Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glarus and Basel

For one person, living costs are similar in Glarus and in Basel: $3,297 and $3,461 a month, rent and utilities included.

160

Cost of Living Index in Glarus
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Glarus Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Glarus

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,297

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,461

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Glarus and in Basel

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Glarus and in Basel actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,297 in Glarus versus $3,461 in Basel.

Glarus $3,297
Basel $3,461

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,996 in Glarus versus $5,427 in Basel.

Glarus $4,996
Basel $5,427

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,696 in Glarus versus $7,394 in Basel.

Glarus $6,696
Basel $7,394

Living in Glarus costs roughly 5% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Glarus 144% above, Basel 156% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.24 CHF 24.08

$29.60 CHF 24.38

-1.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 100

$123 CHF 102

-1.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.09 CHF 14.07

$17.93 CHF 14.77

-4.68%

Cappuccino

$5.88 CHF 4.84

$6.21 CHF 5.12

-5.31%

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

$3.76 CHF 3.10

$6.50 CHF 5.35

-42.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 CHF 3.15

$5.77 CHF 4.75

-33.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.11 CHF 7.50

$9.20 CHF 7.58

-0.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 CHF 5.15

$9.79 CHF 8.07

-36.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 CHF 1.81

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-2.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CHF 2.58

$3.12 CHF 2.57

0.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 CHF 2.32

$3.17 CHF 2.61

-11.04%

Eggs

$7.70 CHF 6.34

$7.83 CHF 6.45

-1.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.58 CHF 7.06

$26.04 CHF 21.45

-67.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.56 CHF 11.99

$26.78 CHF 22.05

-45.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$37.65 CHF 31.01

$40.31 CHF 33.20

-6.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 CHF 2.51

$3.52 CHF 2.90

-13.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 CHF 1.27

$2.34 CHF 1.92

-33.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 CHF 1.98

$2.96 CHF 2.44

-18.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.41 CHF 4.46

$4.52 CHF 3.72

19.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 CHF 1.35

$1.72 CHF 1.42

-4.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 CHF 1.72

$1.89 CHF 1.56

10.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$2.24 CHF 1.84

-2.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 CHF 0.97

$1.61 CHF 1.33

-26.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.00 CHF 9.06

$11.08 CHF 9.13

-0.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.23 CHF 9.25

$11.84 CHF 9.75

-5.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 CHF 1.77

$2.52 CHF 2.08

-14.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 CHF 1.91

$2.97 CHF 2.44

-21.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.89 CHF 4.85

$4.53 CHF 3.73

30.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$221 CHF 182

$105 CHF 86.5

110.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.50 CHF 5.36

$7.95 CHF 6.54

-18.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.71 CHF 3.88

$4.51 CHF 3.71

4.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$77.2 CHF 63.6

$84.6 CHF 69.7

-8.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 CHF 1.79

$2.31 CHF 1.91

-5.63%

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

$34.3K CHF 28.3K

$42.3K CHF 34.8K

-18.80%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

2.19%

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

$311 CHF 256

$292 CHF 240

6.57%

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

$38.06 CHF 31.35

$46.45 CHF 38.25

-18.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.5 CHF 44.03

$61.9 CHF 51.0

-13.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$160 CHF 132

$81.1 CHF 66.8

97.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.77 CHF 34.40

$58.5 CHF 48.17

-28.57%

Cinema Ticket

$25.57 CHF 21.06

$22.48 CHF 18.52

13.75%

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

$2,254 CHF 1,857

$2,993 CHF 2,465

-24.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.7K CHF 26.1K

$32.0K CHF 26.3K

-0.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 CHF 84.5

$142 CHF 117

-27.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.84 CHF 34.46

$77.1 CHF 63.5

-45.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 CHF 108

$159 CHF 131

-17.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.4 CHF 79.4

$198 CHF 163

-51.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,676 CHF 1,380

$1,953 CHF 1,609

-14.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 CHF 1,120

$1,465 CHF 1,207

-7.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,950 CHF 2,430

$3,586 CHF 2,954

-17.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,306 CHF 1,899

$2,796 CHF 2,302

-17.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.1K CHF 14.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.3K CHF 11.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,863 CHF 5,652

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.1

2.42

-13.22%

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

Last update for Glarus: October 13, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Glarus

$1.4K 41.3%

Basel

$1.5K 42.4% 7.8% $106

Eating Out

Glarus

$444 13.5%

Basel

$480 13.9% 8% $36

Groceries & Markets

Glarus

$438 13.3%

Basel

$576 16.7% 31.6% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glarus

$402 12.2%

Basel

$400 11.6% 0.6% $2.4

Getting Around

Glarus

$274 8.3%

Basel

$154 4.4% 44% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Glarus

$211 6.4%

Basel

$126 3.6% 40.2% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Glarus

$167 5.1%

Basel

$260 7.5% 55% $92

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,676 in Glarus and $1,953 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $122 in Glarus vs $123 in Basel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $438 vs $576 per month, with Glarus cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Glarus

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

10:03 10:03 AM

Same time as Glarus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,500

174,491

💱 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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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

Glarus vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Glarus wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Glarus the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,945 in Glarus and $5,191 in Basel to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,676 in Glarus versus $1,953 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,254 in Glarus versus $2,993 in Basel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Basel. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Glarus is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Glarus delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $3,297 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Glarus hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Glarus and Basel are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Glarus gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Basel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.