Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riehen and Zurich

For one person, living is cheaper in Riehen: $3,372 a month against $4,451 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 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
217

Cost of Living Index in Zurich
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Zurich Living Index

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Riehen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,372

/mo nomad

Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,451

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,372 in Riehen versus $4,451 in Zurich.

Riehen $3,372
Zurich $4,451

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,084 in Riehen versus $6,817 in Zurich.

Riehen $5,084
Zurich $6,817

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,797 in Riehen versus $9,184 in Zurich.

Riehen $6,797
Zurich $9,184

Living in Riehen costs roughly 24% less than in Zurich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Riehen 150% above, Zurich 230% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.55 CHF 24.34

$34.71 CHF 28.59

-14.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 CHF 98.5

$144 CHF 119

-17.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.72 CHF 12.94

$17.69 CHF 14.57

-11.14%

Cappuccino

$6.21 CHF 5.11

$6.91 CHF 5.69

-10.13%

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

$4.98 CHF 4.10

$5.86 CHF 4.83

-15.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.26 CHF 4.33

$5.15 CHF 4.24

2.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.15 CHF 5.89

$9.70 CHF 7.99

-26.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.57 CHF 5.41

$8.28 CHF 6.82

-20.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 CHF 1.75

$2.20 CHF 1.81

-3.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CHF 2.59

$3.78 CHF 3.11

-16.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 CHF 2.89

$3.68 CHF 3.03

-4.62%

Eggs

$7.13 CHF 5.87

$8.54 CHF 7.03

-16.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.83 CHF 20.45

$27.22 CHF 22.42

-8.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.86 CHF 20.48

$27.67 CHF 22.79

-10.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$37.07 CHF 30.53

$61.7 CHF 50.8

-39.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 CHF 2.90

$4.14 CHF 3.41

-14.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 CHF 1.33

$2.68 CHF 2.21

-39.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 CHF 2.07

$3.54 CHF 2.91

-29.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 CHF 3.59

$4.45 CHF 3.67

-2.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 CHF 1.46

$2.54 CHF 2.09

-29.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 CHF 1.72

$2.21 CHF 1.82

-5.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$2.52 CHF 2.07

-13.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 CHF 1.02

$1.24 CHF 1.02

-0.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.91 CHF 8.99

$10.62 CHF 8.75

2.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.39 CHF 8.56

$13.83 CHF 11.39

-24.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 CHF 2.87

$2.66 CHF 2.19

30.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 CHF 1.91

$3.18 CHF 2.62

-27.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.45 CHF 3.67

$5.39 CHF 4.44

-17.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.6 CHF 81.2

$106 CHF 87.2

-6.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.84 CHF 8.11

$7.93 CHF 6.54

24.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.02 CHF 3.31

$4.50 CHF 3.71

-10.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$73.6 CHF 60.6

$89.4 CHF 73.6

-17.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 CHF 1.80

$2.28 CHF 1.87

-4.39%

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

$41.5K CHF 34.1K

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

6.32%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.3K

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

-0.70%

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

$339 CHF 280

$276 CHF 227

22.91%

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

$41.49 CHF 34.17

$36.80 CHF 30.31

12.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.6 CHF 46.59

$56.0 CHF 46.10

1.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$88.7 CHF 73.1

$91.3 CHF 75.2

-2.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.01 CHF 37.07

$60.0 CHF 49.43

-25.00%

Cinema Ticket

$21.40 CHF 17.63

$24.81 CHF 20.43

-13.74%

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

$1,786 CHF 1,471

$3,505 CHF 2,887

-49.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.6K CHF 30.2K

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

-12.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 CHF 84.0

$139 CHF 115

-26.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.0 CHF 46.94

$58.3 CHF 48.04

-2.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$165 CHF 136

$166 CHF 137

-0.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$183 CHF 151

$260 CHF 214

-29.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,680 CHF 1,384

$2,916 CHF 2,402

-42.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 CHF 1,186

$2,308 CHF 1,901

-37.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,422 CHF 2,819

$5,918 CHF 4,874

-42.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,418 CHF 1,992

$4,092 CHF 3,370

-40.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.7K CHF 12.9K

$26.8K CHF 22.1K

-41.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.0K CHF 9,867

$16.2K CHF 13.4K

-26.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,642 CHF 7,118

$7,928 CHF 6,529

9.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.31

2.07

11.59%

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

Last update for Riehen: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zurich: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riehen

$1.4K 42.7%

Zurich

$2.3K 51.9% 60.3% $869

Groceries & Markets

Riehen

$540 16%

Zurich

$671 15.1% 24.2% $131

Eating Out

Riehen

$448 13.3%

Zurich

$523 11.7% 16.7% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riehen

$438 13%

Zurich

$369 8.3% 15.7% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Riehen

$228 6.8%

Zurich

$281 6.3% 22.9% $52

Getting Around

Riehen

$146 4.3%

Zurich

$158 3.6% 7.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Riehen

$132 3.9%

Zurich

$141 3.2% 7.1% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,680 in Riehen and $2,916 in Zurich. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riehen pays 9% 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 $144 in Zurich for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $540 vs $671 per month, with Riehen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Riehen

🇨🇭 Zurich

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

Same time as Riehen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,970

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

Riehen vs Zurich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Riehen and Zurich differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($3,372 vs $4,451 including rent). Riehen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 9% 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 $2,916 in Zurich. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Zurich. 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 $144 in Zurich. 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 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 Riehen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Zurich. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.