Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kriens and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Kriens: $3,261 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Kriens
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Kriens Living Index
176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Kriens

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,261

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,261 in Kriens versus $3,669 in Basel.

Kriens $3,261
Basel $3,669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,954 in Kriens versus $5,649 in Basel.

Kriens $4,954
Basel $5,649

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,646 in Kriens versus $7,629 in Basel.

Kriens $6,646
Basel $7,629

Living in Kriens costs roughly 11% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kriens 140% above, Basel 170% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.99 CHF 24.86

$30.27 CHF 25.09

-0.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 CHF 86.2

$125 CHF 103

-16.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.96 CHF 14.88

$17.91 CHF 14.84

0.28%

Cappuccino

$5.80 CHF 4.80

$6.52 CHF 5.40

-11.04%

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

$5.10 CHF 4.23

$6.47 CHF 5.36

-21.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.82 CHF 3.99

$5.91 CHF 4.90

-18.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.04 CHF 5.00

$9.41 CHF 7.80

-35.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 CHF 5.83

$9.48 CHF 7.86

-25.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.79

$2.29 CHF 1.90

-5.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 CHF 3.11

$3.04 CHF 2.52

23.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 CHF 2.21

$3.27 CHF 2.71

-18.35%

Eggs

$7.79 CHF 6.46

$7.97 CHF 6.60

-2.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.57 CHF 22.02

$26.34 CHF 21.83

0.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$31.45 CHF 26.07

$27.32 CHF 22.64

15.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.11 CHF 34.07

$41.15 CHF 34.10

-0.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 CHF 2.40

$3.70 CHF 3.07

-21.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 CHF 1.48

$2.30 CHF 1.91

-22.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 CHF 1.97

$3.03 CHF 2.51

-21.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.30 CHF 4.39

$4.54 CHF 3.76

16.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 CHF 1.42

$1.68 CHF 1.39

2.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 CHF 1.63

$1.91 CHF 1.58

2.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 CHF 1.89

$2.27 CHF 1.88

0.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 CHF 1.08

$1.60 CHF 1.32

-18.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.70 CHF 8.87

$11.15 CHF 9.24

-4.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.34 CHF 8.57

$11.90 CHF 9.86

-13.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 CHF 2.17

$2.44 CHF 2.02

6.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 CHF 2.36

$3.03 CHF 2.51

-5.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.19 CHF 3.47

$5.21 CHF 4.32

-19.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 CHF 83.8

$105 CHF 86.8

-3.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.95 CHF 5.76

$7.98 CHF 6.61

-12.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$6.13 CHF 5.08

$4.61 CHF 3.82

32.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.64 CHF 29.54

$83.3 CHF 69.0

-57.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 CHF 1.93

$2.42 CHF 2.00

-3.72%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.8K

0.05%

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

$40.0K CHF 33.2K

$40.0K CHF 33.1K

0.16%

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

$120 CHF 99.5

$296 CHF 245

-59.39%

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

$37.73 CHF 31.27

$46.31 CHF 38.39

-18.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.3 CHF 47.45

$63.2 CHF 52.4

-9.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$88.0 CHF 73.0

$82.0 CHF 68.0

7.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.32 CHF 37.56

$58.3 CHF 48.29

-22.21%

Cinema Ticket

$21.93 CHF 18.17

$22.84 CHF 18.94

-3.98%

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

$3,204 CHF 2,655

$3,139 CHF 2,602

2.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.1K CHF 29.1K

$32.6K CHF 27.0K

7.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 CHF 75.1

$144 CHF 120

-37.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.3 CHF 55.8

$79.9 CHF 66.2

-15.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 CHF 90.5

$159 CHF 132

-31.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$171 CHF 142

$195 CHF 162

-12.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,798 CHF 1,491

$2,087 CHF 1,730

-13.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,519 CHF 1,259

$1,646 CHF 1,365

-7.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,894 CHF 2,398

$3,618 CHF 2,999

-20.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,479 CHF 2,055

$2,966 CHF 2,459

-16.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.3K CHF 13.5K

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

-6.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.6K CHF 10.4K

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

-8.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,868

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.9

2.42

-21.49%

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

Last update for Kriens: October 25, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kriens

$1.5K 46.6%

Basel

$1.6K 44.9% 8.4% $128

Groceries & Markets

Kriens

$596 18.3%

Basel

$584 15.9% 2% $12

Eating Out

Kriens

$447 13.7%

Basel

$490 13.3% 9.5% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kriens

$215 6.6%

Basel

$405 11% 88.4% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Kriens

$197 6.1%

Basel

$261 7.1% 32% $63

Getting Around

Kriens

$155 4.8%

Basel

$157 4.3% 0.8% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Kriens

$132 4%

Basel

$128 3.5% 3.2% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,798 in Kriens and $2,087 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $104 in Kriens vs $125 in Basel. Groceries flip the comparison at $596 vs $584, with Basel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Kriens

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

12:56 12:56 PM

Same time as Kriens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,932

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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Kriens Basel 78 km

From you

Kriens
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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

Kriens vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $4,892 in Kriens and $5,504 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: $1,798 in Kriens versus $2,087 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,204 in Kriens versus $3,139 in Basel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kriens – a meal for two runs $104 versus $125 in Basel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Kriens is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Kriens 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.