14 4:14 PM

Same time as Chur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,082

174,491

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Chur Basel 170 km

From you

Chur
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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

Chur vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chur wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chur the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 20% higher in Chur, 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: $1,715 in Chur versus $2,087 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,413 in Chur versus $3,139 in Basel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chur – a meal for two runs $111 versus $125 in Basel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Chur 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, Chur and Basel are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.