Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sion and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Sion: $3,235 a month against $3,461 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

157

Cost of Living Index in Sion
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Sion Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Sion

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,235

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,461

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,235 in Sion versus $3,461 in Basel.

Sion $3,235
Basel $3,461

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,857 in Sion versus $5,427 in Basel.

Sion $4,857
Basel $5,427

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,479 in Sion versus $7,394 in Basel.

Sion $6,479
Basel $7,394

Living in Sion costs roughly 7% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sion 140% above, Basel 156% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.97 CHF 23.86

$29.60 CHF 24.38

-2.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.6 CHF 73.8

$123 CHF 102

-27.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.15 CHF 15.77

$17.93 CHF 14.77

6.80%

Cappuccino

$4.60 CHF 3.79

$6.21 CHF 5.12

-25.93%

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

$5.09 CHF 4.19

$6.50 CHF 5.35

-21.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 CHF 3.52

$5.77 CHF 4.75

-25.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.36 CHF 6.06

$9.20 CHF 7.58

-20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 CHF 6.00

$9.79 CHF 8.07

-25.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 CHF 1.60

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-14.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.54 CHF 2.92

$3.12 CHF 2.57

13.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.19 CHF 3.45

$3.17 CHF 2.61

32.18%

Eggs

$7.13 CHF 5.87

$7.83 CHF 6.45

-8.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.01 CHF 21.42

$26.04 CHF 21.45

-0.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$22.69 CHF 18.69

$26.78 CHF 22.05

-15.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.09 CHF 33.02

$40.31 CHF 33.20

-0.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 CHF 2.59

$3.52 CHF 2.90

-10.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 CHF 1.40

$2.34 CHF 1.92

-27.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 CHF 2.09

$2.96 CHF 2.44

-14.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.20 CHF 5.11

$4.52 CHF 3.72

37.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CHF 1.53

$1.72 CHF 1.42

7.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$1.89 CHF 1.56

14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CHF 2.00

$2.24 CHF 1.84

8.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 CHF 0.97

$1.61 CHF 1.33

-27.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.85 CHF 8.94

$11.08 CHF 9.13

-2.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CHF 11.74

$11.84 CHF 9.75

20.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 CHF 1.45

$2.52 CHF 2.08

-30.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 CHF 1.57

$2.97 CHF 2.44

-35.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.24 CHF 4.32

$4.53 CHF 3.73

15.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$179 CHF 148

$105 CHF 86.5

70.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.94 CHF 4.89

$7.95 CHF 6.54

-25.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.29 CHF 4.36

$4.51 CHF 3.71

17.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$48.12 CHF 39.63

$84.6 CHF 69.7

-43.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$2.31 CHF 1.91

-4.33%

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

$34.2K CHF 28.2K

$42.3K CHF 34.8K

-18.99%

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

$37.6K CHF 31.0K

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

-2.86%

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

$308 CHF 254

$292 CHF 240

5.67%

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

$24.86 CHF 20.48

$46.45 CHF 38.25

-46.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.64 CHF 40.89

$61.9 CHF 51.0

-19.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$135 CHF 111

$81.1 CHF 66.8

66.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.5 CHF 44.88

$58.5 CHF 48.17

-6.82%

Cinema Ticket

$20.28 CHF 16.70

$22.48 CHF 18.52

-9.79%

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

$953 CHF 785

$2,993 CHF 2,465

-68.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.7K CHF 31.1K

$32.0K CHF 26.3K

17.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 CHF 89.7

$142 CHF 117

-23.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.21 CHF 39.71

$77.1 CHF 63.5

-37.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$161 CHF 133

$159 CHF 131

1.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 CHF 136

$198 CHF 163

-16.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,221 CHF 1,005

$1,953 CHF 1,609

-37.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CHF 1,021

$1,465 CHF 1,207

-15.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,323 CHF 1,913

$3,586 CHF 2,954

-35.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,072 CHF 1,707

$2,796 CHF 2,302

-25.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,339 CHF 6,045

$18.1K CHF 14.9K

-59.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,532 CHF 4,556

$14.3K CHF 11.8K

-61.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,826 CHF 4,798

$6,863 CHF 5,652

-15.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.15

2.42

-11.16%

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

Last update for Sion: October 11, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sion

$1.2K 38.3%

Basel

$1.5K 42.4% 18.2% $225

Groceries & Markets

Sion

$554 17.1%

Basel

$576 16.7% 4.1% $23

Eating Out

Sion

$433 13.4%

Basel

$480 13.9% 10.7% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sion

$383 11.8%

Basel

$400 11.6% 4.5% $17

Getting Around

Sion

$233 7.2%

Basel

$154 4.4% 34% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Sion

$217 6.7%

Basel

$260 7.5% 19.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Sion

$175 5.4%

Basel

$126 3.6% 28.1% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,221 in Sion and $1,953 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays 18% 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: $90.0 in Sion vs $123 in Basel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $554 vs $576 per month, with Sion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Sion

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

07:00 7:00 AM

Same time as Sion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,599

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

On the map

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Between locations

Sion Basel 150 km

From you

Sion
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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

Sion vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sion wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sion the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Basel. 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: $1,221 in Sion versus $1,953 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $953 in Sion versus $2,993 in Basel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Basel. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Sion is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sion delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $3,235 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sion hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sion 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.

Expats usually find Sion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Basel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.