Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Gallen and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Gallen: $3,451 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

167

Cost of Living Index in St. Gallen
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St. Gallen Living Index
176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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St. Gallen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,451

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,451 in St. Gallen versus $3,669 in Basel.

St. Gallen $3,451
Basel $3,669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,120 in St. Gallen versus $5,649 in Basel.

St. Gallen $5,120
Basel $5,649

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,789 in St. Gallen versus $7,629 in Basel.

St. Gallen $6,789
Basel $7,629

Living in St. Gallen costs roughly 6% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: St. Gallen 154% above, Basel 170% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.78 CHF 23.74

$30.27 CHF 24.97

-4.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$144 CHF 119

$125 CHF 103

15.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.04 CHF 14.88

$17.91 CHF 14.77

0.73%

Cappuccino

$6.03 CHF 4.97

$6.52 CHF 5.38

-7.52%

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

$5.95 CHF 4.91

$6.47 CHF 5.34

-8.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 CHF 4.21

$5.91 CHF 4.87

-13.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.80 CHF 7.26

$9.41 CHF 7.76

-6.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.38 CHF 5.26

$9.48 CHF 7.82

-32.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 CHF 1.86

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-1.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 CHF 2.61

$3.04 CHF 2.51

3.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.77 CHF 3.11

$3.27 CHF 2.70

15.29%

Eggs

$7.72 CHF 6.36

$7.97 CHF 6.57

-3.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.91 CHF 20.55

$26.34 CHF 21.73

-5.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.02 CHF 23.94

$27.32 CHF 22.53

6.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.94 CHF 32.95

$41.15 CHF 33.94

-2.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 CHF 2.52

$3.70 CHF 3.05

-17.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 CHF 1.28

$2.30 CHF 1.90

-32.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 CHF 1.98

$3.03 CHF 2.50

-20.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.17 CHF 5.09

$4.54 CHF 3.75

35.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 CHF 1.41

$1.68 CHF 1.38

1.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$1.91 CHF 1.58

12.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 CHF 1.82

$2.27 CHF 1.87

-3.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 CHF 0.97

$1.60 CHF 1.32

-26.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 CHF 9.06

$11.15 CHF 9.20

-1.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.23 CHF 9.27

$11.90 CHF 9.82

-5.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 CHF 1.73

$2.44 CHF 2.01

-13.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 CHF 1.88

$3.03 CHF 2.50

-24.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.08 CHF 3.37

$5.21 CHF 4.30

-21.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 CHF 71.3

$105 CHF 86.4

-17.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.62 CHF 5.46

$7.98 CHF 6.58

-17.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.76 CHF 3.93

$4.61 CHF 3.81

3.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$79.2 CHF 65.3

$83.3 CHF 68.7

-4.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.84

$2.42 CHF 1.99

-7.85%

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

$38.4K CHF 31.7K

$38.3K CHF 31.6K

0.12%

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

$38.6K CHF 31.8K

$40.0K CHF 33.0K

-3.46%

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

$312 CHF 257

$296 CHF 244

5.60%

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

$37.60 CHF 31.01

$46.31 CHF 38.20

-18.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.0 CHF 44.50

$63.2 CHF 52.1

-14.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.6 CHF 65.6

$82.0 CHF 67.7

-2.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.06

Cinema Ticket

$28.27 CHF 23.32

$22.84 CHF 18.84

23.77%

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

$2,308 CHF 1,904

$3,139 CHF 2,589

-26.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.2K CHF 26.6K

$32.6K CHF 26.9K

-1.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 119

0.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.0 CHF 52.8

$79.9 CHF 65.9

-19.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$146 CHF 120

$159 CHF 132

-8.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$183 CHF 151

$195 CHF 161

-6.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,895 CHF 1,563

$2,087 CHF 1,722

-9.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,504 CHF 1,240

$1,646 CHF 1,358

-8.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,868 CHF 2,366

$3,618 CHF 2,984

-20.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,256 CHF 1,861

$2,966 CHF 2,447

-23.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.3K CHF 9,285

$17.5K CHF 14.4K

-35.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,285 CHF 6,834

$13.7K CHF 11.3K

-39.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,694 CHF 5,522

$7,080 CHF 5,840

-5.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.1

2.42

-13.22%

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

Last update for St. Gallen: 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

St. Gallen

$1.5K 43.6%

Basel

$1.6K 44.9% 9.5% $143

Groceries & Markets

St. Gallen

$575 16.7%

Basel

$584 15.9% 1.5% $8.8

Eating Out

St. Gallen

$458 13.3%

Basel

$490 13.3% 7% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Gallen

$404 11.7%

Basel

$405 11% 0.4% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

St. Gallen

$242 7%

Basel

$261 7.1% 7.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

St. Gallen

$136 3.9%

Basel

$128 3.5% 6.2% $8.4

Getting Around

St. Gallen

$133 3.9%

Basel

$157 4.3% 17.7% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,895 in St. Gallen and $2,087 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays 6% 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: $144 in St. Gallen vs $125 in Basel. Groceries flip the comparison at $575 vs $584, with St. Gallen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 St. Gallen

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

01:01 1:01 AM

Same time as St. Gallen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,213

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

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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

St. Gallen vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St. Gallen wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making St. Gallen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in St. Gallen. 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: $1,895 in St. Gallen versus $2,087 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,308 in St. Gallen 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 $144 in St. Gallen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. St. Gallen is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, St. Gallen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Basel, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, St. Gallen and Basel are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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