Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreux and Basel

For one person, living costs are similar in Montreux and in Basel: $3,392 and $3,461 a month, rent and utilities included.

165

Cost of Living Index in Montreux
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Montreux Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Montreux

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,392

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,461

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,392 in Montreux versus $3,461 in Basel.

Montreux $3,392
Basel $3,461

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,203 in Montreux versus $5,427 in Basel.

Montreux $5,203
Basel $5,427

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,015 in Montreux versus $7,394 in Basel.

Montreux $7,015
Basel $7,394

Living in Montreux costs roughly 2% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreux 151% above, Basel 156% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.50 CHF 25.12

$29.60 CHF 24.38

3.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$132 CHF 109

$123 CHF 102

7.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.41 CHF 15.16

$17.93 CHF 14.77

2.68%

Cappuccino

$5.93 CHF 4.89

$6.21 CHF 5.12

-4.51%

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

$4.86 CHF 4.00

$6.50 CHF 5.35

-25.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 CHF 3.38

$5.77 CHF 4.75

-28.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.83 CHF 8.10

$9.20 CHF 7.58

6.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 CHF 8.11

$9.79 CHF 8.07

0.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.12 CHF 1.75

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-6.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.35 CHF 2.76

$3.12 CHF 2.57

7.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.23 CHF 2.66

$3.17 CHF 2.61

1.89%

Eggs

$7.08 CHF 5.83

$7.83 CHF 6.45

-9.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.74 CHF 20.37

$26.04 CHF 21.45

-4.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.15 CHF 23.19

$26.78 CHF 22.05

5.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.23 CHF 32.31

$40.31 CHF 33.20

-2.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 CHF 2.86

$3.52 CHF 2.90

-1.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 CHF 1.35

$2.34 CHF 1.92

-30.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 CHF 2.00

$2.96 CHF 2.44

-17.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.62 CHF 3.81

$4.52 CHF 3.72

2.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CHF 1.47

$1.72 CHF 1.42

4.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 CHF 1.58

$1.89 CHF 1.56

1.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 CHF 1.61

$2.24 CHF 1.84

-12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 CHF 1.42

$1.61 CHF 1.33

6.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.67 CHF 8.79

$11.08 CHF 9.13

-3.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.98 CHF 9.87

$11.84 CHF 9.75

1.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 CHF 2.22

$2.52 CHF 2.08

7.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 CHF 2.60

$2.97 CHF 2.44

6.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.54 CHF 3.74

$4.53 CHF 3.73

0.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 CHF 82.8

$105 CHF 86.5

-4.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.52 CHF 6.20

$7.95 CHF 6.54

-5.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.95 CHF 3.25

$4.51 CHF 3.71

-12.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.4 CHF 51.4

$84.6 CHF 69.7

-26.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 CHF 1.89

$2.31 CHF 1.91

-0.43%

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

$38.2K CHF 31.4K

$42.3K CHF 34.8K

-9.70%

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

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

0.18%

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

$285 CHF 234

$292 CHF 240

-2.39%

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

$36.64 CHF 30.18

$46.45 CHF 38.25

-21.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CHF 41.94

$61.9 CHF 51.0

-17.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$88.5 CHF 72.9

$81.1 CHF 66.8

9.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.52 CHF 37.49

$58.5 CHF 48.17

-22.16%

Cinema Ticket

$23.83 CHF 19.63

$22.48 CHF 18.52

6.01%

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

$2,416 CHF 1,990

$2,993 CHF 2,465

-19.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K CHF 29.5K

$32.0K CHF 26.3K

12.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 113

$142 CHF 117

-3.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$76.0 CHF 62.6

$77.1 CHF 63.5

-1.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$163 CHF 134

$159 CHF 131

2.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$185 CHF 152

$198 CHF 163

-6.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 CHF 1,378

$1,953 CHF 1,609

-14.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 CHF 1,186

$1,465 CHF 1,207

-1.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,879 CHF 2,371

$3,586 CHF 2,954

-19.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,458 CHF 2,025

$2,796 CHF 2,302

-12.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.6K CHF 12.9K

$18.1K CHF 14.9K

-13.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.1K CHF 9,982

$14.3K CHF 11.8K

-15.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,082 CHF 6,657

$6,863 CHF 5,652

17.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

2.42

-19.42%

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

Last update for Montreux: 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

Montreux

$1.4K 42.5%

Basel

$1.5K 42.4% 1.8% $25

Groceries & Markets

Montreux

$570 16.8%

Basel

$576 16.7% 1.1% $6.3

Eating Out

Montreux

$475 14%

Basel

$480 13.9% 1% $4.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreux

$372 11%

Basel

$400 11.6% 7.4% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Montreux

$252 7.4%

Basel

$260 7.5% 3% $7.5

Getting Around

Montreux

$146 4.3%

Basel

$154 4.4% 5.2% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Montreux

$136 4%

Basel

$126 3.6% 7.4% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,673 in Montreux and $1,953 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreux pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $132 in Montreux vs $123 in Basel. Groceries flip the comparison at $570 vs $576, with Montreux cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Montreux

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

06:16 6:16 AM

Same time as Montreux

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,208

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

On the map

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Montreux Basel 140 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

Montreux vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreux wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Montreux the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Montreux, 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: $1,673 in Montreux versus $1,953 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,416 in Montreux versus $2,993 in Basel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Basel. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Montreux 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 Montreux delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $3,392 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Montreux hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Montreux 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 Montreux gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Basel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.