Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frauenfeld and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Frauenfeld: $3,133 a month against $3,461 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Frauenfeld
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Frauenfeld Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Frauenfeld

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,133

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,461

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,133 in Frauenfeld versus $3,461 in Basel.

Frauenfeld $3,133
Basel $3,461

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,002 in Frauenfeld versus $5,427 in Basel.

Frauenfeld $5,002
Basel $5,427

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,871 in Frauenfeld versus $7,394 in Basel.

Frauenfeld $6,871
Basel $7,394

Living in Frauenfeld costs roughly 9% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Frauenfeld 132% above, Basel 156% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.62 CHF 25.22

$29.60 CHF 24.38

3.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$121 CHF 99.7

$123 CHF 102

-1.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.55 CHF 16.10

$17.93 CHF 14.77

9.04%

Cappuccino

$6.00 CHF 4.94

$6.21 CHF 5.12

-3.38%

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

$5.35 CHF 4.41

$6.50 CHF 5.35

-17.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 CHF 3.94

$5.77 CHF 4.75

-16.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.33 CHF 6.86

$9.20 CHF 7.58

-9.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.55 CHF 5.40

$9.79 CHF 8.07

-33.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-2.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.74 CHF 3.08

$3.12 CHF 2.57

19.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.20 CHF 3.46

$3.17 CHF 2.61

32.49%

Eggs

$7.73 CHF 6.37

$7.83 CHF 6.45

-1.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.49 CHF 21.81

$26.04 CHF 21.45

1.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.52 CHF 24.31

$26.78 CHF 22.05

10.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.04 CHF 34.63

$40.31 CHF 33.20

4.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 CHF 2.90

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.77

$2.34 CHF 1.92

-8.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 CHF 2.27

$2.96 CHF 2.44

-6.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.23 CHF 4.30

$4.52 CHF 3.72

15.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 CHF 1.97

$1.72 CHF 1.42

38.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 CHF 2.03

$1.89 CHF 1.56

30.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 CHF 1.96

$2.24 CHF 1.84

6.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 CHF 1.01

$1.61 CHF 1.33

-24.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.82 CHF 8.91

$11.08 CHF 9.13

-2.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.57 CHF 12.00

$11.84 CHF 9.75

23.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.97 CHF 2.44

$2.52 CHF 2.08

17.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 CHF 3.25

$2.97 CHF 2.44

32.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.49 CHF 3.70

$4.53 CHF 3.73

-0.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.3 CHF 80.2

$105 CHF 86.5

-7.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.31 CHF 4.37

$7.95 CHF 6.54

-33.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.45 CHF 2.85

$4.51 CHF 3.71

-23.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.42 CHF 30.00

$84.6 CHF 69.7

-56.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 CHF 1.92

$2.31 CHF 1.91

0.87%

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

$41.6K CHF 34.3K

$42.3K CHF 34.8K

-1.50%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

1.53%

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

$280 CHF 231

$292 CHF 240

-3.96%

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

$37.57 CHF 30.95

$46.45 CHF 38.25

-19.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.1 CHF 51.9

$61.9 CHF 51.0

1.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$100 CHF 82.4

$81.1 CHF 66.8

23.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.55 CHF 37.52

$58.5 CHF 48.17

-22.11%

Cinema Ticket

$23.43 CHF 19.30

$22.48 CHF 18.52

4.23%

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

$1,816 CHF 1,496

$2,993 CHF 2,465

-39.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K CHF 26.2K

$32.0K CHF 26.3K

-0.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$167 CHF 137

$142 CHF 117

17.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 CHF 44.59

$77.1 CHF 63.5

-29.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$148 CHF 122

$159 CHF 131

-7.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 CHF 116

$198 CHF 163

-29.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,437 CHF 1,184

$1,953 CHF 1,609

-26.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,152 CHF 948

$1,465 CHF 1,207

-21.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,597 CHF 2,139

$3,586 CHF 2,954

-27.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,307 CHF 1,900

$2,796 CHF 2,302

-17.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.9K CHF 13.1K

$18.1K CHF 14.9K

-12.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.0K CHF 9,915

$14.3K CHF 11.8K

-15.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,053 CHF 4,985

$6,863 CHF 5,652

-11.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.35

2.42

-2.89%

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

Last update for Frauenfeld: October 11, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Frauenfeld

$1.2K 36.8%

Basel

$1.5K 42.4% 27.3% $314

Groceries & Markets

Frauenfeld

$616 19.7%

Basel

$576 16.7% 6.5% $40

Eating Out

Frauenfeld

$471 15%

Basel

$480 13.9% 1.9% $8.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frauenfeld

$381 12.2%

Basel

$400 11.6% 5.1% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Frauenfeld

$229 7.3%

Basel

$260 7.5% 13.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Frauenfeld

$147 4.7%

Basel

$126 3.6% 14.2% $21

Getting Around

Frauenfeld

$138 4.4%

Basel

$154 4.4% 11.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,437 in Frauenfeld and $1,953 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays 13% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $121 in Frauenfeld vs $123 in Basel. Groceries flip the comparison at $616 vs $576, with Basel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Frauenfeld

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

Same time as Frauenfeld

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,864

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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Frauenfeld Basel 98 km

From you

Frauenfeld
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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

Frauenfeld vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Frauenfeld wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Frauenfeld the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Basel. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,437 in Frauenfeld versus $1,953 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,816 in Frauenfeld versus $2,993 in Basel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Basel pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Frauenfeld 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 Frauenfeld delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $3,133 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Frauenfeld hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Frauenfeld 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 Frauenfeld gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Basel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.