Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Chaux-de-Fonds and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in La Chaux-de-Fonds: $2,965 a month against $3,461 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in La Chaux-de-Fonds
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La Chaux-de-Fonds Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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La Chaux-de-Fonds

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,965

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,461

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in La Chaux-de-Fonds 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 La Chaux-de-Fonds and in Basel actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,965 in La Chaux-de-Fonds versus $3,461 in Basel.

La Chaux-de-Fonds $2,965
Basel $3,461

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,731 in La Chaux-de-Fonds versus $5,427 in Basel.

La Chaux-de-Fonds $4,731
Basel $5,427

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,498 in La Chaux-de-Fonds versus $7,394 in Basel.

La Chaux-de-Fonds $6,498
Basel $7,394

Living in La Chaux-de-Fonds costs roughly 14% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: La Chaux-de-Fonds 120% above, Basel 156% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.06 CHF 19.81

$29.60 CHF 24.38

-18.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.7 CHF 69.8

$123 CHF 102

-31.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.02 CHF 14.84

$17.93 CHF 14.77

0.50%

Cappuccino

$4.67 CHF 3.85

$6.21 CHF 5.12

-24.80%

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

$3.55 CHF 2.93

$6.50 CHF 5.35

-45.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 CHF 3.69

$5.77 CHF 4.75

-22.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.26 CHF 5.98

$9.20 CHF 7.58

-21.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 CHF 4.82

$9.79 CHF 8.07

-40.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 CHF 1.79

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-3.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 CHF 2.45

$3.12 CHF 2.57

-4.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.22 CHF 2.65

$3.17 CHF 2.61

1.58%

Eggs

$7.74 CHF 6.37

$7.83 CHF 6.45

-1.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.32 CHF 20.85

$26.04 CHF 21.45

-2.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.73 CHF 22.01

$26.78 CHF 22.05

-0.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.67 CHF 34.32

$40.31 CHF 33.20

3.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 CHF 3.01

$3.52 CHF 2.90

3.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 CHF 1.93

$2.34 CHF 1.92

0.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 CHF 2.41

$2.96 CHF 2.44

-1.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 CHF 3.70

$4.52 CHF 3.72

-0.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 CHF 1.37

$1.72 CHF 1.42

-3.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 CHF 1.57

$1.89 CHF 1.56

0.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 CHF 1.85

$2.24 CHF 1.84

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 CHF 1.28

$1.61 CHF 1.33

-3.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.96 CHF 9.03

$11.08 CHF 9.13

-1.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.96 CHF 9.85

$11.84 CHF 9.75

1.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$2.52 CHF 2.08

-3.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 CHF 2.47

$2.97 CHF 2.44

1.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.63 CHF 3.81

$4.53 CHF 3.73

2.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.1 CHF 80.8

$105 CHF 86.5

-6.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 CHF 6.36

$7.95 CHF 6.54

-2.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.46 CHF 3.68

$4.51 CHF 3.71

-1.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$84.5 CHF 69.6

$84.6 CHF 69.7

-0.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.94

$2.31 CHF 1.91

1.73%

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

$42.9K CHF 35.4K

$42.3K CHF 34.8K

1.54%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

2.08%

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

$291 CHF 239

$292 CHF 240

-0.36%

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

$45.30 CHF 37.31

$46.45 CHF 38.25

-2.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.5 CHF 53.1

$61.9 CHF 51.0

4.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.2 CHF 60.3

$81.1 CHF 66.8

-9.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.07 CHF 37.12

$58.5 CHF 48.17

-22.93%

Cinema Ticket

$22.43 CHF 18.47

$22.48 CHF 18.52

-0.22%

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

$2,924 CHF 2,408

$2,993 CHF 2,465

-2.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K CHF 16.6K

$32.0K CHF 26.3K

-37.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$147 CHF 121

$142 CHF 117

2.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.1 CHF 65.1

$77.1 CHF 63.5

2.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$161 CHF 133

$159 CHF 131

1.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$197 CHF 162

$198 CHF 163

-0.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 CHF 1,205

$1,953 CHF 1,609

-25.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,079 CHF 889

$1,465 CHF 1,207

-26.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,904 CHF 3,215

$3,586 CHF 2,954

8.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,324 CHF 1,914

$2,796 CHF 2,302

-16.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.2K CHF 13.4K

$18.1K CHF 14.9K

-10.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.3K CHF 10.1K

$14.3K CHF 11.8K

-14.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,068 CHF 4,174

$6,863 CHF 5,652

-26.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

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

Last update for La Chaux-de-Fonds: October 12, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$1.1K 36.4%

Basel

$1.5K 42.4% 35.8% $386

Groceries & Markets

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$575 19.4%

Basel

$576 16.7% 0.2% $1.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$400 13.5%

Basel

$400 11.6% 0.1% $0.4

Eating Out

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$383 12.9%

Basel

$480 13.9% 25.4% $97

Clothing & Footwear

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$263 8.9%

Basel

$260 7.5% 1.1% $2.9

Getting Around

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$147 5%

Basel

$154 4.4% 4.8% $7

Sport & Entertainment

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$118 4%

Basel

$126 3.6% 6.8% $8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,463 in La Chaux-de-Fonds and $1,953 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays 35% 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: $85.0 in La Chaux-de-Fonds vs $123 in Basel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $575 vs $576 per month, with La Chaux-de-Fonds cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 La Chaux-de-Fonds

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

11:34 11:34 AM

Same time as La Chaux-de-Fonds

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,027

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

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La Chaux-de-Fonds Basel 76 km

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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

La Chaux-de-Fonds vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

La Chaux-de-Fonds wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making La Chaux-de-Fonds the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Basel. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,463 in La Chaux-de-Fonds versus $1,953 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,924 in La Chaux-de-Fonds 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 0% higher in Basel. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. La Chaux-de-Fonds 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 La Chaux-de-Fonds delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,965 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes La Chaux-de-Fonds hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, La Chaux-de-Fonds 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 La Chaux-de-Fonds gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Basel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.