Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Neuchatel and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Neuchatel: $3,172 a month against $3,461 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Neuchatel
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Neuchatel Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Neuchatel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,172

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,461

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,172 in Neuchatel versus $3,461 in Basel.

Neuchatel $3,172
Basel $3,461

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,877 in Neuchatel versus $5,427 in Basel.

Neuchatel $4,877
Basel $5,427

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,583 in Neuchatel versus $7,394 in Basel.

Neuchatel $6,583
Basel $7,394

Living in Neuchatel costs roughly 8% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Neuchatel 135% above, Basel 156% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.68 CHF 21.98

$29.60 CHF 24.38

-9.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$116 CHF 95.6

$123 CHF 102

-5.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.96 CHF 14.79

$17.93 CHF 14.77

0.17%

Cappuccino

$5.90 CHF 4.86

$6.21 CHF 5.12

-4.99%

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

$3.98 CHF 3.28

$6.50 CHF 5.35

-38.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 CHF 2.76

$5.77 CHF 4.75

-41.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.38 CHF 7.73

$9.20 CHF 7.58

1.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CHF 5.93

$9.79 CHF 8.07

-26.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 CHF 1.70

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-8.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 CHF 2.54

$3.12 CHF 2.57

-0.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CHF 2.63

$3.17 CHF 2.61

0.63%

Eggs

$6.84 CHF 5.63

$7.83 CHF 6.45

-12.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.39 CHF 20.91

$26.04 CHF 21.45

-2.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.24 CHF 22.43

$26.78 CHF 22.05

1.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.83 CHF 32.80

$40.31 CHF 33.20

-1.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 CHF 2.61

$3.52 CHF 2.90

-9.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.77

$2.34 CHF 1.92

-8.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 CHF 2.39

$2.96 CHF 2.44

-1.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 CHF 3.78

$4.52 CHF 3.72

1.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 CHF 1.37

$1.72 CHF 1.42

-3.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 CHF 1.61

$1.89 CHF 1.56

3.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 CHF 1.83

$2.24 CHF 1.84

-0.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 CHF 1.00

$1.61 CHF 1.33

-24.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.92 CHF 8.99

$11.08 CHF 9.13

-1.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.01 CHF 9.90

$11.84 CHF 9.75

1.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 CHF 2.10

$2.52 CHF 2.08

0.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 CHF 2.08

$2.97 CHF 2.44

-15.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 CHF 2.42

$4.53 CHF 3.73

-35.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.8 CHF 75.6

$105 CHF 86.5

-12.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.91 CHF 6.51

$7.95 CHF 6.54

-0.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.26 CHF 3.51

$4.51 CHF 3.71

-5.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$76.4 CHF 62.9

$84.6 CHF 69.7

-9.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 CHF 1.92

$2.31 CHF 1.91

0.87%

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

$38.9K CHF 32.0K

$42.3K CHF 34.8K

-7.97%

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

$38.4K CHF 31.6K

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

-0.81%

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

$240 CHF 198

$292 CHF 240

-17.66%

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

$45.61 CHF 37.56

$46.45 CHF 38.25

-1.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.94 CHF 34.54

$61.9 CHF 51.0

-32.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$97.8 CHF 80.5

$81.1 CHF 66.8

20.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.55 CHF 34.22

$58.5 CHF 48.17

-28.95%

Cinema Ticket

$21.62 CHF 17.80

$22.48 CHF 18.52

-3.83%

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

$2,467 CHF 2,032

$2,993 CHF 2,465

-17.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.2K CHF 21.6K

$32.0K CHF 26.3K

-17.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$125 CHF 103

$142 CHF 117

-12.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 CHF 41.35

$77.1 CHF 63.5

-34.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$147 CHF 121

$159 CHF 131

-7.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 CHF 119

$198 CHF 163

-27.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,662 CHF 1,368

$1,953 CHF 1,609

-14.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,372 CHF 1,130

$1,465 CHF 1,207

-6.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,627 CHF 2,164

$3,586 CHF 2,954

-26.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,373 CHF 1,954

$2,796 CHF 2,302

-15.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$20.7K CHF 17.0K

$18.1K CHF 14.9K

14.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.5K CHF 11.1K

$14.3K CHF 11.8K

-5.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,930 CHF 5,707

$6,863 CHF 5,652

0.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.87

2.42

-22.73%

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

Last update for Neuchatel: October 12, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Neuchatel

$1.4K 43.2%

Basel

$1.5K 42.4% 6.8% $94

Groceries & Markets

Neuchatel

$561 17.7%

Basel

$576 16.7% 2.7% $15

Eating Out

Neuchatel

$429 13.5%

Basel

$480 13.9% 11.9% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Neuchatel

$328 10.3%

Basel

$400 11.6% 22.1% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Neuchatel

$210 6.6%

Basel

$260 7.5% 23.9% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Neuchatel

$141 4.4%

Basel

$126 3.6% 10.6% $15

Getting Around

Neuchatel

$133 4.2%

Basel

$154 4.4% 15.8% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,662 in Neuchatel and $1,953 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Neuchatel 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: $116 in Neuchatel vs $123 in Basel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $561 vs $576 per month, with Neuchatel cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Neuchatel

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

05:24 5:24 AM

Same time as Neuchatel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,641

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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Neuchatel Basel 80 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

Neuchatel vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Neuchatel wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Neuchatel the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1% higher in Neuchatel, 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: $1,662 in Neuchatel versus $1,953 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,467 in Neuchatel 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 3% higher in Basel. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Neuchatel 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 Neuchatel delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $3,172 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Neuchatel hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Neuchatel 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 Neuchatel gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Basel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.