Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glarus and Geneva

For one person, living is cheaper in Glarus: $3,297 a month against $4,051 in Geneva, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Glarus
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Glarus Living Index
197

Cost of Living Index in Geneva
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Geneva Living Index

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Glarus

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,297

/mo nomad

Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,051

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Glarus and in Geneva

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

A single person spends $3,297 per month in Glarus vs $4,051 in Geneva, rent included.

Glarus $3,297
Geneva $4,051

A couple spends around $4,996 per month in Glarus vs $6,137 in Geneva, rent included.

Glarus $4,996
Geneva $6,137

A family of three spends $6,696 per month in Glarus vs $8,222 in Geneva, rent included.

Glarus $6,696
Geneva $8,222

Glarus is about 19% cheaper than Geneva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Glarus and Geneva sit above the global median – Glarus by 144%, Geneva by 200%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.24 CHF 24.08

$30.11 CHF 24.80

-2.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 100

$132 CHF 108

-7.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.09 CHF 14.07

$18.29 CHF 15.06

-6.56%

Cappuccino

$5.88 CHF 4.84

$6.12 CHF 5.04

-3.92%

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

$3.76 CHF 3.10

$4.69 CHF 3.86

-19.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 CHF 3.15

$4.25 CHF 3.50

-10.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.11 CHF 7.50

$9.69 CHF 7.98

-5.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 CHF 5.15

$9.65 CHF 7.95

-35.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 CHF 1.81

$2.25 CHF 1.85

-2.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CHF 2.58

$3.36 CHF 2.77

-6.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 CHF 2.32

$3.40 CHF 2.80

-17.06%

Eggs

$7.70 CHF 6.34

$7.86 CHF 6.47

-2.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.58 CHF 7.06

$24.91 CHF 20.52

-65.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.56 CHF 11.99

$29.00 CHF 23.88

-49.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$37.65 CHF 31.01

$41.83 CHF 34.45

-9.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 CHF 2.51

$3.56 CHF 2.93

-14.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 CHF 1.27

$1.64 CHF 1.35

-5.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 CHF 1.98

$2.69 CHF 2.21

-10.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.41 CHF 4.46

$4.76 CHF 3.92

13.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 CHF 1.35

$1.62 CHF 1.34

1.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 CHF 1.72

$2.15 CHF 1.77

-2.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$2.21 CHF 1.82

-0.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 CHF 0.97

$1.59 CHF 1.31

-25.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.00 CHF 9.06

$10.98 CHF 9.05

0.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.23 CHF 9.25

$11.85 CHF 9.76

-5.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 CHF 1.77

$3.08 CHF 2.54

-30.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 CHF 1.91

$3.31 CHF 2.73

-29.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.89 CHF 4.85

$3.70 CHF 3.04

59.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$221 CHF 182

$90.4 CHF 74.5

144.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.50 CHF 5.36

$7.49 CHF 6.17

-13.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.71 CHF 3.88

$3.94 CHF 3.25

19.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$77.2 CHF 63.6

$62.5 CHF 51.5

23.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 CHF 1.79

$2.30 CHF 1.89

-5.22%

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

$34.3K CHF 28.3K

$37.9K CHF 31.2K

-9.52%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$38.2K CHF 31.5K

3.64%

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

$311 CHF 256

$281 CHF 231

10.68%

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

$38.06 CHF 31.35

$36.24 CHF 29.85

5.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.5 CHF 44.03

$57.8 CHF 47.62

-7.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$160 CHF 132

$75.9 CHF 62.5

110.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.77 CHF 34.40

$44.57 CHF 36.71

-6.28%

Cinema Ticket

$25.57 CHF 21.06

$23.65 CHF 19.48

8.12%

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

$2,254 CHF 1,857

$2,349 CHF 1,935

-4.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.7K CHF 26.1K

$35.0K CHF 28.8K

-9.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 CHF 84.5

$137 CHF 113

-24.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.84 CHF 34.46

$79.4 CHF 65.4

-47.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 CHF 108

$163 CHF 134

-19.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.4 CHF 79.4

$185 CHF 152

-47.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,676 CHF 1,380

$2,816 CHF 2,320

-40.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 CHF 1,120

$2,103 CHF 1,732

-35.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,950 CHF 2,430

$4,789 CHF 3,945

-38.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,306 CHF 1,899

$3,670 CHF 3,023

-37.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$22.3K CHF 18.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$15.7K CHF 12.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,268 CHF 5,986

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.1

1.98

6.06%

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

Last update for Glarus: October 13, 2026

Last update for Geneva: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Glarus

$1.4K 41.3%

Geneva

$2.1K 51.9% 54.7% $743

Eating Out

Glarus

$444 13.5%

Geneva

$473 11.7% 6.4% $29

Groceries & Markets

Glarus

$438 13.3%

Geneva

$591 14.6% 35% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glarus

$402 12.2%

Geneva

$375 9.3% 6.8% $27

Getting Around

Glarus

$274 8.3%

Geneva

$132 3.3% 51.7% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Glarus

$211 6.4%

Geneva

$123 3% 41.6% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Glarus

$167 5.1%

Geneva

$254 6.3% 51.6% $86

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,676 in Glarus versus $2,816 in Geneva. 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 $122 in Glarus versus $132 in Geneva. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $438 vs $591 – making Glarus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Glarus

🇨🇭 Geneva

🕒 Local time

10:03 10:03 AM

Same time as Glarus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,500

191,557

💱 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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Glarus Geneva 240 km

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Glarus
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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

Glarus vs Geneva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Geneva is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,945 per month in Glarus and $6,077 in Geneva. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 35% 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 $122 in Glarus and $132 in Geneva. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,297 in Glarus and $4,051 in Geneva. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Glarus – 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 Glarus. 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.