Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glarus and Zurich

For one person, living is cheaper in Glarus: $3,297 a month against $4,451 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 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
217

Cost of Living Index in Zurich
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Zurich Living Index

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Glarus

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,297

/mo nomad

Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,451

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Glarus and in Zurich

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

A single person spends $3,297 per month in Glarus vs $4,451 in Zurich, rent included.

Glarus $3,297
Zurich $4,451

A couple spends around $4,996 per month in Glarus vs $6,817 in Zurich, rent included.

Glarus $4,996
Zurich $6,817

A family of three spends $6,696 per month in Glarus vs $9,184 in Zurich, rent included.

Glarus $6,696
Zurich $9,184

Glarus is about 26% cheaper than Zurich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Glarus and Zurich sit above the global median – Glarus by 144%, Zurich by 230%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.24 CHF 24.08

$34.71 CHF 28.59

-15.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 100

$144 CHF 119

-15.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.09 CHF 14.07

$17.69 CHF 14.57

-3.39%

Cappuccino

$5.88 CHF 4.84

$6.91 CHF 5.69

-14.91%

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

$3.76 CHF 3.10

$5.86 CHF 4.83

-35.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 CHF 3.15

$5.15 CHF 4.24

-25.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.11 CHF 7.50

$9.70 CHF 7.99

-6.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 CHF 5.15

$8.28 CHF 6.82

-24.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 CHF 1.81

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CHF 2.58

$3.78 CHF 3.11

-16.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 CHF 2.32

$3.68 CHF 3.03

-23.37%

Eggs

$7.70 CHF 6.34

$8.54 CHF 7.03

-9.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.58 CHF 7.06

$27.22 CHF 22.42

-68.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.56 CHF 11.99

$27.67 CHF 22.79

-47.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$37.65 CHF 31.01

$61.7 CHF 50.8

-38.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 CHF 2.51

$4.14 CHF 3.41

-26.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 CHF 1.27

$2.68 CHF 2.21

-42.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 CHF 1.98

$3.54 CHF 2.91

-32.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.41 CHF 4.46

$4.45 CHF 3.67

21.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 CHF 1.35

$2.54 CHF 2.09

-35.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 CHF 1.72

$2.21 CHF 1.82

-5.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$2.52 CHF 2.07

-13.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 CHF 0.97

$1.24 CHF 1.02

-4.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.00 CHF 9.06

$10.62 CHF 8.75

3.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.23 CHF 9.25

$13.83 CHF 11.39

-18.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 CHF 1.77

$2.66 CHF 2.19

-19.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 CHF 1.91

$3.18 CHF 2.62

-27.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.89 CHF 4.85

$5.39 CHF 4.44

9.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$221 CHF 182

$106 CHF 87.2

108.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.50 CHF 5.36

$7.93 CHF 6.54

-18.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.71 CHF 3.88

$4.50 CHF 3.71

4.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$77.2 CHF 63.6

$89.4 CHF 73.6

-13.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 CHF 1.79

$2.28 CHF 1.87

-4.39%

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

$34.3K CHF 28.3K

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

-11.98%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

0.13%

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

$311 CHF 256

$276 CHF 227

12.54%

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

$38.06 CHF 31.35

$36.80 CHF 30.31

3.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.5 CHF 44.03

$56.0 CHF 46.10

-4.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$160 CHF 132

$91.3 CHF 75.2

75.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.77 CHF 34.40

$60.0 CHF 49.43

-30.39%

Cinema Ticket

$25.57 CHF 21.06

$24.81 CHF 20.43

3.06%

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

$2,254 CHF 1,857

$3,505 CHF 2,887

-35.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.7K CHF 26.1K

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

-23.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 CHF 84.5

$139 CHF 115

-26.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.84 CHF 34.46

$58.3 CHF 48.04

-28.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 CHF 108

$166 CHF 137

-20.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.4 CHF 79.4

$260 CHF 214

-62.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,676 CHF 1,380

$2,916 CHF 2,402

-42.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 CHF 1,120

$2,308 CHF 1,901

-41.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,950 CHF 2,430

$5,918 CHF 4,874

-50.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,306 CHF 1,899

$4,092 CHF 3,370

-43.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$26.8K CHF 22.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.2K CHF 13.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,928 CHF 6,529

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.1

2.07

1.45%

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

Last update for Glarus: October 13, 2026

Last update for Zurich: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Glarus

$1.4K 41.3%

Zurich

$2.3K 51.9% 69.8% $949

Eating Out

Glarus

$444 13.5%

Zurich

$523 11.7% 17.7% $79

Groceries & Markets

Glarus

$438 13.3%

Zurich

$671 15.1% 53.3% $233

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Glarus

$402 12.2%

Zurich

$369 8.3% 8.3% $33

Getting Around

Glarus

$274 8.3%

Zurich

$158 3.6% 42.5% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Glarus

$211 6.4%

Zurich

$141 3.2% 33.2% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Glarus

$167 5.1%

Zurich

$281 6.3% 67.5% $113

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,676 in Glarus versus $2,916 in Zurich. 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 $144 in Zurich. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $438 vs $671 – making Glarus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Glarus

🇨🇭 Zurich

🕒 Local time

09:19 9:19 AM

Same time as Glarus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,500

443,037

💱 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

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Glarus
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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 Zurich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Zurich is pricier by about 35%, 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 $6,676 in Zurich. 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.

Public transport costs about 108% less in Glarus. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,254 per month in Glarus and $3,505 in Zurich. 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 $3,297 in Glarus and $4,451 in Zurich. 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, Zurich makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.