Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geneva and St. Gallen

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Gallen: $3,451 a month against $4,079 in Geneva, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
167

Cost of Living Index in St. Gallen
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St. Gallen Living Index

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Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,079

/mo nomad

St. Gallen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,451

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Geneva and in St. Gallen

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

A single person spends $4,079 per month in Geneva vs $3,451 in St. Gallen, rent included.

Geneva $4,079
St. Gallen $3,451

A couple spends around $6,308 per month in Geneva vs $5,120 in St. Gallen, rent included.

Geneva $6,308
St. Gallen $5,120

A family of three spends $8,538 per month in Geneva vs $6,789 in St. Gallen, rent included.

Geneva $8,538
St. Gallen $6,789

Geneva costs about 18% more than St. Gallen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Geneva and St. Gallen sit above the global median – Geneva by 200%, St. Gallen by 154%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.31 CHF 25.00

$28.78 CHF 23.74

5.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$129 CHF 107

$144 CHF 119

-10.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.47 CHF 16.06

$18.04 CHF 14.88

7.93%

Cappuccino

$6.40 CHF 5.28

$6.03 CHF 4.97

6.14%

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

$4.66 CHF 3.85

$5.95 CHF 4.91

-21.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 CHF 3.41

$5.10 CHF 4.21

-19.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.82 CHF 8.10

$8.80 CHF 7.26

11.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.87 CHF 8.14

$6.38 CHF 5.26

54.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.94

$2.25 CHF 1.86

4.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 CHF 2.69

$3.16 CHF 2.61

3.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 CHF 2.79

$3.77 CHF 3.11

-10.08%

Eggs

$8.18 CHF 6.74

$7.72 CHF 6.36

5.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.05 CHF 20.66

$24.91 CHF 20.55

0.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.22 CHF 24.11

$29.02 CHF 23.94

0.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.51 CHF 35.07

$39.94 CHF 32.95

6.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 CHF 2.92

$3.06 CHF 2.52

15.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 CHF 1.35

$1.56 CHF 1.28

4.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 CHF 2.35

$2.40 CHF 1.98

18.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.90 CHF 4.04

$6.17 CHF 5.09

-20.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 CHF 1.35

$1.71 CHF 1.41

-4.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$2.14 CHF 1.76

7.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 CHF 1.81

$2.20 CHF 1.82

-0.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 CHF 1.37

$1.18 CHF 0.97

40.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.97 CHF 9.05

$10.98 CHF 9.06

-0.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 CHF 10.03

$11.23 CHF 9.27

8.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 CHF 2.65

$2.10 CHF 1.73

52.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 CHF 2.72

$2.28 CHF 1.88

44.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.55 CHF 2.93

$4.08 CHF 3.37

-12.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.8 CHF 70.8

$86.4 CHF 71.3

-0.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.61 CHF 6.28

$6.62 CHF 5.46

14.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.76 CHF 3.10

$4.76 CHF 3.93

-21.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$64.2 CHF 52.9

$79.2 CHF 65.3

-18.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.94

$2.23 CHF 1.84

5.38%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

$38.4K CHF 31.7K

3.05%

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

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

$38.6K CHF 31.8K

0.64%

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

$280 CHF 231

$312 CHF 257

-10.32%

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

$37.96 CHF 31.31

$37.60 CHF 31.01

0.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.6 CHF 47.47

$54.0 CHF 44.50

6.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.0 CHF 63.5

$79.6 CHF 65.6

-3.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.34 CHF 35.75

Cinema Ticket

$23.96 CHF 19.77

$28.27 CHF 23.32

-15.25%

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

$2,484 CHF 2,049

$2,308 CHF 1,904

7.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.2K CHF 29.0K

$32.2K CHF 26.6K

9.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$133 CHF 110

$144 CHF 119

-7.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.1 CHF 65.2

$64.0 CHF 52.8

23.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$169 CHF 139

$146 CHF 120

15.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$188 CHF 155

$183 CHF 151

2.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 CHF 2,331

$1,895 CHF 1,563

49.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,115 CHF 1,744

$1,504 CHF 1,240

40.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,088 CHF 4,197

$2,868 CHF 2,366

77.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,963 CHF 3,269

$2,256 CHF 1,861

75.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$22.5K CHF 18.5K

$11.3K CHF 9,285

99.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.3K CHF 13.5K

$8,285 CHF 6,834

97.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,271 CHF 5,998

$6,694 CHF 5,522

8.62%

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 St. Gallen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Geneva

$2.1K 51.9%

St. Gallen

$1.5K 43.6% 28.9% $611

Groceries & Markets

Geneva

$600 14.7%

St. Gallen

$575 16.7% 4.2% $25

Eating Out

Geneva

$482 11.8%

St. Gallen

$458 13.3% 5% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geneva

$375 9.2%

St. Gallen

$404 11.7% 7.5% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Geneva

$256 6.3%

St. Gallen

$242 7% 5.5% $14

Getting Around

Geneva

$126 3.1%

St. Gallen

$133 3.9% 5.3% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Geneva

$125 3.1%

St. Gallen

$136 3.9% 9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,825 in Geneva versus $1,895 in St. Gallen. 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 9% 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 $129 in Geneva versus $144 in St. Gallen. Groceries tell a different story – $600 in Geneva vs $575 in St. Gallen – so St. Gallen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Geneva

🇨🇭 St. Gallen

🕒 Local time

18:46 6:46 PM

Same time as Geneva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

191,557

78,213

💱 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 St. Gallen 280 km

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Geneva
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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 St. Gallen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Geneva is pricier by about 18%, 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 $5,177 in St. Gallen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in St. Gallen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,895 there versus $2,825 in Geneva.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,079 in Geneva and $3,451 in St. Gallen. That makes St. Gallen about 15% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $2,484 per month in Geneva and $2,308 in St. Gallen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,079 in Geneva and $3,451 in St. Gallen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward St. Gallen – 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.

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