Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fribourg and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Fribourg: $3,530 a month against $3,709 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

168

Cost of Living Index in Fribourg
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Fribourg Living Index
177

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Fribourg

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,530

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,530 in Fribourg versus $3,709 in Basel.

Fribourg $3,530
Basel $3,709

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,160 in Fribourg versus $5,695 in Basel.

Fribourg $5,160
Basel $5,695

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,789 in Fribourg versus $7,682 in Basel.

Fribourg $6,789
Basel $7,682

Living in Fribourg costs roughly 5% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fribourg 161% above, Basel 174% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.96 CHF 24.53

$30.43 CHF 24.91

-1.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 99.5

$129 CHF 106

-5.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.11 CHF 13.18

$18.53 CHF 15.17

-13.06%

Cappuccino

$6.32 CHF 5.17

$6.34 CHF 5.19

-0.32%

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

$5.17 CHF 4.23

$6.44 CHF 5.27

-19.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 CHF 4.35

$6.19 CHF 5.07

-14.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.18 CHF 5.88

$9.69 CHF 7.93

-25.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 CHF 5.59

$9.64 CHF 7.89

-29.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 CHF 1.84

White Bread (500g)

$3.29 CHF 2.69

$3.18 CHF 2.61

3.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.52 CHF 2.88

$3.33 CHF 2.72

5.71%

Eggs

$7.40 CHF 6.06

$8.20 CHF 6.72

-9.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.30 CHF 19.89

$26.64 CHF 21.80

-8.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$25.33 CHF 20.73

$27.19 CHF 22.25

-6.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$37.26 CHF 30.50

$41.07 CHF 33.61

-9.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 CHF 2.91

$3.57 CHF 2.92

-0.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 CHF 1.34

$2.29 CHF 1.88

-28.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 CHF 2.12

$2.95 CHF 2.42

-12.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 CHF 3.76

$4.64 CHF 3.80

-1.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 CHF 1.41

$1.39 CHF 1.14

23.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 CHF 1.72

$1.92 CHF 1.57

9.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 CHF 1.84

$2.29 CHF 1.88

-1.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 CHF 0.98

$1.64 CHF 1.34

-26.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.96 CHF 8.97

$11.52 CHF 9.43

-4.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.48 CHF 8.58

$12.01 CHF 9.83

-12.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.62 CHF 2.96

$2.58 CHF 2.11

40.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 CHF 2.02

$3.14 CHF 2.57

-21.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.64 CHF 2.98

$5.20 CHF 4.26

-30.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.2 CHF 70.5

$106 CHF 86.8

-18.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.31 CHF 10.07

$8.02 CHF 6.57

53.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.90 CHF 4.01

$4.60 CHF 3.76

6.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$86.6 CHF 70.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 CHF 1.88

$2.36 CHF 1.93

-2.54%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.2K

$39.5K CHF 32.3K

-0.36%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.4K

$39.9K CHF 32.7K

-0.87%

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

$343 CHF 280

$293 CHF 240

17.02%

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

$42.40 CHF 34.71

$45.83 CHF 37.52

-7.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.3 CHF 46.88

$65.1 CHF 53.3

-12.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.4 CHF 63.3

$82.8 CHF 67.8

-6.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.7 CHF 48.02

Cinema Ticket

$21.17 CHF 17.33

$23.03 CHF 18.85

-8.08%

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

$2,813 CHF 2,303

$3,165 CHF 2,591

-11.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.5K CHF 29.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 CHF 82.2

$148 CHF 121

-32.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$98.4 CHF 80.5

$81.0 CHF 66.3

21.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$248 CHF 203

$161 CHF 132

53.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$197 CHF 162

$203 CHF 166

-2.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,809 CHF 1,481

$2,144 CHF 1,755

-15.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,538 CHF 1,259

$1,672 CHF 1,368

-8.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,713 CHF 2,220

$3,637 CHF 2,977

-25.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,313 CHF 1,893

$2,971 CHF 2,432

-22.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.8K CHF 11.3K

$18.2K CHF 14.9K

-24.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.4K CHF 8,487

$13.4K CHF 11.0K

-22.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,889 CHF 5,639

$6,781 CHF 5,550

1.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.31

2.42

-4.55%

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

Last update for Fribourg: November 3, 2026

Last update for Basel: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fribourg

$1.5K 43.6%

Basel

$1.7K 45.1% 8.7% $134

Groceries & Markets

Fribourg

$548 15.5%

Basel

$586 15.8% 7% $38

Eating Out

Fribourg

$455 12.9%

Basel

$493 13.3% 8.4% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fribourg

$442 12.5%

Basel

$404 10.9% 8.7% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Fribourg

$290 8.2%

Basel

$267 7.2% 7.9% $23

Getting Around

Fribourg

$138 3.9%

Basel

$158 4.3% 14.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Fribourg

$120 3.4%

Basel

$129 3.5% 7.7% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,809 in Fribourg and $2,144 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $122 in Fribourg vs $129 in Basel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $548 vs $586 per month, with Fribourg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Fribourg

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

18:59 6:59 PM

Same time as Fribourg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,485

174,491

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Fribourg vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fribourg wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Fribourg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $5,296 in Fribourg and $5,563 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: $1,809 in Fribourg versus $2,144 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,813 in Fribourg versus $3,165 in Basel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Basel. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Fribourg 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 Fribourg delivers better value at $3,530 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Fribourg hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Fribourg and Basel are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Fribourg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Basel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.