Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Solothurn and Geneva

For one person, living is cheaper in Solothurn: $2,753 a month against $4,079 in Geneva, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 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
198

Cost of Living Index in Geneva
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Geneva Living Index

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Solothurn

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,753

/mo nomad

Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,079

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,753 per month in Solothurn vs $4,079 in Geneva, rent included.

Solothurn $2,753
Geneva $4,079

A couple spends around $4,410 per month in Solothurn vs $6,308 in Geneva, rent included.

Solothurn $4,410
Geneva $6,308

A family of three spends $6,067 per month in Solothurn vs $8,538 in Geneva, rent included.

Solothurn $6,067
Geneva $8,538

Solothurn is about 33% cheaper than Geneva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Solothurn and Geneva sit above the global median – Solothurn by 102%, Geneva by 200%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.77 CHF 25.48

$30.31 CHF 25.10

1.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$147 CHF 122

$129 CHF 107

13.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.33 CHF 15.17

$19.47 CHF 16.12

-5.86%

Cappuccino

$6.67 CHF 5.52

$6.40 CHF 5.29

4.22%

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

$5.31 CHF 4.40

$4.66 CHF 3.86

13.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 CHF 4.41

$4.13 CHF 3.42

29.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 CHF 5.46

$9.82 CHF 8.13

-32.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 CHF 4.88

$9.87 CHF 8.17

-40.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 CHF 1.81

$2.35 CHF 1.94

-6.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.76 CHF 3.12

$3.26 CHF 2.70

15.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 CHF 2.82

$3.39 CHF 2.80

0.29%

Eggs

$8.42 CHF 6.97

$8.18 CHF 6.77

2.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.43 CHF 18.57

$25.05 CHF 20.74

-10.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.36 CHF 21.83

$29.22 CHF 24.19

-9.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$60.1 CHF 49.74

$42.51 CHF 35.20

41.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 CHF 2.41

$3.53 CHF 2.93

-17.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 CHF 1.23

$1.63 CHF 1.35

-8.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 CHF 2.92

$2.85 CHF 2.36

23.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 CHF 3.52

$4.90 CHF 4.06

-13.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 CHF 1.36

$1.64 CHF 1.36

0.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 CHF 1.52

$2.29 CHF 1.90

-19.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 CHF 1.29

$2.19 CHF 1.81

-29.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 CHF 0.84

$1.66 CHF 1.38

-39.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.81 CHF 8.95

$10.97 CHF 9.08

-1.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.12 CHF 11.69

$12.16 CHF 10.06

16.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 CHF 2.41

$3.21 CHF 2.66

-9.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 CHF 2.58

$3.30 CHF 2.73

-5.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.68 CHF 3.87

$3.55 CHF 2.94

31.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.8 CHF 71.0

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 CHF 6.59

$7.61 CHF 6.30

4.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.47 CHF 3.70

$3.76 CHF 3.11

18.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$88.1 CHF 72.9

$64.2 CHF 53.1

37.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.84

$2.35 CHF 1.95

-5.11%

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

$30.4K CHF 25.2K

$39.5K CHF 32.7K

-23.02%

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

$35.0K CHF 29.0K

$38.8K CHF 32.2K

-9.97%

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

$97.8 CHF 81.0

$280 CHF 232

-65.06%

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

$30.67 CHF 25.39

$37.96 CHF 31.43

-19.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.3 CHF 44.99

$57.6 CHF 47.65

-5.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.4 CHF 74.0

$77.0 CHF 63.7

16.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.05 CHF 14.11

$43.34 CHF 35.88

-60.66%

Cinema Ticket

$17.87 CHF 14.79

$23.96 CHF 19.84

-25.42%

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

$3,421 CHF 2,832

$2,484 CHF 2,057

37.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K CHF 16.1K

$35.2K CHF 29.1K

-44.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$138 CHF 114

$133 CHF 110

3.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.96 CHF 34.74

$79.1 CHF 65.5

-46.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$169 CHF 140

-5.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$246 CHF 203

$188 CHF 156

30.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,154 CHF 955

$2,825 CHF 2,339

-59.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,043 CHF 864

$2,115 CHF 1,751

-50.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,803 CHF 1,493

$5,088 CHF 4,213

-64.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 CHF 1,422

$3,963 CHF 3,281

-56.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,576 CHF 7,929

$22.5K CHF 18.6K

-57.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,801 CHF 3,975

$16.3K CHF 13.5K

-70.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,805 CHF 5,634

$7,271 CHF 6,020

-6.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.03

1.98

2.53%

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

Last update for Solothurn: October 26, 2026

Last update for Geneva: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Solothurn

$1K 37.9%

Geneva

$2.1K 51.9% 103% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Solothurn

$621 22.6%

Geneva

$600 14.7% 3.4% $21

Eating Out

Solothurn

$468 17%

Geneva

$482 11.8% 2.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Solothurn

$263 9.6%

Geneva

$256 6.3% 2.7% $7.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Solothurn

$183 6.6%

Geneva

$375 9.2% 105% $193

Sport & Entertainment

Solothurn

$125 4.6%

Geneva

$125 3.1% 0.2% $0.3

Getting Around

Solothurn

$49 * 1.8%

Geneva

$126 3.1% 158% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,154 in Solothurn 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.

Salaries run about 7% higher in Geneva, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $147 in Solothurn versus $129 in Geneva. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $621 vs $600 – making Geneva the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Solothurn

🇨🇭 Geneva

🕒 Local time

05:01 5:01 AM

Same time as Solothurn

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,599

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

On the map

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Between locations

Solothurn Geneva 150 km

From you

Solothurn
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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

Solothurn vs Geneva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Geneva is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,130 per month in Solothurn 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 Solothurn, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,154 there versus $2,825 in Geneva.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,753 in Solothurn and $4,079 in Geneva. That makes Solothurn about 33% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $3,421 per month in Solothurn and $2,484 in Geneva. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Geneva has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,753 in Solothurn 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.

If budget matters most, go with Solothurn. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Geneva makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.