Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Schaffhausen and Geneva

For one person, living is cheaper in Schaffhausen: $3,139 a month against $4,079 in Geneva, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Geneva outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

150

Cost of Living Index in Schaffhausen
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Schaffhausen Living Index
198

Cost of Living Index in Geneva
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Geneva Living Index

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Schaffhausen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,139

/mo nomad

Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,079

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Schaffhausen and in Geneva

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

A single person spends $3,139 per month in Schaffhausen vs $4,079 in Geneva, rent included.

Schaffhausen $3,139
Geneva $4,079

A couple spends around $5,010 per month in Schaffhausen vs $6,308 in Geneva, rent included.

Schaffhausen $5,010
Geneva $6,308

A family of three spends $6,882 per month in Schaffhausen vs $8,538 in Geneva, rent included.

Schaffhausen $6,882
Geneva $8,538

Schaffhausen is about 23% cheaper than Geneva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Schaffhausen and Geneva sit above the global median – Schaffhausen by 131%, Geneva by 200%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.45 CHF 25.11

$30.31 CHF 25.00

0.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 101

$129 CHF 107

-5.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.19 CHF 15.01

$19.47 CHF 16.06

-6.57%

Cappuccino

$6.01 CHF 4.96

$6.40 CHF 5.28

-6.09%

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

$5.32 CHF 4.39

$4.66 CHF 3.85

14.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.78 CHF 3.94

$4.13 CHF 3.41

15.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.39 CHF 6.92

$9.82 CHF 8.10

-14.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.11 CHF 5.86

$9.87 CHF 8.14

-27.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$2.35 CHF 1.94

-8.09%

White Bread (500g)

$4.00 CHF 3.30

$3.26 CHF 2.69

22.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.25 CHF 3.51

$3.39 CHF 2.79

25.37%

Eggs

$7.81 CHF 6.44

$8.18 CHF 6.74

-4.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.90 CHF 23.02

$25.05 CHF 20.66

11.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$30.45 CHF 25.12

$29.22 CHF 24.11

4.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.66 CHF 35.19

$42.51 CHF 35.07

0.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.84 CHF 3.17

$3.53 CHF 2.92

8.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 CHF 1.71

$1.63 CHF 1.35

26.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 CHF 2.62

$2.85 CHF 2.35

11.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.49 CHF 4.53

$4.90 CHF 4.04

12.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 CHF 1.96

$1.64 CHF 1.35

45.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-6.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 CHF 1.90

$2.19 CHF 1.81

5.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 CHF 0.95

$1.66 CHF 1.37

-30.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.82 CHF 8.92

$10.97 CHF 9.05

-1.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.00 CHF 9.90

$12.16 CHF 10.03

-1.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 CHF 2.38

$3.21 CHF 2.65

-9.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 CHF 2.96

$3.30 CHF 2.72

8.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.01 CHF 3.30

$3.55 CHF 2.93

12.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.0 CHF 80.8

$85.8 CHF 70.8

14.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.10 CHF 5.04

$7.61 CHF 6.28

-19.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.86 CHF 2.36

$3.76 CHF 3.10

-23.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.6 CHF 49.15

$64.2 CHF 52.9

-7.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.83

$2.35 CHF 1.94

-5.53%

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

$38.4K CHF 31.6K

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

-3.00%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

1.47%

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

$229 CHF 189

$280 CHF 231

-18.06%

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

$28.98 CHF 23.90

$37.96 CHF 31.31

-23.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.0 CHF 51.1

$57.6 CHF 47.47

7.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$110 CHF 90.7

$77.0 CHF 63.5

42.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.30 CHF 38.19

$43.34 CHF 35.75

6.83%

Cinema Ticket

$23.59 CHF 19.46

$23.96 CHF 19.77

-1.54%

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

$3,157 CHF 2,604

$2,484 CHF 2,049

27.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K CHF 20.2K

$35.2K CHF 29.0K

-30.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$163 CHF 134

$133 CHF 110

22.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 CHF 45.25

$79.1 CHF 65.2

-30.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$172 CHF 142

$169 CHF 139

1.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 CHF 124

$188 CHF 155

-20.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 CHF 1,049

$2,825 CHF 2,331

-54.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,192 CHF 983

$2,115 CHF 1,744

-43.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,689 CHF 2,218

$5,088 CHF 4,197

-47.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,317 CHF 1,911

$3,963 CHF 3,269

-41.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,110 CHF 6,690

$22.5K CHF 18.5K

-63.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,439 CHF 6,961

$16.3K CHF 13.5K

-48.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,148 CHF 5,896

$7,271 CHF 5,998

-1.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.41

1.98

21.72%

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

Last update for Schaffhausen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Geneva: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Schaffhausen

$1.2K 38%

Geneva

$2.1K 51.9% 77.4% $923

Groceries & Markets

Schaffhausen

$626 19.9%

Geneva

$600 14.7% 4.2% $26

Eating Out

Schaffhausen

$467 14.9%

Geneva

$482 11.8% 3.2% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Schaffhausen

$320 10.2%

Geneva

$375 9.2% 17.2% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Schaffhausen

$243 7.7%

Geneva

$256 6.3% 5.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Schaffhausen

$157 5%

Geneva

$125 3.1% 20.5% $32

Getting Around

Schaffhausen

$134 4.3%

Geneva

$126 3.1% 6% $8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,272 in Schaffhausen versus $2,825 in Geneva. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Schaffhausen versus $129 in Geneva. Groceries tell a different story – $626 in Schaffhausen vs $600 in Geneva – so Geneva wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Schaffhausen

🇨🇭 Geneva

🕒 Local time

07:44 7:44 AM

Same time as Schaffhausen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,927

191,557

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Schaffhausen vs Geneva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Geneva is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,709 per month in Schaffhausen and $6,118 in Geneva. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Schaffhausen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,272 there versus $2,825 in Geneva.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Geneva – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Schaffhausen and $129 in Geneva. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,139 in Schaffhausen and $4,079 in Geneva. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Geneva has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $3,139 in Schaffhausen to $4,079 in Geneva. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.