Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frauenfeld and Zurich

For one person, living is cheaper in Frauenfeld: $3,133 a month against $4,451 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 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
217

Cost of Living Index in Zurich
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Zurich Living Index

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Frauenfeld

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,133

/mo nomad

Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,451

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,133 per month in Frauenfeld vs $4,451 in Zurich, rent included.

Frauenfeld $3,133
Zurich $4,451

A couple spends around $5,002 per month in Frauenfeld vs $6,817 in Zurich, rent included.

Frauenfeld $5,002
Zurich $6,817

A family of three spends $6,871 per month in Frauenfeld vs $9,184 in Zurich, rent included.

Frauenfeld $6,871
Zurich $9,184

Frauenfeld is about 30% cheaper than Zurich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Frauenfeld and Zurich sit above the global median – Frauenfeld by 132%, Zurich by 230%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.62 CHF 25.22

$34.71 CHF 28.59

-11.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$121 CHF 99.7

$144 CHF 119

-16.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.55 CHF 16.10

$17.69 CHF 14.57

10.51%

Cappuccino

$6.00 CHF 4.94

$6.91 CHF 5.69

-13.17%

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

$5.35 CHF 4.41

$5.86 CHF 4.83

-8.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 CHF 3.94

$5.15 CHF 4.24

-6.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.33 CHF 6.86

$9.70 CHF 7.99

-14.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.55 CHF 5.40

$8.28 CHF 6.82

-20.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$2.20 CHF 1.81

0.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.74 CHF 3.08

$3.78 CHF 3.11

-1.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.20 CHF 3.46

$3.68 CHF 3.03

14.13%

Eggs

$7.73 CHF 6.37

$8.54 CHF 7.03

-9.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.49 CHF 21.81

$27.22 CHF 22.42

-2.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.52 CHF 24.31

$27.67 CHF 22.79

6.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.04 CHF 34.63

$61.7 CHF 50.8

-31.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 CHF 2.90

$4.14 CHF 3.41

-14.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.77

$2.68 CHF 2.21

-20.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 CHF 2.27

$3.54 CHF 2.91

-22.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.23 CHF 4.30

$4.45 CHF 3.67

17.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 CHF 1.97

$2.54 CHF 2.09

-5.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 CHF 2.03

$2.21 CHF 1.82

11.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 CHF 1.96

$2.52 CHF 2.07

-5.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 CHF 1.01

$1.24 CHF 1.02

-1.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.82 CHF 8.91

$10.62 CHF 8.75

1.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.57 CHF 12.00

$13.83 CHF 11.39

5.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.97 CHF 2.44

$2.66 CHF 2.19

11.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 CHF 3.25

$3.18 CHF 2.62

23.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.49 CHF 3.70

$5.39 CHF 4.44

-16.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.3 CHF 80.2

$106 CHF 87.2

-8.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.31 CHF 4.37

$7.93 CHF 6.54

-33.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.45 CHF 2.85

$4.50 CHF 3.71

-23.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.42 CHF 30.00

$89.4 CHF 73.6

-59.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 CHF 1.92

$2.28 CHF 1.87

2.19%

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

$41.6K CHF 34.3K

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

6.77%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

-0.51%

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

$280 CHF 231

$276 CHF 227

1.41%

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

$37.57 CHF 30.95

$36.80 CHF 30.31

2.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.1 CHF 51.9

$56.0 CHF 46.10

12.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$100 CHF 82.4

$91.3 CHF 75.2

9.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.55 CHF 37.52

$60.0 CHF 49.43

-24.10%

Cinema Ticket

$23.43 CHF 19.30

$24.81 CHF 20.43

-5.56%

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

$1,816 CHF 1,496

$3,505 CHF 2,887

-48.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K CHF 26.2K

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

-23.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$167 CHF 137

$139 CHF 115

19.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 CHF 44.59

$58.3 CHF 48.04

-7.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$148 CHF 122

$166 CHF 137

-11.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 CHF 116

$260 CHF 214

-46.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,437 CHF 1,184

$2,916 CHF 2,402

-50.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,152 CHF 948

$2,308 CHF 1,901

-50.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,597 CHF 2,139

$5,918 CHF 4,874

-56.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,307 CHF 1,900

$4,092 CHF 3,370

-43.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.9K CHF 13.1K

$26.8K CHF 22.1K

-40.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.0K CHF 9,915

$16.2K CHF 13.4K

-25.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,053 CHF 4,985

$7,928 CHF 6,529

-23.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.35

2.07

13.53%

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

Last update for Frauenfeld: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zurich: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Frauenfeld

$1.2K 36.8%

Zurich

$2.3K 51.9% 101% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Frauenfeld

$616 19.7%

Zurich

$671 15.1% 8.9% $55

Eating Out

Frauenfeld

$471 15%

Zurich

$523 11.7% 11% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frauenfeld

$381 12.2%

Zurich

$369 8.3% 3.1% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Frauenfeld

$229 7.3%

Zurich

$281 6.3% 22.5% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Frauenfeld

$147 4.7%

Zurich

$141 3.2% 4.1% $6

Getting Around

Frauenfeld

$138 4.4%

Zurich

$158 3.6% 14.6% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,437 in Frauenfeld versus $2,916 in Zurich. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 31% higher in Zurich, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $121 in Frauenfeld versus $144 in Zurich. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $616 vs $671 – making Frauenfeld the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Frauenfeld

🇨🇭 Zurich

🕒 Local time

10:49 10:49 AM

Same time as Frauenfeld

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,864

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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Frauenfeld Zurich 33 km

From you

Frauenfeld
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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 Zurich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Zurich is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,700 per month in Frauenfeld and $6,676 in Zurich. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Frauenfeld, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,133 in Frauenfeld and $4,451 in Zurich. That's a gap of about 42%.

Public transport costs about 9% less in Frauenfeld. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,133 in Frauenfeld and $4,451 in Zurich. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Frauenfeld – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Frauenfeld. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Zurich makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.