Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geneva and Aarau

For one person, living is cheaper in Aarau: $2,813 a month against $4,079 in Geneva, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

198

Cost of Living Index in Geneva
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Geneva Living Index
134

Cost of Living Index in Aarau
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Aarau Living Index

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Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,079

/mo nomad

Aarau

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Geneva and in Aarau

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Geneva and in Aarau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,079 per month in Geneva vs $2,813 in Aarau, rent included.

Geneva $4,079
Aarau $2,813

A couple spends around $6,308 per month in Geneva vs $4,613 in Aarau, rent included.

Geneva $6,308
Aarau $4,613

A family of three spends $8,538 per month in Geneva vs $6,413 in Aarau, rent included.

Geneva $8,538
Aarau $6,413

Geneva costs about 45% more than Aarau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Geneva and Aarau sit above the global median – Geneva by 200%, Aarau by 107%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.31 CHF 25.00

$29.72 CHF 24.51

1.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$129 CHF 107

$107 CHF 88.6

20.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.47 CHF 16.06

$18.33 CHF 15.12

6.22%

Cappuccino

$6.40 CHF 5.27

$5.90 CHF 4.87

8.47%

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

$4.66 CHF 3.84

$5.27 CHF 4.35

-11.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 CHF 3.41

$4.80 CHF 3.96

-13.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.82 CHF 8.10

$5.95 CHF 4.91

65.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.87 CHF 8.14

$6.48 CHF 5.35

52.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.94

$2.07 CHF 1.71

13.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 CHF 2.69

$3.59 CHF 2.96

-9.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 CHF 2.79

$2.67 CHF 2.20

26.97%

Eggs

$8.18 CHF 6.74

$7.06 CHF 5.82

15.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.05 CHF 20.66

$31.59 CHF 26.06

-20.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.22 CHF 24.10

$29.34 CHF 24.20

-0.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.51 CHF 35.06

$41.32 CHF 34.08

2.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 CHF 2.92

$2.86 CHF 2.36

23.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 CHF 1.35

$1.70 CHF 1.40

-4.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 CHF 2.35

$2.41 CHF 1.99

18.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.90 CHF 4.04

$5.75 CHF 4.74

-14.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 CHF 1.35

$1.70 CHF 1.40

-3.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$1.94 CHF 1.60

18.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 CHF 1.81

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-4.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 CHF 1.37

$1.11 CHF 0.91

49.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.97 CHF 9.05

$10.84 CHF 8.94

1.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 CHF 10.03

$10.46 CHF 8.62

16.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 CHF 2.65

$2.56 CHF 2.11

25.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 CHF 2.72

$2.88 CHF 2.37

14.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.55 CHF 2.93

$4.95 CHF 4.08

-28.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.8 CHF 70.8

$147 CHF 122

-41.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.61 CHF 6.28

$4.51 CHF 3.72

68.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.76 CHF 3.10

$2.87 CHF 2.37

31.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$64.2 CHF 52.9

$60.8 CHF 50.2

5.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.94

$2.19 CHF 1.81

7.31%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

$38.6K CHF 31.8K

2.50%

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

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

$38.6K CHF 31.9K

0.56%

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

$280 CHF 231

$121 CHF 99.6

131.85%

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

$37.96 CHF 31.31

$28.73 CHF 23.69

32.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.6 CHF 47.47

$57.3 CHF 47.25

0.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.0 CHF 63.5

$97.2 CHF 80.1

-20.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.34 CHF 35.75

$61.5 CHF 50.7

-29.53%

Cinema Ticket

$23.96 CHF 19.76

$21.92 CHF 18.08

9.31%

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

$2,484 CHF 2,049

$3,172 CHF 2,616

-21.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.2K CHF 29.0K

$24.4K CHF 20.2K

43.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$133 CHF 110

$90.1 CHF 74.3

47.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.1 CHF 65.2

$71.5 CHF 59.0

10.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$169 CHF 139

$109 CHF 89.8

54.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$188 CHF 155

$168 CHF 138

12.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 CHF 2,330

$1,263 CHF 1,041

123.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,115 CHF 1,744

$1,041 CHF 859

103.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,088 CHF 4,197

$2,272 CHF 1,874

123.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,963 CHF 3,268

$2,155 CHF 1,777

83.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$22.5K CHF 18.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.3K CHF 13.5K

$12.1K CHF 10.0K

34.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,271 CHF 5,997

$6,963 CHF 5,743

4.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.98

2.31

-14.29%

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

Last update for Geneva: October 25, 2026

Last update for Aarau: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Geneva

$2.1K 51.9%

Aarau

$1K 37% 50.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Geneva

$600 14.7%

Aarau

$595 21.1% 0.8% $4.9

Eating Out

Geneva

$482 11.8%

Aarau

$447 15.9% 7.3% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geneva

$375 9.2%

Aarau

$207 7.4% 44.9% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Geneva

$256 6.3%

Aarau

$197 7% 23% $59

Getting Around

Geneva

$126 3.1%

Aarau

$186 6.6% 47.2% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Geneva

$125 3.1%

Aarau

$141 5% 12.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,825 in Geneva versus $1,263 in Aarau. 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 4% higher in Geneva, 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 $129 in Geneva versus $107 in Aarau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $600 vs $595 – making Aarau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Geneva

🇨🇭 Aarau

🕒 Local time

05:02 5:02 AM

Same time as Geneva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

191,557

21,191

💱 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

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Geneva Aarau 200 km

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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

Geneva vs Aarau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Geneva costs about 45% more than Aarau, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,118 per month in Geneva and $4,220 in Aarau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aarau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,263 there versus $2,825 in Geneva.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $129 in Geneva and $107 in Aarau. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 42% less in Geneva. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,079 in Geneva and $2,813 in Aarau. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Geneva has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,813 in Aarau to $4,079 in Geneva. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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