Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geneva and Uster

For one person, living is cheaper in Uster: $3,689 a month against $4,051 in Geneva, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
178

Cost of Living Index in Uster
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Uster Living Index

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Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,051

/mo nomad

Uster

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Geneva and in Uster

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

A single person spends $4,051 per month in Geneva vs $3,689 in Uster, rent included.

Geneva $4,051
Uster $3,689

A couple spends around $6,137 per month in Geneva vs $5,289 in Uster, rent included.

Geneva $6,137
Uster $5,289

A family of three spends $8,222 per month in Geneva vs $6,889 in Uster, rent included.

Geneva $8,222
Uster $6,889

Geneva costs about 10% more than Uster, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Geneva and Uster sit above the global median – Geneva by 200%, Uster by 173%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.11 CHF 24.80

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$132 CHF 108

$120 CHF 98.7

9.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.29 CHF 15.06

$18.34 CHF 15.10

-0.27%

Cappuccino

$6.12 CHF 5.04

$6.04 CHF 4.97

1.32%

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

$4.69 CHF 3.86

$5.33 CHF 4.39

-12.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 CHF 3.50

$4.79 CHF 3.95

-11.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.69 CHF 7.98

$8.59 CHF 7.08

12.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.65 CHF 7.95

$6.73 CHF 5.54

43.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 CHF 1.85

$2.23 CHF 1.83

0.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 CHF 2.77

$3.34 CHF 2.75

0.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 CHF 2.80

$4.39 CHF 3.61

-22.55%

Eggs

$7.86 CHF 6.47

$7.35 CHF 6.05

6.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.91 CHF 20.52

$32.17 CHF 26.49

-22.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.00 CHF 23.88

$29.34 CHF 24.17

-1.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.83 CHF 34.45

$42.64 CHF 35.12

-1.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 CHF 2.93

$3.44 CHF 2.84

3.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 CHF 1.35

$2.10 CHF 1.73

-21.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 CHF 2.21

$2.81 CHF 2.31

-4.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 CHF 3.92

$4.58 CHF 3.78

3.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 CHF 1.34

$2.04 CHF 1.68

-20.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.77

$2.18 CHF 1.79

-1.38%

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

$1.33 CHF 1.10

19.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 CHF 9.05

$10.65 CHF 8.77

3.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.85 CHF 9.76

$12.97 CHF 10.69

-8.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 CHF 2.54

$3.25 CHF 2.68

-5.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 CHF 2.73

$3.34 CHF 2.75

-0.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.70 CHF 3.04

$4.60 CHF 3.79

-19.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.4 CHF 74.5

$99.8 CHF 82.2

-9.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.49 CHF 6.17

$5.46 CHF 4.50

37.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.94 CHF 3.25

$3.28 CHF 2.70

20.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.5 CHF 51.5

$59.4 CHF 48.94

5.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 CHF 1.89

$2.19 CHF 1.80

5.02%

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

$37.9K CHF 31.2K

$43.3K CHF 35.6K

-12.33%

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

$38.2K CHF 31.5K

$39.7K CHF 32.7K

-3.85%

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

$281 CHF 231

$233 CHF 192

20.55%

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

$36.24 CHF 29.85

$31.89 CHF 26.26

13.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.8 CHF 47.62

$65.4 CHF 53.8

-11.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 CHF 62.5

$73.6 CHF 60.6

3.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.57 CHF 36.71

$45.51 CHF 37.49

-2.07%

Cinema Ticket

$23.65 CHF 19.48

$21.75 CHF 17.92

8.74%

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

$2,349 CHF 1,935

$1,802 CHF 1,484

30.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.0K CHF 28.8K

$32.6K CHF 26.8K

7.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 113

$164 CHF 135

-16.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.4 CHF 65.4

$86.4 CHF 71.1

-8.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$163 CHF 134

$143 CHF 118

14.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$185 CHF 152

$173 CHF 142

6.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,816 CHF 2,320

$1,678 CHF 1,382

67.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,103 CHF 1,732

$1,759 CHF 1,448

19.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,789 CHF 3,945

$2,928 CHF 2,412

63.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 CHF 3,023

$2,382 CHF 1,962

54.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$22.3K CHF 18.4K

$15.9K CHF 13.1K

40.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$15.7K CHF 12.9K

$12.1K CHF 9,993

29.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,268 CHF 5,986

$6,850 CHF 5,642

6.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.98

1.72

15.12%

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

Last update for Geneva: October 10, 2026

Last update for Uster: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Geneva

$2.1K 51.9%

Uster

$1.8K 47.7% 16.4% $344

Groceries & Markets

Geneva

$591 14.6%

Uster

$623 16.9% 5.3% $32

Eating Out

Geneva

$473 11.7%

Uster

$465 12.6% 1.6% $7.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geneva

$375 9.3%

Uster

$330 9% 11.9% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Geneva

$254 6.3%

Uster

$255 6.9% 0.4% $1.1

Getting Around

Geneva

$132 3.3%

Uster

$140 3.8% 5.8% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Geneva

$123 3%

Uster

$117 3.2% 5% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,816 in Geneva versus $1,678 in Uster. 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 6% 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 $120 in Uster. Groceries tell a different story – $591 in Geneva vs $623 in Uster – so Geneva wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Geneva

🇨🇭 Uster

🕒 Local time

09:19 9:19 AM

Same time as Geneva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

191,557

33,097

💱 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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Between locations

Geneva Uster 230 km

From you

Geneva
Uster

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 Uster: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Geneva is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,077 per month in Geneva and $5,534 in Uster. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Geneva – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $132 in Geneva and $120 in Uster. 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 $3,689 in Uster. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Uster – 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 Uster. 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.