Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mendrisio and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Mendrisio: $3,034 a month against $3,461 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Mendrisio
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Mendrisio Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Mendrisio

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,034

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,461

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,034 in Mendrisio versus $3,461 in Basel.

Mendrisio $3,034
Basel $3,461

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,758 in Mendrisio versus $5,427 in Basel.

Mendrisio $3,758
Basel $5,427

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,483 in Mendrisio versus $7,394 in Basel.

Mendrisio $4,483
Basel $7,394

Living in Mendrisio costs roughly 12% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mendrisio 125% above, Basel 156% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$34.26 CHF 28.21

$29.60 CHF 24.38

15.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$177 CHF 146

$123 CHF 102

43.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.99 CHF 15.64

$17.93 CHF 14.77

5.91%

Cappuccino

$4.80 CHF 3.96

$6.21 CHF 5.12

-22.71%

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

$5.41 CHF 4.46

$6.50 CHF 5.35

-16.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 CHF 3.60

$5.77 CHF 4.75

-24.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.36 CHF 6.88

$9.20 CHF 7.58

-9.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.03 CHF 5.79

$9.79 CHF 8.07

-28.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 CHF 1.80

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-3.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.70 CHF 3.04

$3.12 CHF 2.57

18.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.15 CHF 3.42

$3.17 CHF 2.61

30.91%

Eggs

$7.07 CHF 5.83

$7.83 CHF 6.45

-9.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.44 CHF 20.95

$26.04 CHF 21.45

-2.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.11 CHF 23.15

$26.78 CHF 22.05

4.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.04 CHF 32.15

$40.31 CHF 33.20

-3.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 CHF 2.60

$3.52 CHF 2.90

-10.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 CHF 1.40

$2.34 CHF 1.92

-27.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 CHF 2.11

$2.96 CHF 2.44

-13.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.49 CHF 5.35

$4.52 CHF 3.72

43.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 CHF 1.52

$1.72 CHF 1.42

6.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 CHF 1.76

$1.89 CHF 1.56

12.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CHF 1.93

$2.24 CHF 1.84

4.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 CHF 0.96

$1.61 CHF 1.33

-27.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.74 CHF 8.84

$11.08 CHF 9.13

-3.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.64 CHF 12.06

$11.84 CHF 9.75

23.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.36 CHF 2.77

$2.52 CHF 2.08

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 CHF 3.36

$2.97 CHF 2.44

37.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$4.53 CHF 3.73

-33.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.07 CHF 5.82

$7.95 CHF 6.54

-11.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.38 CHF 4.43

$4.51 CHF 3.71

19.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$78.3 CHF 64.5

$84.6 CHF 69.7

-7.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 CHF 1.81

$2.31 CHF 1.91

-4.76%

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

$34.6K CHF 28.5K

$42.3K CHF 34.8K

-18.09%

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

$38.6K CHF 31.8K

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

-0.39%

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

$304 CHF 250

$292 CHF 240

4.14%

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

$25.15 CHF 20.71

$46.45 CHF 38.25

-45.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.38 CHF 39.85

$61.9 CHF 51.0

-21.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.1 CHF 60.2

$81.1 CHF 66.8

-9.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.5 CHF 48.17

Cinema Ticket

$21.74 CHF 17.91

$22.48 CHF 18.52

-3.29%

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

$3,187 CHF 2,625

$2,993 CHF 2,465

6.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$38.5K CHF 31.7K

$32.0K CHF 26.3K

20.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 CHF 87.8

$142 CHF 117

-25.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.52 CHF 39.14

$77.1 CHF 63.5

-38.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$164 CHF 135

$159 CHF 131

3.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 CHF 137

$198 CHF 163

-16.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,381 CHF 1,137

$1,953 CHF 1,609

-29.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 CHF 987

$1,465 CHF 1,207

-18.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,586 CHF 2,954

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,796 CHF 2,302

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.1K CHF 14.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.3K CHF 11.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,944 CHF 5,719

$6,863 CHF 5,652

1.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.37

2.42

-2.07%

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

Last update for Mendrisio: October 11, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mendrisio

$1.2K 39.5%

Basel

$1.5K 42.4% 22.3% $267

Groceries & Markets

Mendrisio

$594 19.6%

Basel

$576 16.7% 2.9% $17

Eating Out

Mendrisio

$484 15.9%

Basel

$480 13.9% 0.8% $3.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mendrisio

$377 12.4%

Basel

$400 11.6% 6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Mendrisio

$218 7.2%

Basel

$260 7.5% 19.1% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Mendrisio

$117 3.8%

Basel

$126 3.6% 8.2% $9.5

Getting Around

Mendrisio

$46 * 1.5%

Basel

$154 4.4% 234% $108

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,381 in Mendrisio and $1,953 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mendrisio pays 1% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $177 in Mendrisio vs $123 in Basel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $594 vs $576 per month, with Basel cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Mendrisio

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

05:24 5:24 AM

Same time as Mendrisio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,562

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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Mendrisio Basel 220 km

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Mendrisio
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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

Mendrisio vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mendrisio wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mendrisio the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1% higher in Mendrisio, 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: $1,381 in Mendrisio versus $1,953 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,187 in Mendrisio versus $2,993 in Basel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mendrisio – a meal for two runs $177 versus $123 in Basel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Mendrisio 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 Mendrisio delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $3,034 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mendrisio hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Mendrisio 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 Mendrisio gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Basel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.