Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geneva and Schaffhausen

For one person, living is cheaper in Schaffhausen: $3,139 a month against $4,079 in Geneva, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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
150

Cost of Living Index in Schaffhausen
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Schaffhausen Living Index

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Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,079

/mo nomad

Schaffhausen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,139

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Geneva and in Schaffhausen

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

A single person spends $4,079 per month in Geneva vs $3,139 in Schaffhausen, rent included.

Geneva $4,079
Schaffhausen $3,139

A couple spends around $6,308 per month in Geneva vs $5,010 in Schaffhausen, rent included.

Geneva $6,308
Schaffhausen $5,010

A family of three spends $8,538 per month in Geneva vs $6,882 in Schaffhausen, rent included.

Geneva $8,538
Schaffhausen $6,882

Geneva costs about 30% more than Schaffhausen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Geneva and Schaffhausen sit above the global median – Geneva by 200%, Schaffhausen by 131%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.31 CHF 25.00

$30.45 CHF 25.11

-0.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$129 CHF 107

$122 CHF 101

5.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.47 CHF 16.06

$18.19 CHF 15.01

7.04%

Cappuccino

$6.40 CHF 5.28

$6.01 CHF 4.96

6.49%

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

$4.66 CHF 3.85

$5.32 CHF 4.39

-12.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 CHF 3.41

$4.78 CHF 3.94

-13.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.82 CHF 8.10

$8.39 CHF 6.92

17.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.87 CHF 8.14

$7.11 CHF 5.86

38.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.94

$2.16 CHF 1.78

8.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 CHF 2.69

$4.00 CHF 3.30

-18.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 CHF 2.79

$4.25 CHF 3.51

-20.24%

Eggs

$8.18 CHF 6.74

$7.81 CHF 6.44

4.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.05 CHF 20.66

$27.90 CHF 23.02

-10.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.22 CHF 24.11

$30.45 CHF 25.12

-4.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.51 CHF 35.07

$42.66 CHF 35.19

-0.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 CHF 2.92

$3.84 CHF 3.17

-8.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 CHF 1.35

$2.07 CHF 1.71

-21.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 CHF 2.35

$3.17 CHF 2.62

-10.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.90 CHF 4.04

$5.49 CHF 4.53

-10.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 CHF 1.35

$2.38 CHF 1.96

-31.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$2.14 CHF 1.76

7.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 CHF 1.81

$2.31 CHF 1.90

-5.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 CHF 1.37

$1.16 CHF 0.95

43.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.97 CHF 9.05

$10.82 CHF 8.92

1.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 CHF 10.03

$12.00 CHF 9.90

1.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 CHF 2.65

$2.89 CHF 2.38

11.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 CHF 2.72

$3.59 CHF 2.96

-8.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.55 CHF 2.93

$4.01 CHF 3.30

-11.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.8 CHF 70.8

$98.0 CHF 80.8

-12.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.61 CHF 6.28

$6.10 CHF 5.04

24.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.76 CHF 3.10

$2.86 CHF 2.36

31.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$64.2 CHF 52.9

$59.6 CHF 49.15

7.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.94

$2.22 CHF 1.83

5.86%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

$38.4K CHF 31.6K

3.09%

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

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

-1.45%

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

$280 CHF 231

$229 CHF 189

22.05%

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

$37.96 CHF 31.31

$28.98 CHF 23.90

30.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.6 CHF 47.47

$62.0 CHF 51.1

-7.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.0 CHF 63.5

$110 CHF 90.7

-30.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.34 CHF 35.75

$46.30 CHF 38.19

-6.39%

Cinema Ticket

$23.96 CHF 19.77

$23.59 CHF 19.46

1.57%

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

$2,484 CHF 2,049

$3,157 CHF 2,604

-21.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.2K CHF 29.0K

$24.5K CHF 20.2K

43.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$133 CHF 110

$163 CHF 134

-18.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.1 CHF 65.2

$54.9 CHF 45.25

44.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$169 CHF 139

$172 CHF 142

-1.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$188 CHF 155

$150 CHF 124

25.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 CHF 2,331

$1,272 CHF 1,049

122.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,115 CHF 1,744

$1,192 CHF 983

77.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,088 CHF 4,197

$2,689 CHF 2,218

89.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,963 CHF 3,269

$2,317 CHF 1,911

71.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$22.5K CHF 18.5K

$8,110 CHF 6,690

177.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.3K CHF 13.5K

$8,439 CHF 6,961

93.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,271 CHF 5,998

$7,148 CHF 5,896

1.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.98

2.41

-17.84%

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

Last update for Geneva: October 25, 2026

Last update for Schaffhausen: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Geneva

$2.1K 51.9%

Schaffhausen

$1.2K 38% 43.6% $923

Groceries & Markets

Geneva

$600 14.7%

Schaffhausen

$626 19.9% 4.3% $26

Eating Out

Geneva

$482 11.8%

Schaffhausen

$467 14.9% 3.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geneva

$375 9.2%

Schaffhausen

$320 10.2% 14.7% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Geneva

$256 6.3%

Schaffhausen

$243 7.7% 5.2% $13

Getting Around

Geneva

$126 3.1%

Schaffhausen

$134 4.3% 6.4% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Geneva

$125 3.1%

Schaffhausen

$157 5% 25.9% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,825 in Geneva versus $1,272 in Schaffhausen. 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 $122 in Schaffhausen. Groceries tell a different story – $600 in Geneva vs $626 in Schaffhausen – so Geneva wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Geneva

🇨🇭 Schaffhausen

🕒 Local time

09:51 9:51 AM

Same time as Geneva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

191,557

35,927

💱 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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Geneva Schaffhausen 250 km

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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 Schaffhausen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Geneva is pricier by about 30%, 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 $4,709 in Schaffhausen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Schaffhausen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,272 there versus $2,825 in Geneva.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Geneva – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $129 in Geneva and $122 in Schaffhausen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,079 in Geneva and $3,139 in Schaffhausen. 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 $3,139 in Schaffhausen 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.