Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riehen and Uster

For one person, living is cheaper in Riehen: $3,372 a month against $3,689 in Uster, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

164

Cost of Living Index in Riehen
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Riehen Living Index
178

Cost of Living Index in Uster
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Uster Living Index

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Riehen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,372

/mo nomad

Uster

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riehen and in Uster

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,372 in Riehen versus $3,689 in Uster.

Riehen $3,372
Uster $3,689

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,084 in Riehen versus $5,289 in Uster.

Riehen $5,084
Uster $5,289

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,797 in Riehen versus $6,889 in Uster.

Riehen $6,797
Uster $6,889

Living in Riehen costs roughly 9% less than in Uster, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Riehen 150% above, Uster 173% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.55 CHF 24.34

$30.11 CHF 24.80

-1.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 CHF 98.5

$120 CHF 98.7

-0.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.72 CHF 12.94

$18.34 CHF 15.10

-14.29%

Cappuccino

$6.21 CHF 5.11

$6.04 CHF 4.97

2.81%

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

$4.98 CHF 4.10

$5.33 CHF 4.39

-6.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.26 CHF 4.33

$4.79 CHF 3.95

9.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.15 CHF 5.89

$8.59 CHF 7.08

-16.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.57 CHF 5.41

$6.73 CHF 5.54

-2.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 CHF 1.75

$2.23 CHF 1.83

-4.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CHF 2.59

$3.34 CHF 2.75

-5.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 CHF 2.89

$4.39 CHF 3.61

-20.05%

Eggs

$7.13 CHF 5.87

$7.35 CHF 6.05

-2.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.83 CHF 20.45

$32.17 CHF 26.49

-22.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.86 CHF 20.48

$29.34 CHF 24.17

-15.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$37.07 CHF 30.53

$42.64 CHF 35.12

-13.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 CHF 2.90

$3.44 CHF 2.84

2.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 CHF 1.33

$2.10 CHF 1.73

-23.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 CHF 2.07

$2.81 CHF 2.31

-10.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 CHF 3.59

$4.58 CHF 3.78

-4.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 CHF 1.46

$2.04 CHF 1.68

-12.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 CHF 1.72

$2.18 CHF 1.79

-4.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$2.43 CHF 2.00

-9.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 CHF 1.02

$1.33 CHF 1.10

-7.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.91 CHF 8.99

$10.65 CHF 8.77

2.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.39 CHF 8.56

$12.97 CHF 10.69

-19.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 CHF 2.87

$3.25 CHF 2.68

7.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 CHF 1.91

$3.34 CHF 2.75

-30.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.45 CHF 3.67

$4.60 CHF 3.79

-3.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.6 CHF 81.2

$99.8 CHF 82.2

-1.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.84 CHF 8.11

$5.46 CHF 4.50

80.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.02 CHF 3.31

$3.28 CHF 2.70

22.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$73.6 CHF 60.6

$59.4 CHF 48.94

23.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 CHF 1.80

$2.19 CHF 1.80

-0.46%

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

$41.5K CHF 34.1K

$43.3K CHF 35.6K

-4.18%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.3K

$39.7K CHF 32.7K

-1.17%

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

$339 CHF 280

$233 CHF 192

45.73%

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

$41.49 CHF 34.17

$31.89 CHF 26.26

30.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.6 CHF 46.59

$65.4 CHF 53.8

-13.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$88.7 CHF 73.1

$73.6 CHF 60.6

20.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.01 CHF 37.07

$45.51 CHF 37.49

-1.10%

Cinema Ticket

$21.40 CHF 17.63

$21.75 CHF 17.92

-1.61%

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

$1,786 CHF 1,471

$1,802 CHF 1,484

-0.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.6K CHF 30.2K

$32.6K CHF 26.8K

12.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 CHF 84.0

$164 CHF 135

-37.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.0 CHF 46.94

$86.4 CHF 71.1

-34.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$165 CHF 136

$143 CHF 118

15.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$183 CHF 151

$173 CHF 142

5.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,680 CHF 1,384

$1,678 CHF 1,382

0.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 CHF 1,186

$1,759 CHF 1,448

-18.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,422 CHF 2,819

$2,928 CHF 2,412

16.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,418 CHF 1,992

$2,382 CHF 1,962

1.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.7K CHF 12.9K

$15.9K CHF 13.1K

-1.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.0K CHF 9,867

$12.1K CHF 9,993

-1.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,642 CHF 7,118

$6,850 CHF 5,642

26.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.31

1.72

34.30%

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

Last update for Riehen: October 11, 2026

Last update for Uster: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riehen

$1.4K 42.7%

Uster

$1.8K 47.7% 22.1% $319

Groceries & Markets

Riehen

$540 16%

Uster

$623 16.9% 15.3% $82

Eating Out

Riehen

$448 13.3%

Uster

$465 12.6% 3.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riehen

$438 13%

Uster

$330 9% 24.5% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Riehen

$228 6.8%

Uster

$255 6.9% 11.7% $27

Getting Around

Riehen

$146 4.3%

Uster

$140 3.8% 4.3% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Riehen

$132 3.9%

Uster

$117 3.2% 11% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,680 in Riehen and $1,678 in Uster. 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 $120 in Uster for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $540 vs $623 per month, with Riehen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Riehen

🇨🇭 Uster

🕒 Local time

07:00 7:00 AM

Same time as Riehen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,970

33,097

💱 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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Between locations

Riehen Uster 84 km

From you

Riehen
Uster

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 Uster: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Riehen and Uster differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($3,372 vs $3,689 including rent). Riehen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

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 $1,678 in Uster. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Uster. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Riehen – a meal for two runs $120 versus $120 in Uster. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 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, Riehen and Uster 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 9% less than in Uster. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.