Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geneva and Arbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Arbon: $3,464 a month against $4,051 in Geneva, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
167

Cost of Living Index in Arbon
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Arbon Living Index

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Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,051

/mo nomad

Arbon

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,464

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Geneva and in Arbon

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

A single person spends $4,051 per month in Geneva vs $3,464 in Arbon, rent included.

Geneva $4,051
Arbon $3,464

A couple spends around $6,137 per month in Geneva vs $5,192 in Arbon, rent included.

Geneva $6,137
Arbon $5,192

A family of three spends $8,222 per month in Geneva vs $6,920 in Arbon, rent included.

Geneva $8,222
Arbon $6,920

Geneva costs about 17% more than Arbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Geneva and Arbon sit above the global median – Geneva by 200%, Arbon by 157%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.11 CHF 24.80

$29.53 CHF 24.33

1.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$132 CHF 108

$144 CHF 118

-8.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.29 CHF 15.06

$18.95 CHF 15.61

-3.48%

Cappuccino

$6.12 CHF 5.04

$6.11 CHF 5.03

0.16%

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

$4.69 CHF 3.86

$5.74 CHF 4.73

-18.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 CHF 3.50

$5.09 CHF 4.19

-16.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.69 CHF 7.98

$9.00 CHF 7.42

7.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.65 CHF 7.95

$6.17 CHF 5.08

56.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 CHF 1.85

$2.16 CHF 1.78

4.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 CHF 2.77

$3.15 CHF 2.60

6.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 CHF 2.80

$3.79 CHF 3.12

-10.29%

Eggs

$7.86 CHF 6.47

$7.88 CHF 6.49

-0.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.91 CHF 20.52

$25.14 CHF 20.71

-0.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.00 CHF 23.88

$28.42 CHF 23.41

2.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.83 CHF 34.45

$41.09 CHF 33.84

1.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 CHF 2.93

$3.42 CHF 2.82

4.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 CHF 1.35

$2.00 CHF 1.65

-18.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 CHF 2.21

$2.39 CHF 1.97

12.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 CHF 3.92

$5.28 CHF 4.35

-9.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 CHF 1.34

$2.04 CHF 1.68

-20.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.77

$2.19 CHF 1.80

-1.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$2.28 CHF 1.88

-3.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 CHF 1.31

$1.22 CHF 1.01

30.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 CHF 9.05

$10.64 CHF 8.77

3.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.85 CHF 9.76

$16.47 CHF 13.57

-28.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 CHF 2.54

$2.12 CHF 1.75

45.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 CHF 2.73

$2.25 CHF 1.85

47.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.70 CHF 3.04

$4.81 CHF 3.96

-23.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.4 CHF 74.5

$96.0 CHF 79.1

-5.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.49 CHF 6.17

$6.50 CHF 5.35

15.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.94 CHF 3.25

$4.73 CHF 3.89

-16.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.5 CHF 51.5

$36.17 CHF 29.79

72.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 CHF 1.89

$2.29 CHF 1.89

0.44%

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

$37.9K CHF 31.2K

$34.5K CHF 28.4K

10.11%

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

$38.2K CHF 31.5K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

-2.79%

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

$281 CHF 231

$275 CHF 227

1.96%

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

$36.24 CHF 29.85

$38.11 CHF 31.39

-4.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.8 CHF 47.62

$54.4 CHF 44.78

6.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 CHF 62.5

$90.0 CHF 74.1

-15.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.57 CHF 36.71

$39.06 CHF 32.17

14.11%

Cinema Ticket

$23.65 CHF 19.48

$23.43 CHF 19.29

0.94%

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

$2,349 CHF 1,935

$2,250 CHF 1,853

4.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.0K CHF 28.8K

$31.3K CHF 25.8K

11.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 113

$143 CHF 118

-4.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.4 CHF 65.4

$65.1 CHF 53.6

21.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$163 CHF 134

$143 CHF 118

13.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$185 CHF 152

$177 CHF 146

4.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,816 CHF 2,320

$1,561 CHF 1,286

80.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,103 CHF 1,732

$1,521 CHF 1,253

38.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,789 CHF 3,945

$2,904 CHF 2,392

64.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 CHF 3,023

$2,322 CHF 1,912

58.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$22.3K CHF 18.4K

$13.9K CHF 11.5K

60.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$15.7K CHF 12.9K

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

14.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,268 CHF 5,986

$11.1K CHF 9,124

-34.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.98

1.9

4.21%

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

Last update for Geneva: October 10, 2026

Last update for Arbon: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Geneva

$2.1K 51.9%

Arbon

$1.5K 43.9% 27.7% $582

Groceries & Markets

Geneva

$591 14.6%

Arbon

$588 17% 0.5% $3.1

Eating Out

Geneva

$473 11.7%

Arbon

$467 13.5% 1.2% $5.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geneva

$375 9.3%

Arbon

$368 10.6% 1.9% $7

Clothing & Footwear

Geneva

$254 6.3%

Arbon

$238 6.9% 6.3% $16

Getting Around

Geneva

$132 3.3%

Arbon

$145 4.2% 9.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Geneva

$123 3%

Arbon

$137 4% 11.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,816 in Geneva versus $1,561 in Arbon. 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 52% higher in Arbon, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $132 in Geneva versus $144 in Arbon. Groceries tell a different story – $591 in Geneva vs $588 in Arbon – so Arbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Geneva

🇨🇭 Arbon

🕒 Local time

11:28 11:28 AM

Same time as Geneva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

191,557

15,853

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Geneva Arbon 290 km

From you

Geneva
Arbon

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

Geneva vs Arbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,051 in Geneva, $3,464 in Arbon – roughly 17% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,077 per month in Geneva and $5,197 in Arbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arbon, 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 $3,464 in Arbon. That's a gap of about 17%.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Arbon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,051 in Geneva and $3,464 in Arbon. 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 $3,464 in Arbon to $4,051 in Geneva. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Arbon. 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.