Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreux and Bern

For one person, living costs are similar in Montreux and in Bern: $3,392 and $3,337 a month, rent and utilities included.

165

Cost of Living Index in Montreux
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Montreux Living Index
162

Cost of Living Index in Bern
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Bern Living Index

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Montreux

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,392

/mo nomad

Bern

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,337

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreux and in Bern

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,392 in Montreux versus $3,337 in Bern.

Montreux $3,392
Bern $3,337

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,203 in Montreux versus $5,148 in Bern.

Montreux $5,203
Bern $5,148

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,015 in Montreux versus $6,958 in Bern.

Montreux $7,015
Bern $6,958

Living in Montreux is roughly 2% more expensive than in Bern, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreux 151% above, Bern 147% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.50 CHF 25.12

$28.53 CHF 23.50

6.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$132 CHF 109

$119 CHF 98.3

10.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.41 CHF 15.16

$15.35 CHF 12.64

19.93%

Cappuccino

$5.93 CHF 4.89

$6.90 CHF 5.68

-14.06%

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

$4.86 CHF 4.00

$6.13 CHF 5.05

-20.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 CHF 3.38

$6.79 CHF 5.59

-39.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.83 CHF 8.10

$8.89 CHF 7.32

10.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 CHF 8.11

$7.72 CHF 6.36

27.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.12 CHF 1.75

$2.17 CHF 1.79

-2.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.35 CHF 2.76

$3.02 CHF 2.49

10.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.23 CHF 2.66

$3.25 CHF 2.67

-0.62%

Eggs

$7.08 CHF 5.83

$7.79 CHF 6.42

-9.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.74 CHF 20.37

$23.73 CHF 19.54

4.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.15 CHF 23.19

$28.58 CHF 23.54

-1.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.23 CHF 32.31

$38.02 CHF 31.31

3.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 CHF 2.86

$3.93 CHF 3.23

-11.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 CHF 1.35

$1.97 CHF 1.63

-17.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 CHF 2.00

$2.70 CHF 2.22

-10.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.62 CHF 3.81

$4.56 CHF 3.76

1.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CHF 1.47

$1.61 CHF 1.33

11.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 CHF 1.58

$2.04 CHF 1.68

-5.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 CHF 1.61

$2.27 CHF 1.87

-13.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 CHF 1.42

$1.28 CHF 1.05

34.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.67 CHF 8.79

$11.37 CHF 9.37

-6.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.98 CHF 9.87

$12.12 CHF 9.98

-1.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 CHF 2.22

$2.19 CHF 1.80

23.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 CHF 2.60

$2.97 CHF 2.45

6.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.54 CHF 3.74

$6.11 CHF 5.03

-25.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 CHF 82.8

$98.4 CHF 81.0

2.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.52 CHF 6.20

$8.19 CHF 6.75

-8.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.95 CHF 3.25

$4.61 CHF 3.79

-14.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.4 CHF 51.4

$106 CHF 87.3

-41.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 CHF 1.89

$2.35 CHF 1.93

-2.13%

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

$38.2K CHF 31.4K

$42.0K CHF 34.6K

-9.01%

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

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

-0.56%

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

$285 CHF 234

$275 CHF 227

3.34%

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

$36.64 CHF 30.18

$28.22 CHF 23.24

29.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 CHF 41.94

$53.9 CHF 44.43

-5.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$88.5 CHF 72.9

$89.2 CHF 73.4

-0.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.52 CHF 37.49

$46.49 CHF 38.29

-2.09%

Cinema Ticket

$23.83 CHF 19.63

$23.80 CHF 19.60

0.13%

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

$2,416 CHF 1,990

$3,103 CHF 2,556

-22.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K CHF 29.5K

$30.9K CHF 25.4K

15.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 113

-0.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$76.0 CHF 62.6

$60.7 CHF 50.0

25.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$163 CHF 134

$156 CHF 128

4.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$185 CHF 152

$192 CHF 158

-3.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 CHF 1,378

$1,841 CHF 1,516

-9.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 CHF 1,186

$1,411 CHF 1,162

2.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,879 CHF 2,371

$3,449 CHF 2,841

-16.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,458 CHF 2,025

$2,508 CHF 2,066

-1.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.6K CHF 12.9K

$18.3K CHF 15.0K

-14.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.1K CHF 9,982

$15.1K CHF 12.4K

-19.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,082 CHF 6,657

$6,708 CHF 5,525

20.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

2.46

-20.73%

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

Last update for Montreux: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bern: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreux

$1.4K 42.5%

Bern

$1.4K 42.3% 2% $29

Groceries & Markets

Montreux

$570 16.8%

Bern

$564 16.9% 1.1% $6.3

Eating Out

Montreux

$475 14%

Bern

$469 14% 1.4% $6.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreux

$372 11%

Bern

$358 10.7% 3.9% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Montreux

$252 7.4%

Bern

$246 7.4% 2.6% $6.6

Getting Around

Montreux

$146 4.3%

Bern

$154 4.6% 5.5% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Montreux

$136 4%

Bern

$137 4.1% 0.5% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,673 in Montreux and $1,841 in Bern. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreux pays 20% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $132 in Montreux vs $119 in Bern for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $570 vs $564 per month, with Bern cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Montreux

🇨🇭 Bern

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

Same time as Montreux

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,208

128,848 Capital

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Montreux Bern 71 km

From you

Montreux
Bern

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

Montreux vs Bern: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 20% 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 $1,841 in Bern. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bern – a meal for two runs $119 versus $132 in Montreux. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,392 per month in Montreux versus $3,337 in Bern – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Bern 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 Bern delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $3,337 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bern hard to pass up.

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