Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geneva and Altstätten

For one person, living is cheaper in Altstätten: $3,362 a month against $4,051 in Geneva, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

197

Cost of Living Index in Geneva
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Geneva Living Index
165

Cost of Living Index in Altstätten
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Altstätten Living Index

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Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,051

/mo nomad

Altstätten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,362

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Geneva and in Altstätten

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 Altstätten actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,051 per month in Geneva vs $3,362 in Altstätten, rent included.

Geneva $4,051
Altstätten $3,362

A couple spends around $6,137 per month in Geneva vs $5,134 in Altstätten, rent included.

Geneva $6,137
Altstätten $5,134

A family of three spends $8,222 per month in Geneva vs $6,905 in Altstätten, rent included.

Geneva $8,222
Altstätten $6,905

Geneva costs about 21% more than Altstätten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Geneva and Altstätten sit above the global median – Geneva by 200%, Altstätten by 149%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.11 CHF 24.80

$29.51 CHF 24.30

2.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$132 CHF 108

$118 CHF 97.2

11.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.29 CHF 15.06

$17.80 CHF 14.66

2.75%

Cappuccino

$6.12 CHF 5.04

$5.94 CHF 4.89

3.03%

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

$4.69 CHF 3.86

$5.13 CHF 4.22

-8.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 CHF 3.50

$4.86 CHF 4.01

-12.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.69 CHF 7.98

$9.25 CHF 7.62

4.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.65 CHF 7.95

$7.32 CHF 6.03

31.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 CHF 1.85

$2.19 CHF 1.80

2.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 CHF 2.77

$3.56 CHF 2.93

-5.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 CHF 2.80

$3.68 CHF 3.03

-7.61%

Eggs

$7.86 CHF 6.47

$7.71 CHF 6.35

1.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.91 CHF 20.52

$25.63 CHF 21.11

-2.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.00 CHF 23.88

$28.49 CHF 23.47

1.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.83 CHF 34.45

$40.80 CHF 33.60

2.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 CHF 2.93

$3.60 CHF 2.96

-1.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 CHF 1.35

$2.03 CHF 1.67

-19.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 CHF 2.21

$2.68 CHF 2.21

0.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 CHF 3.92

$4.75 CHF 3.91

0.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 CHF 1.34

$1.84 CHF 1.52

-11.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.77

$2.10 CHF 1.73

2.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$2.22 CHF 1.83

-0.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 CHF 1.31

$1.29 CHF 1.07

23.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 CHF 9.05

$10.72 CHF 8.83

2.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.85 CHF 9.76

$12.90 CHF 10.63

-8.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 CHF 2.54

$2.82 CHF 2.32

9.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 CHF 2.73

$3.11 CHF 2.56

6.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.70 CHF 3.04

$4.63 CHF 3.81

-20.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.4 CHF 74.5

$100 CHF 82.7

-9.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.49 CHF 6.17

$7.47 CHF 6.15

0.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.94 CHF 3.25

$4.66 CHF 3.84

-15.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.5 CHF 51.5

$74.3 CHF 61.2

-15.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 CHF 1.89

$2.24 CHF 1.84

2.68%

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

$37.9K CHF 31.2K

$40.5K CHF 33.4K

-6.38%

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

$38.2K CHF 31.5K

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

-3.51%

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

$281 CHF 231

$277 CHF 228

1.40%

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

$36.24 CHF 29.85

$32.44 CHF 26.72

11.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.8 CHF 47.62

$55.8 CHF 45.95

3.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 CHF 62.5

$91.5 CHF 75.4

-17.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.57 CHF 36.71

$44.93 CHF 37.01

-0.80%

Cinema Ticket

$23.65 CHF 19.48

$22.65 CHF 18.66

4.42%

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

$2,349 CHF 1,935

$2,646 CHF 2,179

-11.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.0K CHF 28.8K

$34.1K CHF 28.1K

2.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 113

$143 CHF 118

-4.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.4 CHF 65.4

$57.4 CHF 47.30

38.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$163 CHF 134

$149 CHF 123

9.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$185 CHF 152

0.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,816 CHF 2,320

$1,668 CHF 1,374

68.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,103 CHF 1,732

$1,419 CHF 1,168

48.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,789 CHF 3,945

$2,868 CHF 2,362

66.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 CHF 3,023

$2,429 CHF 2,000

51.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$22.3K CHF 18.4K

$15.7K CHF 12.9K

42.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$15.7K CHF 12.9K

$12.2K CHF 10.0K

28.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,268 CHF 5,986

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.98

2.07

-4.35%

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

Last update for Geneva: October 10, 2026

Last update for Altstätten: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Geneva

$2.1K 51.9%

Altstätten

$1.4K 42.2% 32.5% $684

Groceries & Markets

Geneva

$591 14.6%

Altstätten

$590 17.5% 0.3% $1.6

Eating Out

Geneva

$473 11.7%

Altstätten

$462 13.7% 2.3% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geneva

$375 9.3%

Altstätten

$365 10.9% 2.6% $9.7

Clothing & Footwear

Geneva

$254 6.3%

Altstätten

$241 7.2% 5.3% $13

Getting Around

Geneva

$132 3.3%

Altstätten

$150 4.5% 13% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Geneva

$123 3%

Altstätten

$137 4.1% 11.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,816 in Geneva versus $1,668 in Altstätten. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $132 in Geneva versus $118 in Altstätten. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $591 vs $590 – making Altstätten the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Geneva

🇨🇭 Altstätten

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

Same time as Geneva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

191,557

11,145

💱 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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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 Altstätten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Geneva is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,077 per month in Geneva and $5,043 in Altstätten. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Altstätten, 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 $4,051 in Geneva and $3,362 in Altstätten. That's a gap of about 21%.

Public transport costs about 11% less in Altstätten. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,051 in Geneva and $3,362 in Altstätten. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Altstätten – 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 Altstätten. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Geneva makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.