Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Meilen and Bellinzona

For one person, living costs are similar in Meilen and in Bellinzona: $3,372 and $3,509 a month, rent and utilities included.

163

Cost of Living Index in Meilen
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Meilen Living Index
171

Cost of Living Index in Bellinzona
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Bellinzona Living Index

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Meilen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,372

/mo nomad

Bellinzona

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Meilen and in Bellinzona

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 Bellinzona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,372 per month in Meilen vs $3,509 in Bellinzona, rent included.

Meilen $3,372
Bellinzona $3,509

A couple spends around $5,942 per month in Meilen vs $5,423 in Bellinzona, rent included.

Meilen $5,942
Bellinzona $5,423

A family of three spends $8,512 per month in Meilen vs $7,337 in Bellinzona, rent included.

Meilen $8,512
Bellinzona $7,337

Meilen is about 4% cheaper than Bellinzona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Meilen and Bellinzona sit above the global median – Meilen by 150%, Bellinzona by 160%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$32.47 CHF 26.74

$34.40 CHF 28.33

-5.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 101

$120 CHF 98.7

2.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.33 CHF 13.45

$17.66 CHF 14.54

-7.53%

Cappuccino

$6.31 CHF 5.19

$4.85 CHF 4.00

30.10%

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

$5.68 CHF 4.67

$5.55 CHF 4.57

2.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 CHF 4.13

$4.42 CHF 3.64

13.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.46 CHF 6.97

$9.51 CHF 7.83

-11.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 CHF 6.83

$6.68 CHF 5.50

24.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$2.23 CHF 1.83

-0.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.27 CHF 2.69

$4.18 CHF 3.44

-21.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 CHF 3.11

$4.11 CHF 3.38

-8.03%

Eggs

$7.49 CHF 6.17

$7.89 CHF 6.50

-5.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.56 CHF 21.87

$27.08 CHF 22.30

-1.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$25.69 CHF 21.16

$30.85 CHF 25.41

-16.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.25 CHF 33.15

$41.72 CHF 34.36

-3.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 CHF 2.82

$3.64 CHF 3.00

-6.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 CHF 1.67

$2.02 CHF 1.66

0.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.67 CHF 2.20

$2.70 CHF 2.23

-1.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.77

$6.45 CHF 5.31

-28.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 CHF 1.61

$1.97 CHF 1.62

-0.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$2.09 CHF 1.72

3.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 CHF 1.91

$2.45 CHF 2.02

-5.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 CHF 1.03

$1.28 CHF 1.06

-2.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.03 CHF 9.09

$10.61 CHF 8.74

3.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.25 CHF 10.91

$17.75 CHF 14.62

-25.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 CHF 1.86

$2.87 CHF 2.36

-21.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 CHF 2.66

$3.92 CHF 3.22

-17.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 CHF 3.78

$2.78 CHF 2.29

65.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.8 CHF 79.7

$121 CHF 99.7

-19.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.55 CHF 6.21

$7.24 CHF 5.97

4.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.50 CHF 3.71

$5.67 CHF 4.67

-20.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$88.0 CHF 72.5

$36.42 CHF 30.00

141.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 CHF 1.86

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-1.31%

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

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

$35.1K CHF 28.9K

10.03%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

$39.1K CHF 32.2K

0.71%

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

$235 CHF 194

$300 CHF 247

-21.60%

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

$36.06 CHF 29.70

$35.26 CHF 29.04

2.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.3 CHF 53.8

$62.5 CHF 51.4

4.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$88.1 CHF 72.6

$143 CHF 117

-38.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.50 CHF 36.65

$54.2 CHF 44.66

-17.94%

Cinema Ticket

$21.90 CHF 18.04

$23.18 CHF 19.09

-5.52%

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

$2,816 CHF 2,319

$3,198 CHF 2,634

-11.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.3K CHF 34.8K

$34.8K CHF 28.7K

21.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 113

$200 CHF 165

-31.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.2 CHF 48.77

$48.63 CHF 40.05

21.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$144 CHF 118

$164 CHF 135

-12.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$174 CHF 143

$165 CHF 136

5.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,690 CHF 1,392

$1,569 CHF 1,292

7.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,471 CHF 1,211

$1,368 CHF 1,127

7.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,831 CHF 2,332

$2,485 CHF 2,047

13.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,065 CHF 3,348

$2,459 CHF 2,025

65.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.8K CHF 13.0K

$13.2K CHF 10.9K

19.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K CHF 9,812

$10.3K CHF 8,443

16.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,259 CHF 6,802

$6,494 CHF 5,349

27.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.72

2.23

-22.87%

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

Last update for Meilen: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bellinzona: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Meilen

$1.5K 43.6%

Bellinzona

$1.4K 39% 7% $102

Groceries & Markets

Meilen

$570 16.9%

Bellinzona

$639 18.2% 12% $69

Eating Out

Meilen

$486 14.4%

Bellinzona

$487 13.9% 0.2% $1.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Meilen

$337 10%

Bellinzona

$398 11.3% 18.2% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Meilen

$231 6.9%

Bellinzona

$260 7.4% 12.5% $29

Getting Around

Meilen

$145 4.3%

Bellinzona

$168 4.8% 15.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Meilen

$132 3.9%

Bellinzona

$189 5.4% 43.2% $57

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,690 in Meilen versus $1,569 in Bellinzona. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 27% higher in Meilen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Meilen versus $120 in Bellinzona. Groceries tell a different story – $570 in Meilen vs $639 in Bellinzona – so Meilen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Meilen

🇨🇭 Bellinzona

🕒 Local time

10:49 10:49 AM

Same time as Meilen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,515

43,785

💱 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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Meilen Bellinzona 120 km

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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 Bellinzona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,372 in Meilen, $3,509 in Bellinzona – roughly 4% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,059 per month in Meilen and $5,264 in Bellinzona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Meilen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,372 in Meilen and $3,509 in Bellinzona. That's a gap of about 4%.

Public transport costs about 25% less in Meilen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,372 in Meilen and $3,509 in Bellinzona. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Meilen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Meilen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bellinzona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.