Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geneva and Dubendorf

For one person, living is cheaper in Dubendorf: $3,678 a month against $4,051 in Geneva, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
180

Cost of Living Index in Dubendorf
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Dubendorf Living Index

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Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,051

/mo nomad

Dubendorf

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Geneva and in Dubendorf

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,051 in Geneva versus $3,678 in Dubendorf.

Geneva $4,051
Dubendorf $3,678

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,137 in Geneva versus $5,457 in Dubendorf.

Geneva $6,137
Dubendorf $5,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,222 in Geneva versus $7,236 in Dubendorf.

Geneva $8,222
Dubendorf $7,236

Living in Geneva is roughly 10% more expensive than in Dubendorf, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Geneva 200% above, Dubendorf 172% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.11 CHF 24.80

$29.44 CHF 24.24

2.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$132 CHF 108

$118 CHF 97.4

11.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.29 CHF 15.06

$16.26 CHF 13.39

12.48%

Cappuccino

$6.12 CHF 5.04

$5.92 CHF 4.88

3.38%

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

$4.69 CHF 3.86

$5.47 CHF 4.50

-14.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 CHF 3.50

$4.88 CHF 4.02

-12.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.69 CHF 7.98

$8.23 CHF 6.78

17.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.65 CHF 7.95

$6.44 CHF 5.30

49.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 CHF 1.85

$2.10 CHF 1.73

7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 CHF 2.77

$3.92 CHF 3.23

-14.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 CHF 2.80

$4.62 CHF 3.81

-26.41%

Eggs

$7.86 CHF 6.47

$7.33 CHF 6.04

7.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.91 CHF 20.52

$32.45 CHF 26.72

-23.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.00 CHF 23.88

$26.18 CHF 21.56

10.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.83 CHF 34.45

$42.54 CHF 35.03

-1.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 CHF 2.93

$3.57 CHF 2.94

-0.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 CHF 1.35

$2.10 CHF 1.73

-21.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 CHF 2.21

$3.11 CHF 2.56

-13.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 CHF 3.92

$7.00 CHF 5.76

-32.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 CHF 1.34

$2.49 CHF 2.05

-34.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.77

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-0.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$2.52 CHF 2.07

-12.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 CHF 1.31

$1.40 CHF 1.15

13.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 CHF 9.05

$10.91 CHF 8.98

0.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.85 CHF 9.76

$13.34 CHF 10.98

-11.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 CHF 2.54

$2.34 CHF 1.93

31.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 CHF 2.73

$3.44 CHF 2.83

-3.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.70 CHF 3.04

$2.34 CHF 1.93

58.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.4 CHF 74.5

$48.20 CHF 39.69

87.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.49 CHF 6.17

$5.37 CHF 4.42

39.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.94 CHF 3.25

$3.43 CHF 2.82

14.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.5 CHF 51.5

$60.6 CHF 49.90

3.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 CHF 1.89

$2.25 CHF 1.86

2.22%

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

$37.9K CHF 31.2K

$41.8K CHF 34.5K

-9.33%

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

$38.2K CHF 31.5K

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

-2.16%

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

$281 CHF 231

$235 CHF 194

19.42%

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

$36.24 CHF 29.85

$31.38 CHF 25.84

15.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.8 CHF 47.62

$65.2 CHF 53.7

-11.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 CHF 62.5

$121 CHF 99.5

-37.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.57 CHF 36.71

$78.7 CHF 64.8

-43.37%

Cinema Ticket

$23.65 CHF 19.48

$24.26 CHF 19.98

-2.51%

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

$2,349 CHF 1,935

$1,777 CHF 1,463

32.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.0K CHF 28.8K

$32.4K CHF 26.7K

7.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 113

$140 CHF 115

-2.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.4 CHF 65.4

$87.0 CHF 71.6

-8.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$163 CHF 134

$146 CHF 120

12.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$185 CHF 152

$173 CHF 142

7.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,816 CHF 2,320

$1,805 CHF 1,486

56.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,103 CHF 1,732

$1,775 CHF 1,462

18.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,789 CHF 3,945

$2,812 CHF 2,316

70.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 CHF 3,023

$2,763 CHF 2,275

32.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$22.3K CHF 18.4K

$12.0K CHF 9,902

85.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$15.7K CHF 12.9K

$7,098 CHF 5,846

120.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,268 CHF 5,986

$3,844 CHF 3,166

89.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.98

2.48

-20.16%

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

Last update for Geneva: October 10, 2026

Last update for Dubendorf: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Geneva

$2.1K 51.9%

Dubendorf

$1.8K 48.3% 15.6% $327

Groceries & Markets

Geneva

$591 14.6%

Dubendorf

$626 17% 5.8% $34

Eating Out

Geneva

$473 11.7%

Dubendorf

$451 12.3% 4.6% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geneva

$375 9.3%

Dubendorf

$332 9% 11.5% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Geneva

$254 6.3%

Dubendorf

$245 6.7% 3.4% $8.6

Getting Around

Geneva

$132 3.3%

Dubendorf

$80 2.2% 39.5% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Geneva

$123 3%

Dubendorf

$169 4.6% 37.4% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,816 in Geneva and $1,805 in Dubendorf. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Geneva pays 89% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $132 in Geneva vs $118 in Dubendorf. Groceries flip the comparison at $591 vs $626, with Geneva cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Geneva

🇨🇭 Dubendorf

🕒 Local time

02:50 2:50 AM

Same time as Geneva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

191,557

26,759

💱 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 Dubendorf 230 km

From you

Geneva
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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 Dubendorf: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Geneva and Dubendorf differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($4,051 vs $3,678 including rent). Dubendorf is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 89% higher in Geneva, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,816 in Geneva versus $1,805 in Dubendorf. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $4,051 per month in Geneva versus $3,678 in Dubendorf – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dubendorf runs roughly 88% less than in Geneva. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Dubendorf 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 Dubendorf 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 Dubendorf gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Geneva. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.