Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geneva and Bellinzona

For one person, living is cheaper in Bellinzona: $3,572 a month against $4,079 in Geneva, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Geneva outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

198

Cost of Living Index in Geneva
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Geneva Living Index
171

Cost of Living Index in Bellinzona
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Bellinzona Living Index

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Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,079

/mo nomad

Bellinzona

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,572

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Geneva and in Bellinzona

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

A single person spends $4,079 per month in Geneva vs $3,572 in Bellinzona, rent included.

Geneva $4,079
Bellinzona $3,572

A couple spends around $6,308 per month in Geneva vs $5,491 in Bellinzona, rent included.

Geneva $6,308
Bellinzona $5,491

A family of three spends $8,538 per month in Geneva vs $7,411 in Bellinzona, rent included.

Geneva $8,538
Bellinzona $7,411

Geneva costs about 14% more than Bellinzona.

Both Geneva and Bellinzona sit above the global median – Geneva by 200%, Bellinzona by 162%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.31 CHF 25.00

$34.79 CHF 28.70

-12.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$129 CHF 107

$119 CHF 98.3

8.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.47 CHF 16.06

$18.24 CHF 15.04

6.74%

Cappuccino

$6.40 CHF 5.28

$4.80 CHF 3.96

33.33%

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

$4.66 CHF 3.85

$5.28 CHF 4.36

-11.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 CHF 3.41

$4.47 CHF 3.69

-7.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.82 CHF 8.10

$9.61 CHF 7.93

2.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.87 CHF 8.14

$6.73 CHF 5.55

46.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.94

$2.18 CHF 1.79

7.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 CHF 2.69

$4.14 CHF 3.41

-21.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 CHF 2.79

$4.11 CHF 3.39

-17.52%

Eggs

$8.18 CHF 6.74

$7.86 CHF 6.48

4.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.05 CHF 20.66

$26.65 CHF 21.98

-6.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.22 CHF 24.11

$30.79 CHF 25.39

-5.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.51 CHF 35.07

$41.82 CHF 34.50

1.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 CHF 2.92

$3.71 CHF 3.06

-4.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 CHF 1.35

$2.03 CHF 1.68

-19.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 CHF 2.35

$2.82 CHF 2.33

1.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.90 CHF 4.04

$6.48 CHF 5.34

-24.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 CHF 1.35

$2.05 CHF 1.69

-20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$2.20 CHF 1.82

4.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 CHF 1.81

$2.45 CHF 2.02

-10.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 CHF 1.37

$1.30 CHF 1.07

27.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.97 CHF 9.05

$10.98 CHF 9.06

-0.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 CHF 10.03

$18.12 CHF 14.95

-32.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 CHF 2.65

$2.86 CHF 2.36

12.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 CHF 2.72

$3.97 CHF 3.27

-16.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.55 CHF 2.93

$2.75 CHF 2.27

29.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.8 CHF 70.8

$122 CHF 101

-29.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.61 CHF 6.28

$7.40 CHF 6.11

2.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.76 CHF 3.10

$5.48 CHF 4.52

-31.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$64.2 CHF 52.9

$36.65 CHF 30.23

75.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.94

$2.26 CHF 1.86

3.98%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

0.58%

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

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

-1.03%

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

$280 CHF 231

$308 CHF 254

-9.14%

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

$37.96 CHF 31.31

$36.80 CHF 30.36

3.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.6 CHF 47.47

$62.6 CHF 51.6

-8.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.0 CHF 63.5

$146 CHF 120

-47.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.34 CHF 35.75

$54.1 CHF 44.63

-19.89%

Cinema Ticket

$23.96 CHF 19.77

$23.86 CHF 19.68

0.42%

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

$2,484 CHF 2,049

$3,258 CHF 2,687

-23.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.2K CHF 29.0K

$35.1K CHF 29.0K

0.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$133 CHF 110

$198 CHF 163

-32.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.1 CHF 65.2

$48.72 CHF 40.19

62.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$169 CHF 139

$163 CHF 134

3.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$188 CHF 155

$172 CHF 142

9.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 CHF 2,331

$1,574 CHF 1,299

79.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,115 CHF 1,744

$1,411 CHF 1,164

49.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,088 CHF 4,197

$2,491 CHF 2,055

104.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,963 CHF 3,269

$2,504 CHF 2,066

58.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$22.5K CHF 18.5K

$13.8K CHF 11.4K

63.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.3K CHF 13.5K

$10.3K CHF 8,532

57.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,271 CHF 5,998

$6,707 CHF 5,533

8.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.98

2.23

-11.21%

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

Last update for Geneva: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bellinzona: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Geneva

$2.1K 51.9%

Bellinzona

$1.4K 39.5% 33.3% $704

Groceries & Markets

Geneva

$600 14.7%

Bellinzona

$639 17.9% 6.6% $40

Eating Out

Geneva

$482 11.8%

Bellinzona

$491 13.8% 2% $9.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geneva

$375 9.2%

Bellinzona

$407 11.4% 8.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Geneva

$256 6.3%

Bellinzona

$262 7.3% 2.2% $5.5

Getting Around

Geneva

$126 3.1%

Bellinzona

$168 4.7% 32.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Geneva

$125 3.1%

Bellinzona

$194 5.4% 55% $69

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,825 in Geneva versus $1,574 in Bellinzona. 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 8% 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 $119 in Bellinzona. Groceries tell a different story – $600 in Geneva vs $639 in Bellinzona – so Geneva wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Geneva

🇨🇭 Bellinzona

🕒 Local time

01:06 1:06 AM

Same time as Geneva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

191,557

43,785

💱 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

On the map

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Geneva Bellinzona 220 km

From you

Geneva
Bellinzona

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 Bellinzona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,118 per month in Geneva and $5,357 in Bellinzona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bellinzona, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,574 there versus $2,825 in Geneva.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,079 in Geneva and $3,572 in Bellinzona. That makes Bellinzona about 12% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 30% less in Geneva. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,079 in Geneva and $3,572 in Bellinzona. 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 $3,572 in Bellinzona 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 Bellinzona. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Geneva makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.