Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geneva and Glarus

For one person, living is cheaper in Glarus: $3,328 a month against $4,079 in Geneva, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

198

Cost of Living Index in Geneva
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Geneva Living Index
159

Cost of Living Index in Glarus
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Glarus Living Index

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Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,079

/mo nomad

Glarus

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Geneva and in Glarus

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

A single person spends $4,079 per month in Geneva vs $3,328 in Glarus, rent included.

Geneva $4,079
Glarus $3,328

A couple spends around $6,308 per month in Geneva vs $5,017 in Glarus, rent included.

Geneva $6,308
Glarus $5,017

A family of three spends $8,538 per month in Geneva vs $6,706 in Glarus, rent included.

Geneva $8,538
Glarus $6,706

Geneva costs about 23% more than Glarus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Geneva and Glarus sit above the global median – Geneva by 200%, Glarus by 145%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.31 CHF 25.10

$29.28 CHF 24.24

3.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$129 CHF 107

$119 CHF 98.6

8.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.47 CHF 16.12

$17.86 CHF 14.79

9.01%

Cappuccino

$6.40 CHF 5.29

$5.91 CHF 4.89

8.29%

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

$4.66 CHF 3.86

$3.87 CHF 3.21

20.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 CHF 3.42

$3.88 CHF 3.21

6.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.82 CHF 8.13

$8.89 CHF 7.36

10.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.87 CHF 8.17

$6.37 CHF 5.27

54.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.94

$2.20 CHF 1.82

6.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 CHF 2.70

$3.20 CHF 2.65

1.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 CHF 2.80

$2.89 CHF 2.39

17.30%

Eggs

$8.18 CHF 6.77

$7.95 CHF 6.58

2.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.05 CHF 20.74

$8.26 CHF 6.84

203.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.22 CHF 24.19

$14.23 CHF 11.78

105.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.51 CHF 35.20

$39.22 CHF 32.47

8.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 CHF 2.93

$3.12 CHF 2.58

13.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 CHF 1.35

$1.55 CHF 1.28

5.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 CHF 2.36

$2.31 CHF 1.91

23.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.90 CHF 4.06

$5.37 CHF 4.44

-8.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 CHF 1.36

$1.65 CHF 1.37

-0.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 CHF 1.90

$2.10 CHF 1.74

9.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 CHF 1.81

$2.24 CHF 1.86

-2.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 CHF 1.38

$1.19 CHF 0.99

39.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.97 CHF 9.08

$11.08 CHF 9.18

-0.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 CHF 10.06

$11.02 CHF 9.13

10.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 CHF 2.66

$2.12 CHF 1.75

51.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 CHF 2.73

$2.33 CHF 1.93

41.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.55 CHF 2.94

$5.94 CHF 4.92

-40.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.8 CHF 71.0

$225 CHF 186

-61.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.61 CHF 6.30

$6.52 CHF 5.39

16.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.76 CHF 3.11

$4.81 CHF 3.98

-21.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$64.2 CHF 53.1

$79.3 CHF 65.6

-19.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.95

$2.21 CHF 1.83

6.33%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.7K

$38.3K CHF 31.7K

3.22%

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

$38.8K CHF 32.2K

0.03%

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

$280 CHF 232

$311 CHF 258

-10.15%

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

$37.96 CHF 31.43

$37.41 CHF 30.98

1.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.6 CHF 47.65

$54.1 CHF 44.82

6.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.0 CHF 63.7

$162 CHF 134

-52.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.34 CHF 35.88

$43.11 CHF 35.70

0.53%

Cinema Ticket

$23.96 CHF 19.84

$25.30 CHF 20.95

-5.30%

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

$2,484 CHF 2,057

$2,278 CHF 1,886

9.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.2K CHF 29.1K

$32.5K CHF 26.9K

8.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$133 CHF 110

$102 CHF 84.3

30.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.1 CHF 65.5

$42.39 CHF 35.10

86.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$169 CHF 140

$131 CHF 109

28.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$188 CHF 156

$97.6 CHF 80.8

93.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 CHF 2,339

$1,676 CHF 1,387

68.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,115 CHF 1,751

$1,377 CHF 1,140

53.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,088 CHF 4,213

$2,960 CHF 2,450

71.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,963 CHF 3,281

$2,298 CHF 1,903

72.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$22.5K CHF 18.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.3K CHF 13.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,271 CHF 6,020

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.98

2.1

-5.71%

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

Last update for Geneva: October 25, 2026

Last update for Glarus: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Geneva

$2.1K 51.9%

Glarus

$1.4K 41.4% 34.9% $738

Groceries & Markets

Geneva

$600 14.7%

Glarus

$442 13.3% 26.4% $158

Eating Out

Geneva

$482 11.8%

Glarus

$447 13.4% 7.2% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geneva

$375 9.2%

Glarus

$403 12.1% 7.4% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Geneva

$256 6.3%

Glarus

$168 5.1% 34.4% $88

Getting Around

Geneva

$126 3.1%

Glarus

$279 8.4% 121% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Geneva

$125 3.1%

Glarus

$212 6.4% 69.9% $87

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,825 in Geneva versus $1,676 in Glarus. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $129 in Geneva versus $119 in Glarus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $600 vs $442 – making Glarus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Geneva

🇨🇭 Glarus

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

Same time as Geneva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

191,557

12,500

💱 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

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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 Glarus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Geneva is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,118 per month in Geneva and $4,992 in Glarus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Glarus, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,676 there versus $2,825 in Geneva.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Geneva, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $129 in Geneva and $119 in Glarus. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,079 in Geneva and $3,328 in Glarus. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Glarus – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.