Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geneva and La Chaux-de-Fonds

For one person, living is cheaper in La Chaux-de-Fonds: $2,952 a month against $4,079 in Geneva, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 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
143

Cost of Living Index in La Chaux-de-Fonds
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La Chaux-de-Fonds Living Index

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Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,079

/mo nomad

La Chaux-de-Fonds

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Geneva and in La Chaux-de-Fonds

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 La Chaux-de-Fonds actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,079 per month in Geneva vs $2,952 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent included.

Geneva $4,079
La Chaux-de-Fonds $2,952

A couple spends around $6,308 per month in Geneva vs $4,738 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent included.

Geneva $6,308
La Chaux-de-Fonds $4,738

A family of three spends $8,538 per month in Geneva vs $6,524 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent included.

Geneva $8,538
La Chaux-de-Fonds $6,524

Geneva costs about 38% more than La Chaux-de-Fonds, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Geneva and La Chaux-de-Fonds sit above the global median – Geneva by 200%, La Chaux-de-Fonds by 117%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.31 CHF 25.00

$24.18 CHF 19.95

25.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$129 CHF 107

$83.4 CHF 68.8

55.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.47 CHF 16.06

$17.79 CHF 14.68

9.44%

Cappuccino

$6.40 CHF 5.28

$4.54 CHF 3.74

40.97%

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

$4.66 CHF 3.85

$3.54 CHF 2.92

31.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 CHF 3.41

$4.59 CHF 3.79

-10.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.82 CHF 8.10

$7.43 CHF 6.13

32.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.87 CHF 8.14

$6.19 CHF 5.10

59.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.94

$2.29 CHF 1.89

2.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 CHF 2.69

$3.04 CHF 2.51

7.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 CHF 2.79

$3.28 CHF 2.71

3.35%

Eggs

$8.18 CHF 6.74

$7.83 CHF 6.46

4.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.05 CHF 20.66

$26.31 CHF 21.70

-4.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.22 CHF 24.11

$27.70 CHF 22.85

5.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.51 CHF 35.07

$41.41 CHF 34.16

2.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 CHF 2.92

$3.56 CHF 2.93

-0.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 CHF 1.35

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-26.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 CHF 2.35

$2.96 CHF 2.44

-3.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.90 CHF 4.04

$4.75 CHF 3.92

3.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 CHF 1.35

$1.70 CHF 1.40

-3.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$2.00 CHF 1.65

14.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 CHF 1.81

$2.25 CHF 1.85

-2.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 CHF 1.37

$1.57 CHF 1.29

5.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.97 CHF 9.05

$11.10 CHF 9.16

-1.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 CHF 10.03

$12.27 CHF 10.12

-0.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 CHF 2.65

$2.45 CHF 2.02

31.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 CHF 2.72

$3.08 CHF 2.54

7.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.55 CHF 2.93

$4.35 CHF 3.59

-18.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.8 CHF 70.8

$101 CHF 83.4

-15.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.61 CHF 6.28

$8.09 CHF 6.67

-5.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.76 CHF 3.10

$4.70 CHF 3.87

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$64.2 CHF 52.9

$86.6 CHF 71.5

-25.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.94

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

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

$39.8K CHF 32.8K

-0.55%

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

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

$40.1K CHF 33.1K

-3.11%

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

$280 CHF 231

$289 CHF 239

-3.23%

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

$37.96 CHF 31.31

$45.95 CHF 37.91

-17.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.6 CHF 47.47

$62.8 CHF 51.8

-8.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.0 CHF 63.5

$73.6 CHF 60.7

4.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.34 CHF 35.75

$46.67 CHF 38.50

-7.14%

Cinema Ticket

$23.96 CHF 19.77

$22.60 CHF 18.64

6.02%

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

$2,484 CHF 2,049

$2,918 CHF 2,407

-14.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.2K CHF 29.0K

$20.6K CHF 17.0K

71.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$133 CHF 110

$144 CHF 119

-7.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.1 CHF 65.2

$77.8 CHF 64.2

1.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$169 CHF 139

$162 CHF 134

4.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$188 CHF 155

$200 CHF 165

-5.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 CHF 2,331

$1,465 CHF 1,209

92.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,115 CHF 1,744

$1,053 CHF 868

100.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,088 CHF 4,197

$3,857 CHF 3,181

31.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,963 CHF 3,269

$2,323 CHF 1,916

70.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$22.5K CHF 18.5K

$16.8K CHF 13.9K

33.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.3K CHF 13.5K

$12.3K CHF 10.2K

32.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,271 CHF 5,998

$5,123 CHF 4,226

41.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.98

2.42

-18.18%

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

Last update for Geneva: October 25, 2026

Last update for La Chaux-de-Fonds: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Geneva

$2.1K 51.9%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$1.1K 35.7% 50.2% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Geneva

$600 14.7%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$586 19.9% 2.3% $14

Eating Out

Geneva

$482 11.8%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$383 13% 20.4% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geneva

$375 9.2%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$398 13.5% 6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Geneva

$256 6.3%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$263 8.9% 2.5% $6.4

Getting Around

Geneva

$126 3.1%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$150 5.1% 18.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Geneva

$125 3.1%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$119 4% 4.9% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,825 in Geneva versus $1,465 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. 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 42% higher in Geneva. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $129 in Geneva versus $83 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $600 vs $586 – making La Chaux-de-Fonds the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Geneva

🇨🇭 La Chaux-de-Fonds

🕒 Local time

22:30 10:30 PM

Same time as Geneva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

191,557

39,027

💱 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 La Chaux-de-Fonds: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Geneva is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,118 per month in Geneva and $4,427 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in La Chaux-de-Fonds, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,465 there versus $2,825 in Geneva.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,079 in Geneva and $2,952 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. That makes La Chaux-de-Fonds about 28% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $2,484 per month in Geneva and $2,918 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,079 in Geneva and $2,952 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. 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 $2,952 in La Chaux-de-Fonds 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 La Chaux-de-Fonds. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Geneva makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.