Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Liestal and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Liestal: $3,252 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

157

Cost of Living Index in Liestal
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Liestal Living Index
176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Liestal

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,252

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,252 in Liestal versus $3,669 in Basel.

Liestal $3,252
Basel $3,669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,162 in Liestal versus $5,649 in Basel.

Liestal $5,162
Basel $5,649

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,071 in Liestal versus $7,629 in Basel.

Liestal $7,071
Basel $7,629

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Liestal 139% above, Basel 170% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.22 CHF 24.19

$30.27 CHF 25.06

-3.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 CHF 99.5

$125 CHF 103

-3.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.51 CHF 15.32

$17.91 CHF 14.83

3.35%

Cappuccino

$6.26 CHF 5.18

$6.52 CHF 5.40

-3.99%

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

$6.18 CHF 5.12

$6.47 CHF 5.36

-4.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 CHF 4.87

$5.91 CHF 4.89

-0.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.97 CHF 7.42

$9.41 CHF 7.79

-4.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.93 CHF 6.56

$9.48 CHF 7.85

-16.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.84

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-3.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.10 CHF 2.57

$3.04 CHF 2.52

1.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.35 CHF 2.77

$3.27 CHF 2.71

2.45%

Eggs

$7.70 CHF 6.37

$7.97 CHF 6.60

-3.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.34 CHF 20.15

$26.34 CHF 21.81

-7.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.80 CHF 23.02

$27.32 CHF 22.62

1.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.05 CHF 32.33

$41.15 CHF 34.07

-5.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 CHF 3.19

$3.70 CHF 3.06

4.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 CHF 1.87

$2.30 CHF 1.91

-1.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 CHF 2.33

$3.03 CHF 2.51

-7.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 CHF 3.89

$4.54 CHF 3.76

3.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.39

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 CHF 1.65

$1.91 CHF 1.58

4.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 CHF 1.90

$2.27 CHF 1.88

1.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 CHF 1.12

$1.60 CHF 1.32

-15.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.48 CHF 9.50

$11.15 CHF 9.23

2.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.87 CHF 9.83

$11.90 CHF 9.85

-0.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 CHF 1.87

$2.44 CHF 2.02

-7.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 CHF 2.50

$3.03 CHF 2.51

-0.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.32 CHF 3.58

$5.21 CHF 4.32

-17.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 CHF 85.5

$105 CHF 86.7

-1.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.44 CHF 6.99

$7.98 CHF 6.61

5.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.68 CHF 3.88

$4.61 CHF 3.82

1.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$108 CHF 89.0

$83.3 CHF 68.9

29.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.39 CHF 1.98

$2.42 CHF 2.00

-1.24%

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

$38.5K CHF 31.9K

$38.3K CHF 31.7K

0.55%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.3K

$40.0K CHF 33.1K

-2.47%

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

$293 CHF 243

$296 CHF 245

-0.87%

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

$28.40 CHF 23.51

$46.31 CHF 38.34

-38.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.3

-0.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.3 CHF 70.6

$82.0 CHF 67.9

3.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.92 CHF 38.02

$58.3 CHF 48.24

-21.18%

Cinema Ticket

$24.00 CHF 19.87

$22.84 CHF 18.91

5.08%

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

$2,980 CHF 2,467

$3,139 CHF 2,599

-5.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.6K CHF 25.3K

$32.6K CHF 27.0K

-6.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$140 CHF 116

$144 CHF 120

-3.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.7 CHF 51.1

$79.9 CHF 66.1

-22.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

-0.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$201 CHF 166

$195 CHF 162

2.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 CHF 1,456

$2,087 CHF 1,728

-15.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 CHF 1,065

$1,646 CHF 1,363

-21.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,960 CHF 2,450

$3,618 CHF 2,995

-18.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,567 CHF 2,125

$2,966 CHF 2,456

-13.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.3K CHF 13.5K

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

-6.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.3K CHF 10.2K

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

-10.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,109 CHF 7,542

$7,080 CHF 5,862

28.67%

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 Liestal: October 26, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Liestal

$1.3K 39.6%

Basel

$1.6K 44.9% 28% $360

Groceries & Markets

Liestal

$570 17.5%

Basel

$584 15.9% 2.5% $14

Eating Out

Liestal

$473 14.6%

Basel

$490 13.3% 3.5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Liestal

$385 11.8%

Basel

$405 11% 5.3% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Liestal

$253 7.8%

Basel

$261 7.1% 3.1% $7.8

Getting Around

Liestal

$152 4.7%

Basel

$157 4.3% 2.8% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Liestal

$133 4.1%

Basel

$128 3.5% 4.2% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Liestal and $2,087 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Liestal pays 29% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $120 in Liestal vs $125 in Basel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $570 vs $584 per month, with Liestal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Liestal

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

Same time as Liestal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,807

174,491

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Liestal Basel 14 km

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Liestal
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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

Liestal vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 29% higher in Liestal, 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: $1,759 in Liestal 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 $3,252 per month in Liestal versus $3,669 in Basel – Liestal is about 11% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Dining out is cheaper in Liestal – a meal for two runs $120 versus $125 in Basel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Liestal 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, Liestal and Basel are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.