Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Solothurn and Zurich

For one person, living is cheaper in Solothurn: $2,728 a month against $4,451 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Solothurn
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Solothurn Living Index
217

Cost of Living Index in Zurich
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Zurich Living Index

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Solothurn

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,728

/mo nomad

Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,451

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,728 per month in Solothurn vs $4,451 in Zurich, rent included.

Solothurn $2,728
Zurich $4,451

A couple spends around $4,408 per month in Solothurn vs $6,817 in Zurich, rent included.

Solothurn $4,408
Zurich $6,817

A family of three spends $6,088 per month in Solothurn vs $9,184 in Zurich, rent included.

Solothurn $6,088
Zurich $9,184

Solothurn is about 39% cheaper than Zurich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Solothurn and Zurich sit above the global median – Solothurn by 102%, Zurich by 230%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.10 CHF 24.79

$34.71 CHF 28.59

-13.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$143 CHF 118

$144 CHF 119

-0.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.34 CHF 15.10

$17.69 CHF 14.57

3.67%

Cappuccino

$6.40 CHF 5.27

$6.91 CHF 5.69

-7.38%

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

$5.50 CHF 4.53

$5.86 CHF 4.83

-6.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 CHF 4.21

$5.15 CHF 4.24

-0.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CHF 5.28

$9.70 CHF 7.99

-33.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.95 CHF 4.90

$8.28 CHF 6.82

-28.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 CHF 1.81

White Bread (500g)

$3.71 CHF 3.05

$3.78 CHF 3.11

-1.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.42 CHF 2.81

$3.68 CHF 3.03

-7.07%

Eggs

$8.35 CHF 6.88

$8.54 CHF 7.03

-2.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.38 CHF 18.43

$27.22 CHF 22.42

-17.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.23 CHF 21.61

$27.67 CHF 22.79

-5.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$62.0 CHF 51.1

$61.7 CHF 50.8

0.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 CHF 2.30

$4.14 CHF 3.41

-32.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 CHF 1.16

$2.68 CHF 2.21

-47.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.46 CHF 2.85

$3.54 CHF 2.91

-2.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.31 CHF 3.55

$4.45 CHF 3.67

-3.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 CHF 1.34

$2.54 CHF 2.09

-35.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 CHF 1.44

$2.21 CHF 1.82

-21.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$2.52 CHF 2.07

-36.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 CHF 0.78

$1.24 CHF 1.02

-23.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.83 CHF 8.92

$10.62 CHF 8.75

1.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.82 CHF 11.38

$13.83 CHF 11.39

-0.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 CHF 2.27

$2.66 CHF 2.19

3.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 CHF 2.50

$3.18 CHF 2.62

-4.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.77 CHF 3.93

$5.39 CHF 4.44

-11.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 CHF 87.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.21 CHF 6.76

$7.93 CHF 6.54

3.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.66 CHF 3.84

$4.50 CHF 3.71

3.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$87.2 CHF 71.8

$89.4 CHF 73.6

-2.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 CHF 1.86

$2.28 CHF 1.87

-0.88%

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

$29.9K CHF 24.6K

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

-23.27%

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

$35.8K CHF 29.5K

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

-9.32%

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

$96.7 CHF 79.6

$276 CHF 227

-65.00%

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

$30.46 CHF 25.09

$36.80 CHF 30.31

-17.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.5 CHF 44.86

$56.0 CHF 46.10

-2.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.0 CHF 74.2

$91.3 CHF 75.2

-1.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.71 CHF 13.76

$60.0 CHF 49.43

-72.15%

Cinema Ticket

$17.70 CHF 14.57

$24.81 CHF 20.43

-28.66%

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

$3,585 CHF 2,952

$3,505 CHF 2,887

2.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K CHF 16.1K

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

-53.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$142 CHF 117

$139 CHF 115

1.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.66 CHF 35.14

$58.3 CHF 48.04

-26.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$162 CHF 134

$166 CHF 137

-2.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$251 CHF 206

$260 CHF 214

-3.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 CHF 933

$2,916 CHF 2,402

-61.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,020 CHF 840

$2,308 CHF 1,901

-55.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,823 CHF 1,501

$5,918 CHF 4,874

-69.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,760 CHF 1,449

$4,092 CHF 3,370

-57.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,738 CHF 8,021

$26.8K CHF 22.1K

-63.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,850 CHF 3,994

$16.2K CHF 13.4K

-70.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,725 CHF 5,538

$7,928 CHF 6,529

-15.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.07

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

Last update for Solothurn: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zurich: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Solothurn

$1K 37.4%

Zurich

$2.3K 51.9% 126% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Solothurn

$622 22.8%

Zurich

$671 15.1% 7.9% $49

Eating Out

Solothurn

$459 16.8%

Zurich

$523 11.7% 13.9% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Solothurn

$269 9.9%

Zurich

$281 6.3% 4.4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Solothurn

$182 6.7%

Zurich

$369 8.3% 103% $187

Sport & Entertainment

Solothurn

$125 4.6%

Zurich

$141 3.2% 12.3% $15

Getting Around

Solothurn

$51 * 1.9%

Zurich

$158 3.6% 212% $107

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,132 in Solothurn versus $2,916 in Zurich. 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 18% higher in Zurich, 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 $143 in Solothurn versus $144 in Zurich. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $622 vs $671 – making Solothurn the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Solothurn

🇨🇭 Zurich

🕒 Local time

04:39 4:39 AM

Same time as Solothurn

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,599

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

On the map

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Between locations

Solothurn Zurich 78 km

From you

Solothurn
Zurich

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 Zurich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,728 in Solothurn, $4,451 in Zurich – roughly 63% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,091 per month in Solothurn and $6,676 in Zurich. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $143 in Solothurn and $144 in Zurich. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Zurich, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,728 in Solothurn and $4,451 in Zurich. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Zurich has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,728 in Solothurn to $4,451 in Zurich. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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