Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Meilen and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Meilen: $3,386 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

164

Cost of Living Index in Meilen
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Meilen Living Index
176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Meilen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,386

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,386 in Meilen versus $3,669 in Basel.

Meilen $3,386
Basel $3,669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,977 in Meilen versus $5,649 in Basel.

Meilen $5,977
Basel $5,649

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,568 in Meilen versus $7,629 in Basel.

Meilen $8,568
Basel $7,629

Living in Meilen costs roughly 8% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Meilen 149% above, Basel 170% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$32.96 CHF 27.19

$30.27 CHF 24.97

8.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 CHF 98.8

$125 CHF 103

-4.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.48 CHF 13.60

$17.91 CHF 14.77

-7.98%

Cappuccino

$6.36 CHF 5.24

$6.52 CHF 5.38

-2.45%

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

$5.76 CHF 4.75

$6.47 CHF 5.34

-10.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 CHF 4.33

$5.91 CHF 4.87

-11.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.63 CHF 7.12

$9.41 CHF 7.76

-8.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.56 CHF 7.06

$9.48 CHF 7.82

-9.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 CHF 1.80

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-4.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.42 CHF 2.82

$3.04 CHF 2.51

12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.74 CHF 3.08

$3.27 CHF 2.70

14.37%

Eggs

$7.85 CHF 6.48

$7.97 CHF 6.57

-1.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.09 CHF 21.52

$26.34 CHF 21.73

-0.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$25.84 CHF 21.32

$27.32 CHF 22.53

-5.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.94 CHF 32.94

$41.15 CHF 33.94

-2.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 CHF 2.88

$3.70 CHF 3.05

-5.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 CHF 1.74

$2.30 CHF 1.90

-8.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 CHF 2.24

$3.03 CHF 2.50

-10.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 CHF 3.71

$4.54 CHF 3.75

-0.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 CHF 1.71

$1.68 CHF 1.38

23.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 CHF 1.80

$1.91 CHF 1.58

14.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CHF 1.94

$2.27 CHF 1.87

3.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 CHF 1.04

$1.60 CHF 1.32

-21.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.05 CHF 9.12

$11.15 CHF 9.20

-0.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.29 CHF 10.96

$11.90 CHF 9.82

11.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 CHF 1.85

$2.44 CHF 2.01

-7.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 CHF 2.60

$3.03 CHF 2.50

3.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.43 CHF 3.65

$5.21 CHF 4.30

-14.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 CHF 84.2

$105 CHF 86.4

-2.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.64 CHF 6.30

$7.98 CHF 6.58

-4.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.50 CHF 3.71

$4.61 CHF 3.81

-2.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$87.5 CHF 72.2

$83.3 CHF 68.7

5.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 CHF 1.81

$2.42 CHF 1.99

-9.50%

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

$38.6K CHF 31.9K

$38.3K CHF 31.6K

0.84%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

$40.0K CHF 33.0K

-2.56%

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

$234 CHF 193

$296 CHF 244

-20.87%

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

$38.39 CHF 31.67

$46.31 CHF 38.20

-17.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.6 CHF 53.3

$63.2 CHF 52.1

2.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.9 CHF 75.0

$82.0 CHF 67.7

10.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.64 CHF 37.65

$58.3 CHF 48.06

-21.66%

Cinema Ticket

$23.65 CHF 19.51

$22.84 CHF 18.84

3.55%

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

$2,822 CHF 2,328

$3,139 CHF 2,589

-10.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.6K CHF 35.2K

$32.6K CHF 26.9K

30.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$138 CHF 114

$144 CHF 119

-4.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.1 CHF 47.96

$79.9 CHF 65.9

-27.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$145 CHF 120

$159 CHF 132

-8.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$175 CHF 144

$195 CHF 161

-10.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,778 CHF 1,466

$2,087 CHF 1,722

-14.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 CHF 1,207

$1,646 CHF 1,358

-11.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,894 CHF 2,388

$3,618 CHF 2,984

-19.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,088 CHF 3,372

$2,966 CHF 2,447

37.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.4K CHF 13.5K

$17.5K CHF 14.4K

-6.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.6K CHF 10.4K

$13.7K CHF 11.3K

-8.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,262 CHF 6,815

$7,080 CHF 5,840

16.70%

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 Meilen: 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

Meilen

$1.5K 43.2%

Basel

$1.6K 44.9% 12.6% $184

Groceries & Markets

Meilen

$572 16.9%

Basel

$584 15.9% 2% $11

Eating Out

Meilen

$494 14.6%

Basel

$490 13.3% 0.8% $4.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Meilen

$337 10%

Basel

$405 11% 20.3% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Meilen

$232 6.9%

Basel

$261 7.1% 12.2% $28

Getting Around

Meilen

$150 4.4%

Basel

$157 4.3% 4.5% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Meilen

$138 4.1%

Basel

$128 3.5% 7.6% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,778 in Meilen and $2,087 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Meilen pays 17% 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 Meilen vs $125 in Basel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $572 vs $584 per month, with Meilen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Meilen

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

23:14 11:14 PM

Same time as Meilen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,515

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

On the map

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Meilen Basel 85 km

From you

Meilen
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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

Meilen vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Meilen wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Meilen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Meilen, 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: $1,778 in Meilen versus $2,087 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,822 in Meilen 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 Meilen – 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 $2,000. Meilen 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, Meilen and Basel are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.