Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Interlaken and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Basel: $3,461 a month against $3,832 in Interlaken, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

187

Cost of Living Index in Interlaken
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Interlaken Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Interlaken

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,832

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,461

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Interlaken 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 Interlaken and in Basel actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,832 in Interlaken versus $3,461 in Basel.

Interlaken $3,832
Basel $3,461

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,054 in Interlaken versus $5,427 in Basel.

Interlaken $6,054
Basel $5,427

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,276 in Interlaken versus $7,394 in Basel.

Interlaken $8,276
Basel $7,394

Living in Interlaken is roughly 11% more expensive than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Interlaken 184% above, Basel 156% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.08 CHF 24.77

$29.60 CHF 24.38

1.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.0 CHF 79.9

$123 CHF 102

-21.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.32 CHF 15.09

$17.93 CHF 14.77

2.18%

Cappuccino

$5.23 CHF 4.31

$6.21 CHF 5.12

-15.78%

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

$5.33 CHF 4.39

$6.50 CHF 5.35

-18.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 CHF 2.93

$5.77 CHF 4.75

-38.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 CHF 6.64

$9.20 CHF 7.58

-12.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 CHF 4.32

$9.79 CHF 8.07

-46.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 CHF 1.34

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-27.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.50 CHF 2.88

$3.12 CHF 2.57

12.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.56 CHF 3.76

$3.17 CHF 2.61

43.85%

Eggs

$7.36 CHF 6.06

$7.83 CHF 6.45

-6.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$31.48 CHF 25.93

$26.04 CHF 21.45

20.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.83 CHF 24.56

$26.78 CHF 22.05

11.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.38 CHF 34.90

$40.31 CHF 33.20

5.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.93 CHF 3.23

$3.52 CHF 2.90

11.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 CHF 1.30

$2.34 CHF 1.92

-32.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 CHF 2.21

$2.96 CHF 2.44

-9.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 CHF 2.56

$4.52 CHF 3.72

-31.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 CHF 1.10

$1.72 CHF 1.42

-22.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 CHF 1.41

$1.89 CHF 1.56

-9.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 CHF 1.75

$2.24 CHF 1.84

-4.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 CHF 0.99

$1.61 CHF 1.33

-25.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.82 CHF 8.91

$11.08 CHF 9.13

-2.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.59 CHF 10.37

$11.84 CHF 9.75

6.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CHF 1.81

$2.52 CHF 2.08

-12.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 CHF 3.14

$2.97 CHF 2.44

28.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.09 CHF 3.37

$4.53 CHF 3.73

-9.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$194 CHF 160

$105 CHF 86.5

84.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.09 CHF 5.02

$7.95 CHF 6.54

-23.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$6.04 CHF 4.97

$4.51 CHF 3.71

33.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.7 CHF 50.0

$84.6 CHF 69.7

-28.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 CHF 1.88

$2.31 CHF 1.91

-1.30%

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

$42.6K CHF 35.1K

$42.3K CHF 34.8K

0.86%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.5K

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

-1.21%

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

$354 CHF 292

$292 CHF 240

21.48%

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

$31.34 CHF 25.82

$46.45 CHF 38.25

-32.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 CHF 58.8

$61.9 CHF 51.0

15.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$97.2 CHF 80.1

$81.1 CHF 66.8

19.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.5 CHF 48.17

Cinema Ticket

$27.83 CHF 22.92

$22.48 CHF 18.52

23.80%

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

$3,585 CHF 2,953

$2,993 CHF 2,465

19.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.2K CHF 26.6K

$32.0K CHF 26.3K

0.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$157 CHF 130

$142 CHF 117

10.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$120 CHF 99.0

$77.1 CHF 63.5

55.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$200 CHF 165

$159 CHF 131

25.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$323 CHF 266

$198 CHF 163

63.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,926 CHF 1,586

$1,953 CHF 1,609

-1.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,571 CHF 1,294

$1,465 CHF 1,207

7.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,291 CHF 2,711

$3,586 CHF 2,954

-8.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,373 CHF 2,778

$2,796 CHF 2,302

20.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.1K CHF 9,993

$18.1K CHF 14.9K

-32.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,397 CHF 6,916

$14.3K CHF 11.8K

-41.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,431 CHF 6,120

$6,863 CHF 5,652

8.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.48

2.42

2.48%

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

Last update for Interlaken: October 10, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Interlaken

$1.6K 41%

Basel

$1.5K 42.4% 6.7% $106

Groceries & Markets

Interlaken

$599 15.6%

Basel

$576 16.7% 3.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Interlaken

$457 11.9%

Basel

$400 11.6% 12.5% $57

Eating Out

Interlaken

$445 11.6%

Basel

$480 13.9% 7.9% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Interlaken

$360 9.4%

Basel

$260 7.5% 27.9% $101

Getting Around

Interlaken

$247 6.4%

Basel

$154 4.4% 37.8% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Interlaken

$153 4%

Basel

$126 3.6% 17.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,926 in Interlaken and $1,953 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Interlaken pays 8% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $97.0 in Interlaken vs $123 in Basel. Groceries flip the comparison at $599 vs $576, with Basel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Interlaken

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

11:28 11:28 AM

Same time as Interlaken

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,600

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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Interlaken Basel 99 km

From you

Interlaken
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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

Interlaken vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Basel wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Interlaken. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Basel the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 8% higher in Interlaken, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,926 in Interlaken versus $1,953 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,585 in Interlaken 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 4% higher in Interlaken. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Basel 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 Basel delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $3,461 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Basel hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Interlaken 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 Basel gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Interlaken. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.