Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lachen and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Lachen: $3,423 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

165

Cost of Living Index in Lachen
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Lachen Living Index
176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Lachen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,423

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,423 in Lachen versus $3,669 in Basel.

Lachen $3,423
Basel $3,669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,210 in Lachen versus $5,649 in Basel.

Lachen $5,210
Basel $5,649

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,997 in Lachen versus $7,629 in Basel.

Lachen $6,997
Basel $7,629

Living in Lachen costs roughly 7% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lachen 152% above, Basel 170% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$32.82 CHF 27.23

$30.27 CHF 25.11

8.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 CHF 98.5

$125 CHF 104

-4.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.19 CHF 13.43

$17.91 CHF 14.86

-9.60%

Cappuccino

$6.35 CHF 5.27

$6.52 CHF 5.41

-2.61%

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

$5.83 CHF 4.83

$6.47 CHF 5.37

-9.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 CHF 4.20

$5.91 CHF 4.90

-14.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.32 CHF 6.90

$9.41 CHF 7.81

-11.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.35 CHF 7.76

$9.48 CHF 7.87

-1.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.85

$2.29 CHF 1.90

-2.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.27 CHF 2.71

$3.04 CHF 2.52

7.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.34 CHF 3.60

$3.27 CHF 2.72

32.72%

Eggs

$7.60 CHF 6.31

$7.97 CHF 6.61

-4.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.92 CHF 22.33

$26.34 CHF 21.85

2.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$25.91 CHF 21.50

$27.32 CHF 22.66

-5.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.57 CHF 33.65

$41.15 CHF 34.13

-1.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 CHF 2.97

$3.70 CHF 3.07

-3.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.70

$2.30 CHF 1.91

-11.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 CHF 2.15

$3.03 CHF 2.51

-14.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.83 CHF 4.00

$4.54 CHF 3.77

6.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.70

$1.68 CHF 1.39

21.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 CHF 1.80

$1.91 CHF 1.58

13.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 CHF 1.95

$2.27 CHF 1.88

3.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 CHF 1.19

$1.60 CHF 1.32

-10.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.97 CHF 9.10

$11.15 CHF 9.25

-1.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.13 CHF 10.89

$11.90 CHF 9.87

10.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 CHF 1.92

$2.44 CHF 2.03

-4.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 CHF 2.87

$3.03 CHF 2.52

14.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.39 CHF 3.64

$5.21 CHF 4.33

-15.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 CHF 85.1

$105 CHF 86.9

-2.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.85 CHF 6.51

$7.98 CHF 6.62

-1.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.92 CHF 4.08

$4.61 CHF 3.83

6.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$87.3 CHF 72.4

$83.3 CHF 69.1

4.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 CHF 1.80

$2.42 CHF 2.01

-10.33%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.8K

0.04%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.3K

$40.0K CHF 33.2K

-2.55%

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

$237 CHF 197

$296 CHF 245

-19.71%

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

$32.20 CHF 26.72

$46.31 CHF 38.42

-30.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.7 CHF 54.5

$63.2 CHF 52.4

3.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.4 CHF 74.1

$82.0 CHF 68.0

8.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.79 CHF 37.99

$58.3 CHF 48.33

-21.40%

Cinema Ticket

$21.98 CHF 18.23

$22.84 CHF 18.95

-3.77%

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

$2,810 CHF 2,331

$3,139 CHF 2,604

-10.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$44.5K CHF 36.9K

$32.6K CHF 27.1K

36.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 114

$144 CHF 120

-5.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$86.5 CHF 71.8

$79.9 CHF 66.3

8.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$146 CHF 121

$159 CHF 132

-8.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$173 CHF 143

$195 CHF 162

-11.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,781 CHF 1,477

$2,087 CHF 1,732

-14.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,486 CHF 1,233

$1,646 CHF 1,366

-9.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,940 CHF 2,439

$3,618 CHF 3,001

-18.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 CHF 2,069

$2,966 CHF 2,461

-15.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.4K CHF 13.6K

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

-5.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.5K CHF 10.4K

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

-8.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,492 CHF 7,874

$7,080 CHF 5,873

34.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.72

2.42

-28.93%

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

Last update for Lachen: 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

Lachen

$1.5K 43.4%

Basel

$1.6K 44.9% 10.8% $160

Groceries & Markets

Lachen

$581 17%

Basel

$584 15.9% 0.4% $2.4

Eating Out

Lachen

$491 14.4%

Basel

$490 13.3% 0.3% $1.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lachen

$335 9.8%

Basel

$405 11% 20.9% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Lachen

$244 7.1%

Basel

$261 7.1% 6.9% $17

Getting Around

Lachen

$153 4.5%

Basel

$157 4.3% 2.7% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Lachen

$133 3.9%

Basel

$128 3.5% 4.2% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,781 in Lachen and $2,087 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lachen pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $119 in Lachen vs $125 in Basel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $581 vs $584 per month, with Lachen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lachen

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

15:02 3:02 PM

Same time as Lachen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,000

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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Lachen Basel 100 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

Lachen vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lachen wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lachen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 34% higher in Lachen, 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: $1,781 in Lachen versus $2,087 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,423 per month in Lachen versus $3,669 in Basel – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Dining out is cheaper in Lachen – a meal for two runs $119 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. Lachen 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, Lachen 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.