Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geneva and Buchs

For one person, living is cheaper in Buchs: $3,009 a month against $4,062 in Geneva, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in Geneva
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Geneva Living Index
146

Cost of Living Index in Buchs
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Buchs Living Index

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Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,062

/mo nomad

Buchs

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Geneva and in Buchs

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,062 in Geneva versus $3,009 in Buchs.

Geneva $4,062
Buchs $3,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,218 in Geneva versus $4,535 in Buchs.

Geneva $6,218
Buchs $4,535

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,374 in Geneva versus $6,062 in Buchs.

Geneva $8,374
Buchs $6,062

Living in Geneva is roughly 35% more expensive than in Buchs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Geneva 200% above, Buchs 122% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.88 CHF 24.61

$23.43 CHF 19.30

27.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$128 CHF 106

$84.3 CHF 69.4

52.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.24 CHF 15.85

$15.36 CHF 12.65

25.26%

Cappuccino

$6.35 CHF 5.23

$4.71 CHF 3.88

34.82%

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

$4.65 CHF 3.83

$3.77 CHF 3.10

23.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 CHF 3.29

$3.20 CHF 2.63

24.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.54 CHF 7.85

$6.13 CHF 5.04

55.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.80 CHF 8.07

$5.39 CHF 4.44

81.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CHF 1.91

$2.01 CHF 1.66

14.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.41 CHF 2.81

$3.94 CHF 3.24

-13.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 CHF 2.68

$4.64 CHF 3.82

-29.96%

Eggs

$8.18 CHF 6.74

$7.32 CHF 6.03

11.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.34 CHF 20.87

$32.21 CHF 26.53

-21.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.62 CHF 23.57

$18.51 CHF 15.24

54.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.70 CHF 35.17

$32.47 CHF 26.74

31.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 CHF 2.86

$3.53 CHF 2.91

-1.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 CHF 1.42

$2.14 CHF 1.76

-19.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 CHF 2.25

$3.14 CHF 2.59

-13.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 CHF 3.93

$6.70 CHF 5.52

-28.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 CHF 1.29

$1.78 CHF 1.46

-11.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 CHF 1.88

$2.54 CHF 2.10

-10.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 CHF 1.85

$2.44 CHF 2.01

-8.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 CHF 1.32

$1.21 CHF 1.00

33.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.81 CHF 8.90

$10.84 CHF 8.92

-0.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.28 CHF 10.12

$12.70 CHF 10.46

-3.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.24 CHF 2.67

$3.28 CHF 2.70

-1.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 CHF 2.84

$3.91 CHF 3.22

-11.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.58 CHF 2.95

$5.17 CHF 4.25

-30.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.0 CHF 72.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 CHF 6.15

$5.36 CHF 4.42

39.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.76 CHF 3.10

$3.46 CHF 2.85

8.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$63.6 CHF 52.4

$61.2 CHF 50.4

4.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.39 CHF 1.97

$2.23 CHF 1.83

7.17%

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

$39.7K CHF 32.7K

$42.5K CHF 35.0K

-6.78%

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

$40.1K CHF 33.0K

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

1.36%

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

$289 CHF 238

$184 CHF 152

56.74%

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

$38.37 CHF 31.60

$31.24 CHF 25.73

22.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.3 CHF 47.18

$67.2 CHF 55.4

-14.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.2 CHF 61.1

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.73 CHF 35.19

Cinema Ticket

$24.02 CHF 19.78

$15.20 CHF 12.52

58.03%

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

$2,371 CHF 1,952

$611 CHF 503

287.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.0K CHF 29.7K

$20.7K CHF 17.0K

74.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$135 CHF 111

$107 CHF 88.0

26.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.7 CHF 65.7

$23.70 CHF 19.52

236.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$168 CHF 138

$95.2 CHF 78.4

76.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$191 CHF 157

$170 CHF 140

12.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,779 CHF 2,289

$1,828 CHF 1,505

52.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 CHF 1,726

$1,561 CHF 1,285

34.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,804 CHF 3,957

$2,690 CHF 2,216

78.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,809 CHF 3,137

$2,746 CHF 2,261

38.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$21.9K CHF 18.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.2K CHF 13.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,087 CHF 5,837

$8,480 CHF 6,984

-16.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.98

1.93

2.59%

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

Last update for Geneva: October 20, 2026

Last update for Buchs: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Geneva

$2.1K 51.6%

Buchs

$1.6K 51.9% 25.6% $536

Groceries & Markets

Geneva

$598 14.7%

Buchs

$555 18.4% 7.2% $43

Eating Out

Geneva

$475 11.7%

Buchs

$359 11.9% 24.3% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geneva

$385 9.5%

Buchs

$283 9.4% 26.5% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Geneva

$258 6.4%

Buchs

$178 5.9% 31% $80

Getting Around

Geneva

$129 3.2%

Buchs

$43 * 1.4% 66.3% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Geneva

$122 3%

Buchs

$30 * 1% 75.1% $92

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,779 in Geneva and $1,828 in Buchs. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buchs pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $128 in Geneva vs $84.0 in Buchs for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $598 vs $555 per month, with Buchs cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Geneva

🇨🇭 Buchs

🕒 Local time

10:09 10:09 AM

Same time as Geneva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

191,557

12,187

💱 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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Between locations

Geneva Buchs 280 km

From you

Geneva
Buchs

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 Buchs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Geneva and Buchs differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($4,062 vs $3,009 including rent). Buchs is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Buchs. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,779 in Geneva versus $1,828 in Buchs. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Geneva versus $611 in Buchs. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Buchs – a meal for two runs $84.0 versus $128 in Geneva. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Buchs is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Geneva and Buchs are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Buchs gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Geneva. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.