Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Solothurn and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Solothurn: $2,753 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Solothurn
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Solothurn Living Index
176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Solothurn

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,753

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,753 in Solothurn versus $3,669 in Basel.

Solothurn $2,753
Basel $3,669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,410 in Solothurn versus $5,649 in Basel.

Solothurn $4,410
Basel $5,649

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,067 in Solothurn versus $7,629 in Basel.

Solothurn $6,067
Basel $7,629

Living in Solothurn costs roughly 25% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Solothurn 102% above, Basel 170% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.77 CHF 25.48

$30.27 CHF 25.06

1.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$147 CHF 122

$125 CHF 103

17.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.33 CHF 15.17

$17.91 CHF 14.83

2.35%

Cappuccino

$6.67 CHF 5.52

$6.52 CHF 5.40

2.30%

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

$5.31 CHF 4.40

$6.47 CHF 5.36

-17.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 CHF 4.41

$5.91 CHF 4.89

-9.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 CHF 5.46

$9.41 CHF 7.79

-29.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 CHF 4.88

$9.48 CHF 7.85

-37.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 CHF 1.81

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-4.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.76 CHF 3.12

$3.04 CHF 2.52

23.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 CHF 2.82

$3.27 CHF 2.71

3.98%

Eggs

$8.42 CHF 6.97

$7.97 CHF 6.60

5.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.43 CHF 18.57

$26.34 CHF 21.81

-14.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.36 CHF 21.83

$27.32 CHF 22.62

-3.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$60.1 CHF 49.74

$41.15 CHF 34.07

45.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 CHF 2.41

$3.70 CHF 3.06

-21.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 CHF 1.23

$2.30 CHF 1.91

-35.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 CHF 2.92

$3.03 CHF 2.51

16.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 CHF 3.52

$4.54 CHF 3.76

-6.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 CHF 1.36

$1.68 CHF 1.39

-1.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 CHF 1.52

$1.91 CHF 1.58

-3.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 CHF 1.29

$2.27 CHF 1.88

-31.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 CHF 0.84

$1.60 CHF 1.32

-36.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.81 CHF 8.95

$11.15 CHF 9.23

-3.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.12 CHF 11.69

$11.90 CHF 9.85

18.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 CHF 2.41

$2.44 CHF 2.02

19.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 CHF 2.58

$3.03 CHF 2.51

2.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.68 CHF 3.87

$5.21 CHF 4.32

-10.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 CHF 6.59

$7.98 CHF 6.61

-0.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.47 CHF 3.70

$4.61 CHF 3.82

-3.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$88.1 CHF 72.9

$83.3 CHF 68.9

5.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.84

$2.42 CHF 2.00

-7.85%

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

$30.4K CHF 25.2K

$38.3K CHF 31.7K

-20.58%

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

$35.0K CHF 29.0K

$40.0K CHF 33.1K

-12.53%

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

$97.8 CHF 81.0

$296 CHF 245

-66.91%

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

$30.67 CHF 25.39

$46.31 CHF 38.34

-33.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.3 CHF 44.99

$63.2 CHF 52.3

-14.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.4 CHF 74.0

$82.0 CHF 67.9

9.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.05 CHF 14.11

$58.3 CHF 48.24

-70.73%

Cinema Ticket

$17.87 CHF 14.79

$22.84 CHF 18.91

-21.76%

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

$3,421 CHF 2,832

$3,139 CHF 2,599

8.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K CHF 16.1K

$32.6K CHF 27.0K

-40.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$138 CHF 114

$144 CHF 120

-4.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.96 CHF 34.74

$79.9 CHF 66.1

-47.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

-0.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$246 CHF 203

$195 CHF 162

25.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,154 CHF 955

$2,087 CHF 1,728

-44.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,043 CHF 864

$1,646 CHF 1,363

-36.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,803 CHF 1,493

$3,618 CHF 2,995

-50.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 CHF 1,422

$2,966 CHF 2,456

-42.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,576 CHF 7,929

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

-45.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,801 CHF 3,975

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

-65.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,805 CHF 5,634

$7,080 CHF 5,862

-3.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.03

2.42

-16.12%

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

Last update for Solothurn: October 26, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Solothurn

$1K 37.9%

Basel

$1.6K 44.9% 57.8% $603

Groceries & Markets

Solothurn

$621 22.6%

Basel

$584 15.9% 6% $37

Eating Out

Solothurn

$468 17%

Basel

$490 13.3% 4.5% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Solothurn

$263 9.6%

Basel

$261 7.1% 1% $2.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Solothurn

$183 6.6%

Basel

$405 11% 122% $222

Sport & Entertainment

Solothurn

$125 4.6%

Basel

$128 3.5% 2% $2.6

Getting Around

Solothurn

$49 * 1.8%

Basel

$157 4.3% 220% $108

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,154 in Solothurn and $2,087 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays 4% 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: $147 in Solothurn vs $125 in Basel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $621 vs $584 per month, with Basel cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Solothurn

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

06:04 6:04 AM

Same time as Solothurn

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,599

174,491

💱 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

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Solothurn Basel 39 km

From you

Solothurn
Basel

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

Solothurn vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Solothurn wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Solothurn the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Solothurn. 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: $1,154 in Solothurn versus $2,087 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,421 in Solothurn versus $3,139 in Basel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Basel – a meal for two runs $125 versus $147 in Solothurn. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Solothurn and Basel are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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