Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riehen and Basel

For one person, living costs are similar in Riehen and in Basel: $3,372 and $3,461 a month, rent and utilities included.

164

Cost of Living Index in Riehen
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Riehen Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Riehen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,372

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,461

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,372 in Riehen versus $3,461 in Basel.

Riehen $3,372
Basel $3,461

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,084 in Riehen versus $5,427 in Basel.

Riehen $5,084
Basel $5,427

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,797 in Riehen versus $7,394 in Basel.

Riehen $6,797
Basel $7,394

Living in Riehen costs roughly 3% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Riehen 150% above, Basel 156% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.55 CHF 24.34

$29.60 CHF 24.38

-0.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 CHF 98.5

$123 CHF 102

-3.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.72 CHF 12.94

$17.93 CHF 14.77

-12.33%

Cappuccino

$6.21 CHF 5.11

$6.21 CHF 5.12

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

$4.98 CHF 4.10

$6.50 CHF 5.35

-23.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.26 CHF 4.33

$5.77 CHF 4.75

-8.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.15 CHF 5.89

$9.20 CHF 7.58

-22.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.57 CHF 5.41

$9.79 CHF 8.07

-32.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 CHF 1.75

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-5.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CHF 2.59

$3.12 CHF 2.57

0.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 CHF 2.89

$3.17 CHF 2.61

10.73%

Eggs

$7.13 CHF 5.87

$7.83 CHF 6.45

-8.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.83 CHF 20.45

$26.04 CHF 21.45

-4.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.86 CHF 20.48

$26.78 CHF 22.05

-7.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$37.07 CHF 30.53

$40.31 CHF 33.20

-8.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 CHF 2.90

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 CHF 1.33

$2.34 CHF 1.92

-31.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 CHF 2.07

$2.96 CHF 2.44

-15.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 CHF 3.59

$4.52 CHF 3.72

-3.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 CHF 1.46

$1.72 CHF 1.42

3.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 CHF 1.72

$1.89 CHF 1.56

10.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$2.24 CHF 1.84

-2.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 CHF 1.02

$1.61 CHF 1.33

-23.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.91 CHF 8.99

$11.08 CHF 9.13

-1.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.39 CHF 8.56

$11.84 CHF 9.75

-12.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 CHF 2.87

$2.52 CHF 2.08

38.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 CHF 1.91

$2.97 CHF 2.44

-21.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.45 CHF 3.67

$4.53 CHF 3.73

-1.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.6 CHF 81.2

$105 CHF 86.5

-6.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.84 CHF 8.11

$7.95 CHF 6.54

23.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.02 CHF 3.31

$4.51 CHF 3.71

-10.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$73.6 CHF 60.6

$84.6 CHF 69.7

-13.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 CHF 1.80

$2.31 CHF 1.91

-5.63%

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

$41.5K CHF 34.1K

$42.3K CHF 34.8K

-1.91%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.3K

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

1.34%

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

$339 CHF 280

$292 CHF 240

16.40%

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

$41.49 CHF 34.17

$46.45 CHF 38.25

-10.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.6 CHF 46.59

$61.9 CHF 51.0

-8.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$88.7 CHF 73.1

$81.1 CHF 66.8

9.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.01 CHF 37.07

$58.5 CHF 48.17

-23.03%

Cinema Ticket

$21.40 CHF 17.63

$22.48 CHF 18.52

-4.80%

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

$1,786 CHF 1,471

$2,993 CHF 2,465

-40.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.6K CHF 30.2K

$32.0K CHF 26.3K

14.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 CHF 84.0

$142 CHF 117

-28.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.0 CHF 46.94

$77.1 CHF 63.5

-26.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$165 CHF 136

$159 CHF 131

3.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$183 CHF 151

$198 CHF 163

-7.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,680 CHF 1,384

$1,953 CHF 1,609

-13.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 CHF 1,186

$1,465 CHF 1,207

-1.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,422 CHF 2,819

$3,586 CHF 2,954

-4.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,418 CHF 1,992

$2,796 CHF 2,302

-13.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.7K CHF 12.9K

$18.1K CHF 14.9K

-13.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.0K CHF 9,867

$14.3K CHF 11.8K

-16.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,642 CHF 7,118

$6,863 CHF 5,652

25.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.31

2.42

-4.55%

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

Last update for Riehen: October 11, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riehen

$1.4K 42.7%

Basel

$1.5K 42.4% 1.8% $26

Groceries & Markets

Riehen

$540 16%

Basel

$576 16.7% 6.7% $36

Eating Out

Riehen

$448 13.3%

Basel

$480 13.9% 7.1% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riehen

$438 13%

Basel

$400 11.6% 8.6% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Riehen

$228 6.8%

Basel

$260 7.5% 13.7% $31

Getting Around

Riehen

$146 4.3%

Basel

$154 4.4% 5% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Riehen

$132 3.9%

Basel

$126 3.6% 4.2% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,680 in Riehen and $1,953 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riehen pays 26% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $120 in Riehen vs $123 in Basel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $540 vs $576 per month, with Riehen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Riehen

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

Same time as Riehen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,970

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

On the map

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Riehen Basel 5 km

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Riehen
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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

Riehen vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Riehen wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Riehen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 26% higher in Riehen, 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: $1,680 in Riehen versus $1,953 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,786 in Riehen 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 7% 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. Riehen 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 Riehen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $3,372 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Riehen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Riehen 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 Riehen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Basel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.