Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rapperswil and Zurich

For one person, living is cheaper in Rapperswil: $3,330 a month against $4,270 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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
207

Cost of Living Index in Zurich
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Zurich Living Index

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Rapperswil

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,330

/mo nomad

Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rapperswil and in Zurich

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,330 in Rapperswil versus $4,270 in Zurich.

Rapperswil $3,330
Zurich $4,270

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,029 in Rapperswil versus $6,666 in Zurich.

Rapperswil $5,029
Zurich $6,666

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,729 in Rapperswil versus $9,061 in Zurich.

Rapperswil $6,729
Zurich $9,061

Living in Rapperswil costs roughly 22% less than in Zurich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rapperswil 145% above, Zurich 214% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.80 CHF 19.74

$33.89 CHF 28.11

-29.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.5 CHF 79.3

$146 CHF 121

-34.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.02 CHF 13.29

$18.10 CHF 15.02

-11.49%

Cappuccino

$6.08 CHF 5.04

$6.88 CHF 5.71

-11.63%

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

$4.70 CHF 3.90

$5.73 CHF 4.75

-17.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.82 CHF 4.00

$5.25 CHF 4.36

-8.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.65 CHF 7.17

$9.61 CHF 7.97

-9.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.00 CHF 4.98

$8.37 CHF 6.94

-28.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 CHF 1.78

$2.11 CHF 1.75

1.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.39 CHF 2.81

$3.95 CHF 3.28

-14.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.35 CHF 3.61

$3.81 CHF 3.16

14.17%

Eggs

$7.80 CHF 6.47

$8.40 CHF 6.97

-7.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.76 CHF 22.20

$27.05 CHF 22.44

-1.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.19 CHF 21.73

$28.85 CHF 23.93

-9.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.71 CHF 33.77

$59.4 CHF 49.27

-31.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 CHF 2.99

$4.13 CHF 3.42

-12.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.79

$2.86 CHF 2.37

-24.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 CHF 2.17

$3.50 CHF 2.91

-25.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 CHF 3.99

$4.56 CHF 3.78

5.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.69

$2.55 CHF 2.11

-20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 CHF 1.82

$2.31 CHF 1.92

-5.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 CHF 1.92

$2.47 CHF 2.05

-6.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 CHF 1.14

$1.29 CHF 1.07

6.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.74 CHF 8.91

$11.04 CHF 9.16

-2.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.18 CHF 10.94

$14.00 CHF 11.61

-5.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 CHF 1.87

$2.88 CHF 2.39

-21.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 CHF 2.86

$3.18 CHF 2.64

8.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 CHF 3.62

$5.44 CHF 4.51

-19.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100.0 CHF 82.9

$105 CHF 86.7

-4.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.56 CHF 6.27

$8.14 CHF 6.75

-7.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.97 CHF 4.13

$4.56 CHF 3.79

8.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$88.3 CHF 73.3

$89.8 CHF 74.5

-1.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 CHF 1.80

$2.32 CHF 1.93

-6.47%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

$38.9K CHF 32.2K

1.78%

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

$38.9K CHF 32.3K

$39.0K CHF 32.4K

-0.32%

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

$237 CHF 196

$282 CHF 234

-16.17%

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

$31.70 CHF 26.30

$39.00 CHF 32.35

-18.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.1 CHF 54.0

$55.0 CHF 45.65

18.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$88.7 CHF 73.6

$84.6 CHF 70.2

4.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.22 CHF 37.52

$61.7 CHF 51.2

-26.70%

Cinema Ticket

$21.76 CHF 18.05

$24.31 CHF 20.17

-10.49%

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

$2,879 CHF 2,389

$3,444 CHF 2,857

-16.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.7K CHF 36.3K

$41.6K CHF 34.5K

5.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$141 CHF 117

$138 CHF 114

2.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$88.1 CHF 73.0

$55.0 CHF 45.64

60.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$149 CHF 124

$159 CHF 132

-6.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$174 CHF 144

$249 CHF 207

-30.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,769 CHF 1,468

$2,878 CHF 2,387

-38.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,478 CHF 1,226

$2,143 CHF 1,777

-31.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,984 CHF 2,475

$5,559 CHF 4,611

-46.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,524 CHF 2,094

$4,003 CHF 3,321

-36.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.6K CHF 13.7K

$28.2K CHF 23.4K

-41.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.6K CHF 10.5K

$16.9K CHF 14.0K

-25.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,230 CHF 6,827

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.72

2.09

-17.70%

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

Last update for Rapperswil: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zurich: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rapperswil

$1.5K 44.4%

Zurich

$2.1K 50.2% 45% $665

Groceries & Markets

Rapperswil

$583 17.5%

Zurich

$674 15.8% 15.5% $91

Eating Out

Rapperswil

$405 12.2%

Zurich

$517 12.1% 27.7% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rapperswil

$333 10%

Zurich

$376 8.8% 12.8% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Rapperswil

$248 7.5%

Zurich

$270 6.3% 8.9% $22

Getting Around

Rapperswil

$150 4.5%

Zurich

$157 3.7% 4.9% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Rapperswil

$132 4%

Zurich

$133 3.1% 0.8% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,769 in Rapperswil and $2,878 in Zurich. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $96 in Rapperswil vs $146 in Zurich for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $583 vs $674 per month, with Rapperswil cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Rapperswil

🇨🇭 Zurich

🕒 Local time

15:07 3:07 PM

Same time as Rapperswil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,354

443,037

💱 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 Zurich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rapperswil and Zurich differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($3,330 vs $4,270 including rent). Rapperswil is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,995 in Rapperswil and $6,406 in Zurich 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 $2,878 in Zurich. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,330 per month in Rapperswil versus $4,270 in Zurich – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Rapperswil runs roughly 4% less than in Zurich. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

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 Zurich 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 Rapperswil gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Zurich. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.