Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Schaffhausen and Zurich

For one person, living is cheaper in Schaffhausen: $3,139 a month against $4,270 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 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
207

Cost of Living Index in Zurich
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Zurich Living Index

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Schaffhausen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,139

/mo nomad

Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,139 in Schaffhausen versus $4,270 in Zurich.

Schaffhausen $3,139
Zurich $4,270

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,010 in Schaffhausen versus $6,666 in Zurich.

Schaffhausen $5,010
Zurich $6,666

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,882 in Schaffhausen versus $9,061 in Zurich.

Schaffhausen $6,882
Zurich $9,061

Living in Schaffhausen costs roughly 26% less than in Zurich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Schaffhausen 131% above, Zurich 214% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.45 CHF 25.24

$33.89 CHF 28.09

-10.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 101

$146 CHF 121

-16.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.19 CHF 15.08

$18.10 CHF 15.00

0.50%

Cappuccino

$6.01 CHF 4.98

$6.88 CHF 5.70

-12.65%

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

$5.32 CHF 4.41

$5.73 CHF 4.75

-7.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.78 CHF 3.96

$5.25 CHF 4.35

-8.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.39 CHF 6.96

$9.61 CHF 7.96

-12.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.11 CHF 5.89

$8.37 CHF 6.94

-15.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.79

$2.11 CHF 1.75

2.37%

White Bread (500g)

$4.00 CHF 3.32

$3.95 CHF 3.27

1.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.25 CHF 3.52

$3.81 CHF 3.15

11.55%

Eggs

$7.81 CHF 6.47

$8.40 CHF 6.96

-7.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.90 CHF 23.13

$27.05 CHF 22.42

3.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$30.45 CHF 25.24

$28.85 CHF 23.91

5.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.66 CHF 35.36

$59.4 CHF 49.23

-28.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.84 CHF 3.18

$4.13 CHF 3.42

-7.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 CHF 1.72

$2.86 CHF 2.37

-27.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 CHF 2.63

$3.50 CHF 2.90

-9.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.49 CHF 4.55

$4.56 CHF 3.78

20.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 CHF 1.97

$2.55 CHF 2.11

-6.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.77

$2.31 CHF 1.92

-7.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 CHF 1.91

$2.47 CHF 2.04

-6.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 CHF 0.96

$1.29 CHF 1.07

-10.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.82 CHF 8.97

$11.04 CHF 9.15

-1.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.00 CHF 9.94

$14.00 CHF 11.60

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 CHF 2.40

$2.88 CHF 2.39

0.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 CHF 2.97

$3.18 CHF 2.63

12.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.01 CHF 3.32

$5.44 CHF 4.51

-26.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.0 CHF 81.2

$105 CHF 86.7

-6.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.10 CHF 5.06

$8.14 CHF 6.74

-25.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.86 CHF 2.37

$4.56 CHF 3.78

-37.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.6 CHF 49.39

$89.8 CHF 74.5

-33.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.84

$2.32 CHF 1.92

-4.31%

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

$38.4K CHF 31.8K

$38.9K CHF 32.2K

-1.32%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.7K

$39.0K CHF 32.3K

1.06%

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

$229 CHF 190

$282 CHF 234

-18.75%

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

$28.98 CHF 24.02

$39.00 CHF 32.33

-25.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.0 CHF 51.4

$55.0 CHF 45.62

12.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$110 CHF 91.2

$84.6 CHF 70.1

29.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.30 CHF 38.37

$61.7 CHF 51.1

-24.95%

Cinema Ticket

$23.59 CHF 19.55

$24.31 CHF 20.15

-2.96%

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

$3,157 CHF 2,616

$3,444 CHF 2,855

-8.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K CHF 20.3K

$41.6K CHF 34.5K

-41.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$163 CHF 135

$138 CHF 114

18.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 CHF 45.47

$55.0 CHF 45.60

-0.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$172 CHF 142

$159 CHF 132

7.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 CHF 124

$249 CHF 207

-39.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 CHF 1,054

$2,878 CHF 2,385

-55.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,192 CHF 988

$2,143 CHF 1,776

-44.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,689 CHF 2,228

$5,559 CHF 4,608

-51.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,317 CHF 1,921

$4,003 CHF 3,318

-42.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,110 CHF 6,723

$28.2K CHF 23.3K

-71.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,439 CHF 6,995

$16.9K CHF 14.0K

-50.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,148 CHF 5,925

$8,230 CHF 6,821

-13.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.41

2.09

15.31%

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

Last update for Schaffhausen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Zurich: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Schaffhausen

$1.2K 38%

Zurich

$2.1K 50.2% 79.7% $950

Groceries & Markets

Schaffhausen

$626 19.9%

Zurich

$674 15.8% 7.7% $48

Eating Out

Schaffhausen

$467 14.9%

Zurich

$517 12.1% 10.7% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Schaffhausen

$320 10.2%

Zurich

$376 8.8% 17.5% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Schaffhausen

$243 7.7%

Zurich

$270 6.3% 11.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Schaffhausen

$157 5%

Zurich

$133 3.1% 15.2% $24

Getting Around

Schaffhausen

$134 4.3%

Zurich

$157 3.7% 17% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,272 in Schaffhausen and $2,878 in Zurich. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zurich pays 15% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $122 in Schaffhausen vs $146 in Zurich for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $626 vs $674 per month, with Schaffhausen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Schaffhausen

🇨🇭 Zurich

🕒 Local time

07:30 7:30 AM

Same time as Schaffhausen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,927

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

Schaffhausen vs Zurich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Schaffhausen wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Zurich. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Schaffhausen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Schaffhausen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,272 in Schaffhausen versus $2,878 in Zurich. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Zurich. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Schaffhausen – a meal for two runs $122 versus $146 in Zurich. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 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 Schaffhausen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Zurich. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.