Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geneva and Sion

For one person, living is cheaper in Sion: $3,235 a month against $4,051 in Geneva, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Geneva outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

197

Cost of Living Index in Geneva
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Geneva Living Index
157

Cost of Living Index in Sion
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Sion Living Index

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Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,051

/mo nomad

Sion

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Geneva and in Sion

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

A single person spends $4,051 per month in Geneva vs $3,235 in Sion, rent included.

Geneva $4,051
Sion $3,235

A couple spends around $6,137 per month in Geneva vs $4,857 in Sion, rent included.

Geneva $6,137
Sion $4,857

A family of three spends $8,222 per month in Geneva vs $6,479 in Sion, rent included.

Geneva $8,222
Sion $6,479

Geneva costs about 25% more than Sion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Geneva and Sion sit above the global median – Geneva by 200%, Sion by 140%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.11 CHF 24.80

$28.97 CHF 23.86

3.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$132 CHF 108

$89.6 CHF 73.8

46.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.29 CHF 15.06

$19.15 CHF 15.77

-4.49%

Cappuccino

$6.12 CHF 5.04

$4.60 CHF 3.79

33.04%

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

$4.69 CHF 3.86

$5.09 CHF 4.19

-7.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 CHF 3.50

$4.28 CHF 3.52

-0.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.69 CHF 7.98

$7.36 CHF 6.06

31.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.65 CHF 7.95

$7.29 CHF 6.00

32.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 CHF 1.85

$1.94 CHF 1.60

15.98%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 CHF 2.77

$3.54 CHF 2.92

-5.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 CHF 2.80

$4.19 CHF 3.45

-18.85%

Eggs

$7.86 CHF 6.47

$7.13 CHF 5.87

10.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.91 CHF 20.52

$26.01 CHF 21.42

-4.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.00 CHF 23.88

$22.69 CHF 18.69

27.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.83 CHF 34.45

$40.09 CHF 33.02

4.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 CHF 2.93

$3.15 CHF 2.59

13.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 CHF 1.35

$1.70 CHF 1.40

-3.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 CHF 2.21

$2.53 CHF 2.09

6.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 CHF 3.92

$6.20 CHF 5.11

-23.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 CHF 1.34

$1.85 CHF 1.53

-12.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.77

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-0.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$2.43 CHF 2.00

-9.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 CHF 1.31

$1.17 CHF 0.97

35.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 CHF 9.05

$10.85 CHF 8.94

1.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.85 CHF 9.76

$14.25 CHF 11.74

-16.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 CHF 2.54

$1.76 CHF 1.45

75.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 CHF 2.73

$1.91 CHF 1.57

73.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.70 CHF 3.04

$5.24 CHF 4.32

-29.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.4 CHF 74.5

$179 CHF 148

-49.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.49 CHF 6.17

$5.94 CHF 4.89

26.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.94 CHF 3.25

$5.29 CHF 4.36

-25.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.5 CHF 51.5

$48.12 CHF 39.63

29.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 CHF 1.89

$2.21 CHF 1.82

4.07%

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

$37.9K CHF 31.2K

$34.2K CHF 28.2K

10.79%

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

$38.2K CHF 31.5K

$37.6K CHF 31.0K

1.50%

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

$281 CHF 231

$308 CHF 254

-8.88%

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

$36.24 CHF 29.85

$24.86 CHF 20.48

45.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.8 CHF 47.62

$49.64 CHF 40.89

16.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 CHF 62.5

$135 CHF 111

-43.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.57 CHF 36.71

$54.5 CHF 44.88

-18.21%

Cinema Ticket

$23.65 CHF 19.48

$20.28 CHF 16.70

16.62%

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

$2,349 CHF 1,935

$953 CHF 785

146.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.0K CHF 28.8K

$37.7K CHF 31.1K

-7.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 113

$109 CHF 89.7

25.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.4 CHF 65.4

$48.21 CHF 39.71

64.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$163 CHF 134

$161 CHF 133

1.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$185 CHF 152

$165 CHF 136

12.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,816 CHF 2,320

$1,221 CHF 1,005

130.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,103 CHF 1,732

$1,240 CHF 1,021

69.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,789 CHF 3,945

$2,323 CHF 1,913

106.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 CHF 3,023

$2,072 CHF 1,707

77.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$22.3K CHF 18.4K

$7,339 CHF 6,045

203.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$15.7K CHF 12.9K

$5,532 CHF 4,556

183.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,268 CHF 5,986

$5,826 CHF 4,798

24.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.98

2.15

-7.91%

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

Last update for Geneva: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sion: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Geneva

$2.1K 51.9%

Sion

$1.2K 38.3% 41% $863

Groceries & Markets

Geneva

$591 14.6%

Sion

$554 17.1% 6.3% $38

Eating Out

Geneva

$473 11.7%

Sion

$433 13.4% 8.3% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geneva

$375 9.3%

Sion

$383 11.8% 2.1% $7.8

Clothing & Footwear

Geneva

$254 6.3%

Sion

$217 6.7% 14.4% $37

Getting Around

Geneva

$132 3.3%

Sion

$233 7.2% 75.8% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Geneva

$123 3%

Sion

$175 5.4% 42.3% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,816 in Geneva versus $1,221 in Sion. 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 25% 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 $90.0 in Sion. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $591 vs $554 – making Sion the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Geneva

🇨🇭 Sion

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

Same time as Geneva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

191,557

34,599

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Geneva Sion 93 km

From you

Geneva
Sion

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 Sion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Geneva is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,077 per month in Geneva and $4,853 in Sion. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 7% 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 $90.0 in Sion. 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 $4,051 in Geneva and $3,235 in Sion. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Sion – 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 Sion. 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.