Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rapperswil and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Rapperswil: $3,330 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

161

Cost of Living Index in Rapperswil
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Rapperswil Living Index
176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Rapperswil

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,330

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,330 in Rapperswil versus $3,669 in Basel.

Rapperswil $3,330
Basel $3,669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,029 in Rapperswil versus $5,649 in Basel.

Rapperswil $5,029
Basel $5,649

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,729 in Rapperswil versus $7,629 in Basel.

Rapperswil $6,729
Basel $7,629

Living in Rapperswil costs roughly 9% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rapperswil 145% above, Basel 170% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.80 CHF 19.73

$30.27 CHF 25.09

-21.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.5 CHF 79.2

$125 CHF 103

-23.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.02 CHF 13.28

$17.91 CHF 14.84

-10.55%

Cappuccino

$6.08 CHF 5.04

$6.52 CHF 5.40

-6.75%

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

$4.70 CHF 3.90

$6.47 CHF 5.36

-27.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.82 CHF 3.99

$5.91 CHF 4.90

-18.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.65 CHF 7.17

$9.41 CHF 7.80

-8.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.00 CHF 4.97

$9.48 CHF 7.86

-36.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 CHF 1.78

$2.29 CHF 1.90

-6.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.39 CHF 2.81

$3.04 CHF 2.52

11.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.35 CHF 3.61

$3.27 CHF 2.71

33.03%

Eggs

$7.80 CHF 6.46

$7.97 CHF 6.60

-2.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.76 CHF 22.18

$26.34 CHF 21.83

1.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.19 CHF 21.71

$27.32 CHF 22.64

-4.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.71 CHF 33.74

$41.15 CHF 34.10

-1.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 CHF 2.98

$3.70 CHF 3.07

-2.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.78

$2.30 CHF 1.91

-6.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 CHF 2.17

$3.03 CHF 2.51

-13.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 CHF 3.98

$4.54 CHF 3.76

5.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.69

$1.68 CHF 1.39

21.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 CHF 1.82

$1.91 CHF 1.58

14.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 CHF 1.92

$2.27 CHF 1.88

2.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 CHF 1.13

$1.60 CHF 1.32

-14.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.74 CHF 8.90

$11.15 CHF 9.24

-3.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.18 CHF 10.93

$11.90 CHF 9.86

10.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 CHF 1.86

$2.44 CHF 2.02

-7.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 CHF 2.85

$3.03 CHF 2.51

13.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 CHF 3.62

$5.21 CHF 4.32

-16.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100.0 CHF 82.9

$105 CHF 86.8

-4.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.56 CHF 6.26

$7.98 CHF 6.61

-5.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.97 CHF 4.12

$4.61 CHF 3.82

7.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$88.3 CHF 73.2

$83.3 CHF 69.0

6.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 CHF 1.80

$2.42 CHF 2.00

-10.33%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

$38.3K CHF 31.8K

3.22%

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

$38.9K CHF 32.2K

$40.0K CHF 33.1K

-2.76%

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

$237 CHF 196

$296 CHF 245

-19.94%

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

$31.70 CHF 26.27

$46.31 CHF 38.39

-31.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.1 CHF 54.0

$63.2 CHF 52.4

3.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$88.7 CHF 73.5

$82.0 CHF 68.0

8.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.22 CHF 37.48

$58.3 CHF 48.29

-22.38%

Cinema Ticket

$21.76 CHF 18.03

$22.84 CHF 18.94

-4.73%

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

$2,879 CHF 2,386

$3,139 CHF 2,602

-8.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.7K CHF 36.2K

$32.6K CHF 27.0K

33.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$141 CHF 117

$144 CHF 120

-2.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$88.1 CHF 73.0

$79.9 CHF 66.2

10.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$149 CHF 124

$159 CHF 132

-6.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$174 CHF 144

$195 CHF 162

-10.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,769 CHF 1,466

$2,087 CHF 1,730

-15.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,478 CHF 1,225

$1,646 CHF 1,365

-10.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,984 CHF 2,473

$3,618 CHF 2,999

-17.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,524 CHF 2,092

$2,966 CHF 2,459

-14.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.6K CHF 13.7K

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

-5.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.6K CHF 10.5K

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

-7.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,868

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.72

2.42

-28.93%

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

Last update for Rapperswil: October 25, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rapperswil

$1.5K 44.4%

Basel

$1.6K 44.9% 11.4% $168

Groceries & Markets

Rapperswil

$583 17.5%

Basel

$584 15.9% 0% $0.2

Eating Out

Rapperswil

$405 12.2%

Basel

$490 13.3% 21% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rapperswil

$333 10%

Basel

$405 11% 21.5% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Rapperswil

$248 7.5%

Basel

$261 7.1% 4.9% $12

Getting Around

Rapperswil

$150 4.5%

Basel

$157 4.3% 4.5% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Rapperswil

$132 4%

Basel

$128 3.5% 3.4% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,769 in Rapperswil and $2,087 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $96 in Rapperswil vs $125 in Basel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $583 vs $584 per month, with Rapperswil cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Rapperswil

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

12:57 12:57 PM

Same time as Rapperswil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,354

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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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

Rapperswil vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $4,995 in Rapperswil and $5,504 in Basel to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,769 in Rapperswil versus $2,087 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,879 in Rapperswil versus $3,139 in Basel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rapperswil – a meal for two runs $96 versus $125 in Basel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Rapperswil is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Rapperswil 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.