Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geneva and Cham

For one person, living is cheaper in Cham: $3,575 a month against $4,079 in Geneva, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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
172

Cost of Living Index in Cham
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Cham Living Index

Jump to prices

Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,079

/mo nomad

Cham

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,575

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Geneva and in Cham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,079 in Geneva versus $3,575 in Cham.

Geneva $4,079
Cham $3,575

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,308 in Geneva versus $5,453 in Cham.

Geneva $6,308
Cham $5,453

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,538 in Geneva versus $7,331 in Cham.

Geneva $8,538
Cham $7,331

Living in Geneva is roughly 14% more expensive than in Cham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Geneva 200% above, Cham 163% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.31 CHF 25.15

$29.74 CHF 24.67

1.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$129 CHF 107

$122 CHF 101

6.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.47 CHF 16.15

$17.93 CHF 14.87

8.59%

Cappuccino

$6.40 CHF 5.31

$5.82 CHF 4.83

9.97%

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

$4.66 CHF 3.87

$5.32 CHF 4.42

-12.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 CHF 3.43

$4.87 CHF 4.04

-15.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.82 CHF 8.14

$8.45 CHF 7.01

16.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.87 CHF 8.19

$6.53 CHF 5.42

51.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.95

$2.13 CHF 1.76

10.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 CHF 2.70

$3.76 CHF 3.12

-13.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 CHF 2.81

$3.62 CHF 3.00

-6.35%

Eggs

$8.18 CHF 6.78

$7.27 CHF 6.03

12.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.05 CHF 20.78

$26.38 CHF 21.88

-5.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.22 CHF 24.24

$28.65 CHF 23.77

1.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.51 CHF 35.27

$42.06 CHF 34.89

1.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 CHF 2.93

$3.91 CHF 3.25

-9.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 CHF 1.35

$2.15 CHF 1.78

-24.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 CHF 2.36

$3.10 CHF 2.57

-8.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.90 CHF 4.07

$4.58 CHF 3.80

6.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 CHF 1.36

$2.25 CHF 1.87

-27.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 CHF 1.90

$2.24 CHF 1.86

2.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 CHF 1.82

$2.39 CHF 1.98

-8.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 CHF 1.38

$1.11 CHF 0.92

49.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.97 CHF 9.10

$11.02 CHF 9.15

-0.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 CHF 10.08

$12.08 CHF 10.02

0.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 CHF 2.66

$2.82 CHF 2.34

13.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 CHF 2.74

$3.10 CHF 2.58

6.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.55 CHF 2.95

$5.13 CHF 4.26

-30.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.8 CHF 71.2

$146 CHF 121

-41.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.61 CHF 6.31

$4.44 CHF 3.69

71.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.76 CHF 3.12

$2.96 CHF 2.45

27.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$64.2 CHF 53.2

$59.7 CHF 49.49

7.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.95

$2.19 CHF 1.82

7.31%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.8K

$39.7K CHF 32.9K

-0.34%

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

$38.8K CHF 32.2K

$39.9K CHF 33.1K

-2.67%

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

$280 CHF 232

$286 CHF 237

-2.15%

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

$37.96 CHF 31.49

$29.15 CHF 24.18

30.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.6 CHF 47.74

$54.8 CHF 45.49

4.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.0 CHF 63.8

$85.3 CHF 70.7

-9.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.34 CHF 35.95

$40.01 CHF 33.19

8.32%

Cinema Ticket

$23.96 CHF 19.88

$22.10 CHF 18.34

8.42%

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

$2,484 CHF 2,061

$1,488 CHF 1,234

66.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.2K CHF 29.2K

$24.7K CHF 20.5K

42.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$133 CHF 110

$137 CHF 114

-2.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.1 CHF 65.6

$54.0 CHF 44.76

46.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$169 CHF 140

$157 CHF 130

7.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$188 CHF 156

$249 CHF 206

-24.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 CHF 2,344

$1,780 CHF 1,477

58.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,115 CHF 1,754

$1,566 CHF 1,299

35.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,088 CHF 4,221

$2,896 CHF 2,402

75.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,963 CHF 3,287

$2,704 CHF 2,243

46.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$22.5K CHF 18.6K

$13.0K CHF 10.8K

72.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.3K CHF 13.5K

$11.7K CHF 9,730

39.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,271 CHF 6,032

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.98

2.03

-2.46%

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

Last update for Geneva: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cham: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Geneva

$2.1K 51.9%

Cham

$1.6K 43.8% 25.9% $548

Groceries & Markets

Geneva

$600 14.7%

Cham

$597 16.7% 0.4% $2.4

Eating Out

Geneva

$482 11.8%

Cham

$458 12.8% 5% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geneva

$375 9.2%

Cham

$370 10.4% 1.4% $5.4

Clothing & Footwear

Geneva

$256 6.3%

Cham

$268 7.5% 4.8% $12

Getting Around

Geneva

$126 3.1%

Cham

$186 5.2% 47% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Geneva

$125 3.1%

Cham

$129 3.6% 3.7% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,825 in Geneva and $1,780 in Cham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $129 in Geneva vs $122 in Cham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $600 vs $597 per month, with Cham cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Geneva

🇨🇭 Cham

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

Same time as Geneva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

191,557

17,060

💱 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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Geneva Cham 210 km

From you

Geneva
Cham

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 Cham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cham is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $6,118 in Geneva and $5,362 in Cham to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,825 in Geneva versus $1,780 in Cham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Geneva runs roughly 41% less than in Cham. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $4,079 per month in Geneva versus $3,575 in Cham – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Cham 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 Cham are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.