Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geneva and Neuchatel

For one person, living is cheaper in Neuchatel: $3,172 a month against $4,051 in Geneva, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
156

Cost of Living Index in Neuchatel
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Neuchatel Living Index

Jump to prices

Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,051

/mo nomad

Neuchatel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,172

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Geneva and in Neuchatel

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

A single person spends $4,051 per month in Geneva vs $3,172 in Neuchatel, rent included.

Geneva $4,051
Neuchatel $3,172

A couple spends around $6,137 per month in Geneva vs $4,877 in Neuchatel, rent included.

Geneva $6,137
Neuchatel $4,877

A family of three spends $8,222 per month in Geneva vs $6,583 in Neuchatel, rent included.

Geneva $8,222
Neuchatel $6,583

Geneva costs about 28% more than Neuchatel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Geneva and Neuchatel sit above the global median – Geneva by 200%, Neuchatel by 135%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.11 CHF 24.80

$26.68 CHF 21.98

12.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$132 CHF 108

$116 CHF 95.6

13.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.29 CHF 15.06

$17.96 CHF 14.79

1.84%

Cappuccino

$6.12 CHF 5.04

$5.90 CHF 4.86

3.73%

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

$4.69 CHF 3.86

$3.98 CHF 3.28

17.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 CHF 3.50

$3.35 CHF 2.76

26.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.69 CHF 7.98

$9.38 CHF 7.73

3.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.65 CHF 7.95

$7.20 CHF 5.93

34.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 CHF 1.85

$2.06 CHF 1.70

9.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 CHF 2.77

$3.09 CHF 2.54

8.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 CHF 2.80

$3.19 CHF 2.63

6.58%

Eggs

$7.86 CHF 6.47

$6.84 CHF 5.63

14.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.91 CHF 20.52

$25.39 CHF 20.91

-1.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.00 CHF 23.88

$27.24 CHF 22.43

6.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.83 CHF 34.45

$39.83 CHF 32.80

5.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 CHF 2.93

$3.17 CHF 2.61

12.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 CHF 1.35

$2.15 CHF 1.77

-23.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 CHF 2.21

$2.91 CHF 2.39

-7.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 CHF 3.92

$4.59 CHF 3.78

3.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 CHF 1.34

$1.66 CHF 1.37

-2.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.77

$1.96 CHF 1.61

9.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$2.22 CHF 1.83

-0.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 CHF 1.31

$1.21 CHF 1.00

31.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 CHF 9.05

$10.92 CHF 8.99

0.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.85 CHF 9.76

$12.01 CHF 9.90

-1.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 CHF 2.54

$2.54 CHF 2.10

21.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 CHF 2.73

$2.52 CHF 2.08

31.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.70 CHF 3.04

$2.94 CHF 2.42

25.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.4 CHF 74.5

$91.8 CHF 75.6

-1.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.49 CHF 6.17

$7.91 CHF 6.51

-5.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.94 CHF 3.25

$4.26 CHF 3.51

-7.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.5 CHF 51.5

$76.4 CHF 62.9

-18.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 CHF 1.89

$2.33 CHF 1.92

-1.29%

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

$37.9K CHF 31.2K

$38.9K CHF 32.0K

-2.48%

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

$38.2K CHF 31.5K

$38.4K CHF 31.6K

-0.59%

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

$281 CHF 231

$240 CHF 198

16.93%

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

$36.24 CHF 29.85

$45.61 CHF 37.56

-20.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.8 CHF 47.62

$41.94 CHF 34.54

37.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 CHF 62.5

$97.8 CHF 80.5

-22.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.57 CHF 36.71

$41.55 CHF 34.22

7.27%

Cinema Ticket

$23.65 CHF 19.48

$21.62 CHF 17.80

9.39%

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

$2,349 CHF 1,935

$2,467 CHF 2,032

-4.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.0K CHF 28.8K

$26.2K CHF 21.6K

33.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 113

$125 CHF 103

9.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.4 CHF 65.4

$50.2 CHF 41.35

58.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$163 CHF 134

$147 CHF 121

10.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$185 CHF 152

$144 CHF 119

28.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,816 CHF 2,320

$1,662 CHF 1,368

69.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,103 CHF 1,732

$1,372 CHF 1,130

53.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,789 CHF 3,945

$2,627 CHF 2,164

82.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 CHF 3,023

$2,373 CHF 1,954

54.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$22.3K CHF 18.4K

$20.7K CHF 17.0K

7.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$15.7K CHF 12.9K

$13.5K CHF 11.1K

15.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,268 CHF 5,986

$6,930 CHF 5,707

4.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.98

1.87

5.88%

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

Last update for Geneva: October 10, 2026

Last update for Neuchatel: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Geneva

$2.1K 51.9%

Neuchatel

$1.4K 43.2% 34.8% $731

Groceries & Markets

Geneva

$591 14.6%

Neuchatel

$561 17.7% 5.1% $30

Eating Out

Geneva

$473 11.7%

Neuchatel

$429 13.5% 9.3% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geneva

$375 9.3%

Neuchatel

$328 10.3% 12.6% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Geneva

$254 6.3%

Neuchatel

$210 6.6% 17.5% $44

Getting Around

Geneva

$132 3.3%

Neuchatel

$133 4.2% 0.2% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Geneva

$123 3%

Neuchatel

$141 4.4% 14.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,816 in Geneva versus $1,662 in Neuchatel. 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 5% higher in Geneva, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $132 in Geneva versus $116 in Neuchatel. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $591 vs $561 – making Neuchatel the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Geneva

🇨🇭 Neuchatel

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

Same time as Geneva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

191,557

33,641

💱 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

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Geneva Neuchatel 110 km

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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 Neuchatel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Geneva is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,077 per month in Geneva and $4,758 in Neuchatel. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Neuchatel, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Geneva, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $132 in Geneva and $116 in Neuchatel. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,051 in Geneva and $3,172 in Neuchatel. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Neuchatel. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Geneva makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.