Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Schaffhausen and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Schaffhausen: $3,139 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

150

Cost of Living Index in Schaffhausen
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Schaffhausen Living Index
176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Schaffhausen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,139

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,139 in Schaffhausen versus $3,669 in Basel.

Schaffhausen $3,139
Basel $3,669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,010 in Schaffhausen versus $5,649 in Basel.

Schaffhausen $5,010
Basel $5,649

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,882 in Schaffhausen versus $7,629 in Basel.

Schaffhausen $6,882
Basel $7,629

Living in Schaffhausen costs roughly 14% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Schaffhausen 131% above, Basel 170% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.45 CHF 25.24

$30.27 CHF 25.09

0.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 101

$125 CHF 103

-2.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.19 CHF 15.08

$17.91 CHF 14.84

1.56%

Cappuccino

$6.01 CHF 4.98

$6.52 CHF 5.40

-7.82%

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

$5.32 CHF 4.41

$6.47 CHF 5.36

-17.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.78 CHF 3.96

$5.91 CHF 4.90

-19.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.39 CHF 6.96

$9.41 CHF 7.80

-10.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.11 CHF 5.89

$9.48 CHF 7.86

-25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.79

$2.29 CHF 1.90

-5.68%

White Bread (500g)

$4.00 CHF 3.32

$3.04 CHF 2.52

31.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.25 CHF 3.52

$3.27 CHF 2.71

29.97%

Eggs

$7.81 CHF 6.47

$7.97 CHF 6.60

-2.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.90 CHF 23.13

$26.34 CHF 21.83

5.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$30.45 CHF 25.24

$27.32 CHF 22.64

11.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.66 CHF 35.36

$41.15 CHF 34.10

3.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.84 CHF 3.18

$3.70 CHF 3.07

3.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 CHF 1.72

$2.30 CHF 1.91

-10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 CHF 2.63

$3.03 CHF 2.51

4.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.49 CHF 4.55

$4.54 CHF 3.76

20.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 CHF 1.97

$1.68 CHF 1.39

41.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.77

$1.91 CHF 1.58

12.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 CHF 1.91

$2.27 CHF 1.88

1.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 CHF 0.96

$1.60 CHF 1.32

-27.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.82 CHF 8.97

$11.15 CHF 9.24

-2.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.00 CHF 9.94

$11.90 CHF 9.86

0.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 CHF 2.40

$2.44 CHF 2.02

18.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 CHF 2.97

$3.03 CHF 2.51

18.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.01 CHF 3.32

$5.21 CHF 4.32

-23.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.0 CHF 81.2

$105 CHF 86.8

-6.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.10 CHF 5.06

$7.98 CHF 6.61

-23.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.86 CHF 2.37

$4.61 CHF 3.82

-37.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.6 CHF 49.39

$83.3 CHF 69.0

-28.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.84

$2.42 CHF 2.00

-8.26%

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

$38.4K CHF 31.8K

$38.3K CHF 31.8K

0.08%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.7K

$40.0K CHF 33.1K

-1.42%

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

$229 CHF 190

$296 CHF 245

-22.41%

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

$28.98 CHF 24.02

$46.31 CHF 38.39

-37.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.0 CHF 51.4

$63.2 CHF 52.4

-1.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$110 CHF 91.2

$82.0 CHF 68.0

34.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.30 CHF 38.37

$58.3 CHF 48.29

-20.53%

Cinema Ticket

$23.59 CHF 19.55

$22.84 CHF 18.94

3.28%

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

$3,157 CHF 2,616

$3,139 CHF 2,602

0.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K CHF 20.3K

$32.6K CHF 27.0K

-24.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$163 CHF 135

$144 CHF 120

12.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 CHF 45.47

$79.9 CHF 66.2

-31.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$172 CHF 142

$159 CHF 132

7.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 CHF 124

$195 CHF 162

-23.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 CHF 1,054

$2,087 CHF 1,730

-39.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,192 CHF 988

$1,646 CHF 1,365

-27.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,689 CHF 2,228

$3,618 CHF 2,999

-25.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,317 CHF 1,921

$2,966 CHF 2,459

-21.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,110 CHF 6,723

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

-53.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,439 CHF 6,995

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

-38.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,148 CHF 5,925

$7,080 CHF 5,868

0.96%

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 Schaffhausen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Schaffhausen

$1.2K 38%

Basel

$1.6K 44.9% 38.1% $454

Groceries & Markets

Schaffhausen

$626 19.9%

Basel

$584 15.9% 6.7% $42

Eating Out

Schaffhausen

$467 14.9%

Basel

$490 13.3% 4.9% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Schaffhausen

$320 10.2%

Basel

$405 11% 26.5% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Schaffhausen

$243 7.7%

Basel

$261 7.1% 7.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Schaffhausen

$157 5%

Basel

$128 3.5% 18.7% $29

Getting Around

Schaffhausen

$134 4.3%

Basel

$157 4.3% 16.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,272 in Schaffhausen and $2,087 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $122 in Schaffhausen vs $125 in Basel. Groceries flip the comparison at $626 vs $584, with Basel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Schaffhausen

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

12:56 12:56 PM

Same time as Schaffhausen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,927

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

Schaffhausen vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Schaffhausen wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Schaffhausen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $4,709 in Schaffhausen 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,272 in Schaffhausen versus $2,087 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,157 in Schaffhausen versus $3,139 in Basel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Schaffhausen runs roughly 6% less than in Basel. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Schaffhausen 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, Schaffhausen 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.