Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rheinfelden and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Rheinfelden: $1,976 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Basel outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

95

Cost of Living Index in Rheinfelden
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Rheinfelden Living Index
176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Rheinfelden

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$1,976

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,976 in Rheinfelden versus $3,669 in Basel.

Rheinfelden $1,976
Basel $3,669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,764 in Rheinfelden versus $5,649 in Basel.

Rheinfelden $4,764
Basel $5,649

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,551 in Rheinfelden versus $7,629 in Basel.

Rheinfelden $7,551
Basel $7,629

Living in Rheinfelden costs roughly 46% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rheinfelden 45% above, Basel 170% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.11 CHF 24.96

$30.27 CHF 25.09

-0.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$123 CHF 102

$125 CHF 103

-1.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.06 CHF 14.97

$17.91 CHF 14.84

0.84%

Cappuccino

$5.76 CHF 4.78

$6.52 CHF 5.40

-11.66%

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

$5.51 CHF 4.57

$6.47 CHF 5.36

-14.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 CHF 4.05

$5.91 CHF 4.90

-17.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.44 CHF 7.00

$9.41 CHF 7.80

-10.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.67 CHF 5.53

$9.48 CHF 7.86

-29.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 CHF 1.82

$2.29 CHF 1.90

-3.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.61 CHF 3.00

$3.04 CHF 2.52

18.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.33 CHF 3.59

$3.27 CHF 2.71

32.42%

Eggs

$7.34 CHF 6.08

$7.97 CHF 6.60

-7.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.05 CHF 21.59

$26.34 CHF 21.83

-1.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.83 CHF 23.07

$27.32 CHF 22.64

1.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.23 CHF 34.18

$41.15 CHF 34.10

0.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 CHF 3.33

$3.70 CHF 3.07

8.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 CHF 1.79

$2.30 CHF 1.91

-6.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 CHF 2.45

$3.03 CHF 2.51

-2.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.45 CHF 4.52

$4.54 CHF 3.76

20.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 CHF 1.40

$1.68 CHF 1.39

0.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 CHF 1.60

$1.91 CHF 1.58

1.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 CHF 1.88

$2.27 CHF 1.88

-0.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 CHF 0.92

$1.60 CHF 1.32

-30.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.36 CHF 9.42

$11.15 CHF 9.24

1.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.30 CHF 10.20

$11.90 CHF 9.86

3.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 CHF 2.32

$2.44 CHF 2.02

14.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 CHF 2.96

$3.03 CHF 2.51

17.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.58 CHF 2.97

$5.21 CHF 4.32

-31.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$123 CHF 102

$105 CHF 86.8

17.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 CHF 3.80

$7.98 CHF 6.61

-42.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.81 CHF 2.33

$4.61 CHF 3.82

-39.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.9 CHF 49.67

$83.3 CHF 69.0

-28.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.85

$2.42 CHF 2.00

-7.85%

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

$38.6K CHF 32.0K

$38.3K CHF 31.8K

0.78%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

$40.0K CHF 33.1K

-0.99%

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

$236 CHF 196

$296 CHF 245

-20.05%

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

$46.56 CHF 38.59

$46.31 CHF 38.39

0.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.0 CHF 53.0

$63.2 CHF 52.4

1.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$107 CHF 88.3

$82.0 CHF 68.0

29.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.29

Cinema Ticket

$21.92 CHF 18.17

$22.84 CHF 18.94

-4.03%

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

$3,007 CHF 2,492

$3,139 CHF 2,602

-4.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K CHF 20.6K

$32.6K CHF 27.0K

-23.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 120

-0.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$80.0 CHF 66.3

$79.9 CHF 66.2

0.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$166 CHF 137

$159 CHF 132

3.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$202 CHF 167

$195 CHF 162

3.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,730

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,365

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,206 CHF 1,828

$3,618 CHF 2,999

-39.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,991 CHF 2,479

$2,966 CHF 2,459

0.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,868

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.41

2.42

-0.41%

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

Last update for Rheinfelden: October 26, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Rheinfelden

$595 30.1%

Basel

$584 15.9% 1.9% $11

Eating Out

Rheinfelden

$461 23.4%

Basel

$490 13.3% 6.1% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rheinfelden

$347 17.6%

Basel

$405 11% 16.8% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Rheinfelden

$266 13.5%

Basel

$261 7.1% 2.2% $5.7

Getting Around

Rheinfelden

$156 7.9%

Basel

$157 4.3% 0.3% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Rheinfelden

$150 7.6%

Basel

$128 3.5% 15.1% $23

Accommodation & Living

Rheinfelden

- * 0%

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $123 in Rheinfelden vs $125 in Basel. Groceries flip the comparison at $595 vs $584, with Basel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Rheinfelden

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

12:56 12:56 PM

Same time as Rheinfelden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,360

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

Rheinfelden vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rheinfelden wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Rheinfelden the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,964 in Rheinfelden 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.

All in, you’ll spend $1,976 per month in Rheinfelden versus $3,669 in Basel – a 86% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Basel runs roughly 15% less than in Rheinfelden. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $1,976 in Rheinfelden versus $3,669 in Basel, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Rheinfelden but tight or insufficient in Basel. The gap between the two cities makes Rheinfelden the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Rheinfelden 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.