Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Gallen and Liestal

For one person, living is cheaper in Liestal: $3,219 a month against $3,635 in St. Gallen, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

178

Cost of Living Index in St. Gallen
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St. Gallen Living Index
158

Cost of Living Index in Liestal
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Liestal Living Index

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St. Gallen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,635

/mo nomad

Liestal

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,219

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in St. Gallen and in Liestal

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 Liestal actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,635 per month in St. Gallen vs $3,219 in Liestal, rent included.

St. Gallen $3,635
Liestal $3,219

A couple spends around $5,183 per month in St. Gallen vs $5,162 in Liestal, rent included.

St. Gallen $5,183
Liestal $5,162

A family of three spends $6,730 per month in St. Gallen vs $7,104 in Liestal, rent included.

St. Gallen $6,730
Liestal $7,104

St. Gallen costs about 13% more than Liestal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both St. Gallen and Liestal sit above the global median – St. Gallen by 169%, Liestal by 138%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.02 CHF 23.90

$28.71 CHF 23.64

1.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$143 CHF 118

$122 CHF 101

16.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.94 CHF 14.78

$17.90 CHF 14.74

0.22%

Cappuccino

$5.96 CHF 4.91

$6.51 CHF 5.36

-8.45%

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

$5.81 CHF 4.79

$6.30 CHF 5.19

-7.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 CHF 4.13

$5.94 CHF 4.89

-15.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.92 CHF 7.34

$9.12 CHF 7.51

-2.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.31 CHF 5.19

$7.67 CHF 6.31

-17.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 CHF 1.75

$2.19 CHF 1.80

-2.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.10 CHF 2.55

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.59 CHF 2.96

$3.20 CHF 2.64

12.19%

Eggs

$7.63 CHF 6.29

$7.72 CHF 6.36

-1.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.24 CHF 20.79

$24.02 CHF 19.78

5.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.21 CHF 23.23

$26.82 CHF 22.09

5.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.20 CHF 32.29

$38.34 CHF 31.58

2.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 CHF 2.53

$3.80 CHF 3.13

-19.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 CHF 1.31

$2.21 CHF 1.82

-28.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.89

$2.67 CHF 2.20

-13.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.87 CHF 4.84

$4.74 CHF 3.90

23.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 CHF 1.41

$1.75 CHF 1.44

-1.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 CHF 1.71

$1.97 CHF 1.62

5.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 CHF 1.86

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-1.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 CHF 0.96

$1.30 CHF 1.07

-10.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.00 CHF 9.06

$11.14 CHF 9.17

-1.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.19 CHF 9.21

$12.00 CHF 9.88

-6.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 CHF 1.74

$2.25 CHF 1.86

-6.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 CHF 1.83

$3.01 CHF 2.48

-25.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.26 CHF 3.51

$4.58 CHF 3.77

-6.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$125 CHF 103

$98.0 CHF 80.7

27.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.73 CHF 5.54

$7.98 CHF 6.57

-15.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.56 CHF 3.75

$4.70 CHF 3.87

-2.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$78.0 CHF 64.3

$109 CHF 89.9

-28.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 CHF 1.89

$2.28 CHF 1.87

0.88%

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

$34.2K CHF 28.2K

$42.6K CHF 35.1K

-19.71%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.3K

$38.4K CHF 31.6K

2.20%

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

$309 CHF 254

$288 CHF 237

7.32%

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

$37.13 CHF 30.58

$28.10 CHF 23.14

32.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.8 CHF 45.11

$64.4 CHF 53.0

-14.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.0 CHF 65.1

$86.5 CHF 71.2

-8.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.59 CHF 37.55

Cinema Ticket

$30.06 CHF 24.76

$23.66 CHF 19.49

27.05%

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

$2,233 CHF 1,839

$3,004 CHF 2,474

-25.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.0K CHF 26.4K

$31.1K CHF 25.7K

2.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 118

$143 CHF 118

0.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.6 CHF 52.4

$60.5 CHF 49.82

5.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$144 CHF 119

$157 CHF 129

-8.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$179 CHF 147

$199 CHF 164

-10.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 CHF 1,417

$1,664 CHF 1,370

3.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,662 CHF 1,369

$1,275 CHF 1,050

30.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,818 CHF 2,321

$2,847 CHF 2,345

-1.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 CHF 1,773

$2,634 CHF 2,169

-18.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K CHF 9,807

$16.1K CHF 13.3K

-26.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,042 CHF 7,447

$12.0K CHF 9,901

-24.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,580 CHF 5,419

$9,061 CHF 7,463

-27.38%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Liestal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Gallen

$1.7K 45.7%

Liestal

$1.3K 39.6% 23.3% $387

Groceries & Markets

St. Gallen

$565 15.5%

Liestal

$560 17.4% 0.9% $5.1

Eating Out

St. Gallen

$458 12.6%

Liestal

$471 14.6% 2.9% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Gallen

$401 11%

Liestal

$380 11.8% 5.1% $20

Clothing & Footwear

St. Gallen

$239 6.6%

Liestal

$252 7.8% 5.5% $13

Getting Around

St. Gallen

$172 4.7%

Liestal

$148 4.6% 14% $24

Sport & Entertainment

St. Gallen

$139 3.8%

Liestal

$134 4.2% 3.8% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,720 in St. Gallen versus $1,664 in Liestal. 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 38% higher in Liestal, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $143 in St. Gallen versus $122 in Liestal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $565 vs $560 – making Liestal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 St. Gallen

🇨🇭 Liestal

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

Same time as St. Gallen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,213

13,807

💱 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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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 Liestal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – St. Gallen is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,453 per month in St. Gallen and $4,829 in Liestal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Liestal, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Liestal. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,233 per month in St. Gallen and $3,004 in Liestal. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,635 in St. Gallen and $3,219 in Liestal. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Liestal – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Liestal. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, St. Gallen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.