For one person, living is cheaper in India: $400 a month against $3,620 in Switzerland, rent and utilities included – about $38,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in India and in Switzerland actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $400 in India versus $3,620 in Switzerland.
India $400
Switzerland $3,620
Estimated couple costs with rent: $638 in India versus $5,567 in Switzerland.
India $638
Switzerland $5,567
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $877 in India versus $7,513 in Switzerland.
India $877
Switzerland $7,513
📏
Internal cost variation is higher in Switzerland: monthly costs span $1,992 to $5,115, compared to $244–$811 in India. City choice carries more weight in Switzerland.
🌍
Living in India costs about 89% less than in Switzerland on average.
📊
India (70% below) and Switzerland (168% above) straddle the global median.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
India
Switzerland
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.16₹204
$30.05CHF 24.51
-92.81%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$10.70₹1,010
$123CHF 100
-91.28%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$3.64₹344
$18.06CHF 14.73
-79.84%
Cappuccino
$1.75₹165
$6.00CHF 4.90
-70.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.42₹39.66
$5.55CHF 4.53
-92.43%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.15₹14.17
$4.80CHF 3.92
-96.87%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$1.87₹176
$9.08CHF 7.41
-79.41%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.13₹296
$7.49CHF 6.11
-58.21%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
India
Switzerland
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$0.65₹61.2
$2.26CHF 1.84
-71.24%
White Bread(500g)
$0.46₹43.21
$3.81CHF 3.10
-87.93%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$0.64₹60.6
$3.62CHF 2.95
-82.32%
Eggs
$0.95₹89.6
$7.80CHF 6.36
-87.82%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$4.87₹460
$25.76CHF 21.00
-81.09%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$2.82₹266
$28.73CHF 23.42
-90.18%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
-
$42.72CHF 34.83
-
Apples(1kg)
$1.92₹181
$3.76CHF 3.06
-48.94%
Banana(1kg)
$0.63₹59.9
$2.23CHF 1.82
-71.75%
Oranges(1kg)
$0.99₹93.3
$2.76CHF 2.25
-64.13%
Tomato(1kg)
$0.48₹45.16
$5.15CHF 4.20
-90.68%
Potato(1kg)
$0.33₹31.41
$2.07CHF 1.69
-84.06%
Onion(1kg)
$0.42₹40.02
$2.20CHF 1.80
-80.91%
Lettuce(1 head)
$0.46₹43.58
$2.30CHF 1.88
-80.00%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.31₹29.38
$1.45CHF 1.18
-78.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$5.17₹488
$11.12CHF 9.07
-53.51%
Wine(Bottle)
$7.56₹714
$13.41CHF 10.93
-43.62%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65₹156
$2.70CHF 2.20
-38.89%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66₹252
$3.05CHF 2.49
-12.79%
Buffalo Round(or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)(1kg)
$5.24₹495
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
India
Switzerland
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.24₹22.65
$4.21CHF 3.44
-94.30%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$8.23₹777
$102CHF 83.2
-91.93%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$0.96₹90.6
$7.89CHF 6.44
-87.83%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.25₹23.61
$4.76CHF 3.88
-94.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$1.54₹145
$87.1CHF 71.0
-98.23%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.13₹107
$2.29CHF 1.87
-50.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$11.1K₹1.0M
$40.2KCHF 32.7K
-72.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.3K₹1.9M
$39.1KCHF 31.9K
-47.97%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
India
Switzerland
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$38.08₹3,598
$287CHF 234
-86.75%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.53₹333
$38.31CHF 31.24
-90.79%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.95₹656
$58.8CHF 47.91
-88.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
India
Switzerland
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$15.43₹1,458
$82.5CHF 67.3
-81.30%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.09₹670
$47.18CHF 38.47
-84.97%
Cinema Ticket
$3.13₹296
$24.46CHF 19.94
-87.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
India
Switzerland
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$58.1₹5,484
$2,998CHF 2,445
-98.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$3,158₹298.4K
$39.9KCHF 32.5K
-92.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
India
Switzerland
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$22.69₹2,143
$135CHF 110
-83.16%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.44₹2,309
$66.2CHF 54.0
-63.08%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$40.02₹3,781
$151CHF 123
-73.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$29.67₹2,803
$195CHF 159
-84.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
India
Switzerland
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$145₹13.7K
$2,049CHF 1,671
-92.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$96.8₹9,147
$1,631CHF 1,330
-94.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$339₹32.0K
$3,586CHF 2,924
-90.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$231₹21.8K
$2,924CHF 2,385
-92.10%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$1,142₹107.9K
$18.4KCHF 15.0K
-93.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$633₹59.8K
$12.9KCHF 10.5K
-95.07%
💵 Salaries & Financials
India
Switzerland
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$407₹38.4K
$7,160CHF 5,838
-94.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
8.94
2.05
336.10%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for India: November 1, 2026
Last update for Switzerland: November 1, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🛒Groceries & Markets
India
$102 25.5%
Switzerland
$608 16.8% ↑ 496%$506
🏠Accommodation & Living
India
$97 24.2%
Switzerland
$1.6K 45.1% ↑ 1585%$1.5K
🍽Eating Out
India
$67 16.8%
Switzerland
$469 12.9% ↑ 598%$401
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
India
$53 13.1%
Switzerland
$246 6.8% ↑ 368%$193
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
India
$49 12.1%
Switzerland
$384 10.6% ↑ 692%$336
🎉Sport & Entertainment
India
$22 5.4%
Switzerland
$131 3.6% ↑ 506%$110
🚌Getting Around
India
$11 2.9%
Switzerland
$151 4.2% ↑ 1221%$139
🛒Groceries & Markets
India
$219 25%
Switzerland
$1.4K 19.3% ↑ 560%$1.2K
🏠Accommodation & Living
India
$231 26.4%
Switzerland
$2.9K 38.9% ↑ 1165%$2.7K
🍽Eating Out
India
$183 20.9%
Switzerland
$1.6K 20.7% ↑ 747%$1.4K
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
India
$117 13.3%
Switzerland
$546 7.3% ↑ 368%$429
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
India
$52 5.9%
Switzerland
$423 5.6% ↑ 712%$371
🎉Sport & Entertainment
India
$50 5.8%
Switzerland
$310 4.1% ↑ 514%$260
🚌Getting Around
India
$23 2.7%
Switzerland
$310 4.1% ↑ 1230%$286
Cost Breakdown
🏠National rent averages: $121 in India, $1,848 in Switzerland. Capital cities: $278 in Delhi vs $2,162 in Bern.
💰National salary averages: $405 in India, $7,210 in Switzerland. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.
Cost Highlights
⭐Rent is 1427% higher in Switzerland.
⭐Dining out costs 1064% more in Switzerland.
⭐Public transport is 1213% more expensive in Switzerland.
⭐Salaries are about 18 times higher in Switzerland, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Switzerland.
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
India vs Switzerland: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost difference between India and Switzerland?
At $400 per month in India and $3,620 in Switzerland, India comes out about 89% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Which country is cheaper for everyday spending?
Day-to-day life is cheaper in India: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,848 in Switzerland and $121 in India. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Should I move to India or to Switzerland?
It depends on what you’re after: India wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.