Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sion and Zurich

For one person, living is cheaper in Sion: $3,284 a month against $4,270 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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
207

Cost of Living Index in Zurich
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Zurich Living Index

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Sion

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,284

/mo nomad

Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,284 in Sion versus $4,270 in Zurich.

Sion $3,284
Zurich $4,270

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,915 in Sion versus $6,666 in Zurich.

Sion $4,915
Zurich $6,666

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,546 in Sion versus $9,061 in Zurich.

Sion $6,546
Zurich $9,061

Living in Sion costs roughly 23% less than in Zurich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sion 141% above, Zurich 214% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.93 CHF 24.83

$33.89 CHF 28.11

-11.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.2 CHF 74.8

$146 CHF 121

-38.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.21 CHF 15.94

$18.10 CHF 15.02

6.13%

Cappuccino

$4.66 CHF 3.86

$6.88 CHF 5.71

-32.27%

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

$5.39 CHF 4.47

$5.73 CHF 4.75

-5.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.17 CHF 3.46

$5.25 CHF 4.36

-20.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.32 CHF 6.08

$9.61 CHF 7.97

-23.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 CHF 6.14

$8.37 CHF 6.94

-11.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 CHF 1.68

$2.11 CHF 1.75

-4.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.71 CHF 3.08

$3.95 CHF 3.28

-6.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.02 CHF 3.33

$3.81 CHF 3.16

5.51%

Eggs

$7.23 CHF 5.99

$8.40 CHF 6.97

-13.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.77 CHF 21.38

$27.05 CHF 22.44

-4.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$22.80 CHF 18.91

$28.85 CHF 23.93

-20.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.58 CHF 32.83

$59.4 CHF 49.27

-33.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 CHF 2.72

$4.13 CHF 3.42

-20.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 CHF 1.41

$2.86 CHF 2.37

-40.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 CHF 2.11

$3.50 CHF 2.91

-27.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.35 CHF 5.27

$4.56 CHF 3.78

39.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 CHF 1.50

$2.55 CHF 2.11

-29.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.79

$2.31 CHF 1.92

-6.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 CHF 2.03

$2.47 CHF 2.05

-0.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 CHF 0.97

$1.29 CHF 1.07

-9.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.96 CHF 9.10

$11.04 CHF 9.16

-0.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.59 CHF 12.10

$14.00 CHF 11.61

4.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 CHF 1.49

$2.88 CHF 2.39

-37.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 CHF 1.56

$3.18 CHF 2.64

-40.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.17 CHF 4.29

$5.44 CHF 4.51

-4.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$179 CHF 148

$105 CHF 86.7

70.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.93 CHF 4.92

$8.14 CHF 6.75

-27.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.39 CHF 4.47

$4.56 CHF 3.79

18.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.11 CHF 40.74

$89.8 CHF 74.5

-45.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 CHF 1.91

$2.32 CHF 1.93

-0.86%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.7K

$38.9K CHF 32.2K

1.41%

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

$37.6K CHF 31.2K

$39.0K CHF 32.4K

-3.62%

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

$309 CHF 256

$282 CHF 234

9.55%

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

$25.35 CHF 21.03

$39.00 CHF 32.35

-35.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.26 CHF 40.03

$55.0 CHF 45.65

-12.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$137 CHF 114

$84.6 CHF 70.2

62.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$55.4 CHF 45.98

$61.7 CHF 51.2

-10.16%

Cinema Ticket

$20.33 CHF 16.87

$24.31 CHF 20.17

-16.37%

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

$974 CHF 808

$3,444 CHF 2,857

-71.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$38.2K CHF 31.7K

$41.6K CHF 34.5K

-8.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 CHF 91.5

$138 CHF 114

-19.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.30 CHF 40.90

$55.0 CHF 45.64

-10.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$165 CHF 137

$159 CHF 132

3.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$172 CHF 143

$249 CHF 207

-30.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,231 CHF 1,021

$2,878 CHF 2,387

-57.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 CHF 1,053

$2,143 CHF 1,777

-40.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 CHF 1,915

$5,559 CHF 4,611

-58.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,091 CHF 1,734

$4,003 CHF 3,321

-47.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,526 CHF 6,244

$28.2K CHF 23.4K

-73.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,552 CHF 4,606

$16.9K CHF 14.0K

-67.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,816 CHF 4,825

$8,230 CHF 6,827

-29.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.15

2.09

2.87%

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

Last update for Sion: October 26, 2026

Last update for Zurich: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sion

$1.3K 38.6%

Zurich

$2.1K 50.2% 68.9% $874

Groceries & Markets

Sion

$556 16.9%

Zurich

$674 15.8% 21.2% $118

Eating Out

Sion

$443 13.5%

Zurich

$517 12.1% 16.7% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sion

$383 11.7%

Zurich

$376 8.8% 1.7% $6.5

Getting Around

Sion

$232 7.1%

Zurich

$157 3.7% 32.3% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Sion

$224 6.8%

Zurich

$270 6.3% 20.8% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Sion

$178 5.4%

Zurich

$133 3.1% 25% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,231 in Sion and $2,878 in Zurich. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zurich pays 42% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $90 in Sion vs $146 in Zurich for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $556 vs $674 per month, with Sion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Sion

🇨🇭 Zurich

🕒 Local time

19:47 7:47 PM

Same time as Sion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,599

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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Sion
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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

Sion vs Zurich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sion wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Zurich. 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 29% lower in Sion. 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: $1,231 in Sion versus $2,878 in Zurich. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Zurich. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Sion – a meal for two runs $90 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. Sion 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.

It comes down to priorities – Sion wins on affordability, Zurich on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.