Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Gallen and Zurich Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Gallen and Zurich

🙂 Solo nomad: St. Gallen is 4.2% cheaper than Zurich without rent, and 15.2% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: St. Gallen is 0.3% more expensive than Zurich without rent, and 13.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
St. Gallen
Zurich
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$31.01 CHF 24.15
$31.39 CHF 24.46
-1.21%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$148 CHF 115
$148 CHF 115
-0.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$18.49 CHF 14.41
$20.60 CHF 16.04
-10.24%
Cappuccino
$6.39 CHF 4.98
$6.90 CHF 5.37
-7.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.96 CHF 4.65
$5.83 CHF 4.54
2.23%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.23 CHF 4.08
$5.30 CHF 4.13
-1.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.44 CHF 5.79
$9.74 CHF 7.58
-23.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.03 CHF 5.47
$8.44 CHF 6.57
-16.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
St. Gallen
Zurich
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.27 CHF 1.77
$2.16 CHF 1.68
5.09%
White Bread (500g)
$2.57 CHF 2.00
$3.40 CHF 2.65
-24.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.59 CHF 2.80
$3.94 CHF 3.07
-8.88%
Eggs
$7.93 CHF 6.18
$7.57 CHF 5.90
4.76%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$27.38 CHF 21.33
$29.08 CHF 22.65
-5.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$32.86 CHF 25.60
$33.28 CHF 25.92
-1.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$41.12 CHF 32.03
$50.8 CHF 39.56
-19.02%
Apples (1kg)
$3.11 CHF 2.42
$4.01 CHF 3.13
-22.44%
Banana (1kg)
$1.86 CHF 1.45
$2.82 CHF 2.20
-34.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 CHF 1.94
$3.04 CHF 2.36
-18.09%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.09 CHF 5.52
$5.17 CHF 4.03
37.14%
Potato (1kg)
$2.62 CHF 2.04
$2.73 CHF 2.13
-4.03%
Onion (1kg)
$2.27 CHF 1.77
$2.37 CHF 1.85
-4.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.41 CHF 1.88
$2.58 CHF 2.01
-6.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 CHF 0.89
$1.66 CHF 1.30
-30.72%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.69 CHF 8.33
$11.15 CHF 8.68
-4.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.49 CHF 8.95
$15.52 CHF 12.09
-25.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.15 CHF 1.68
$2.75 CHF 2.14
-21.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 CHF 1.85
$3.34 CHF 2.60
-28.74%
🚌 Getting Around
St. Gallen
Zurich
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.33 CHF 3.37
$4.96 CHF 3.86
-12.70%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$80.9 CHF 63.1
$109 CHF 85.2
-26.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.95 CHF 5.42
$7.63 CHF 5.94
-8.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.14 CHF 3.23
$4.13 CHF 3.22
0.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$78.6 CHF 61.3
$89.0 CHF 69.3
-11.64%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.12 CHF 1.65
$2.24 CHF 1.74
-5.36%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$41.0K CHF 32.0K
$40.1K CHF 31.2K
2.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.7K CHF 31.7K
$39.5K CHF 30.7K
3.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
St. Gallen
Zurich
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$329 CHF 257
$253 CHF 197
29.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$59.9 CHF 46.67
$35.07 CHF 27.32
70.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.9 CHF 41.24
$58.2 CHF 45.30
-8.98%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
St. Gallen
Zurich
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$80.5 CHF 62.7
$90.5 CHF 70.5
-11.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$99.7 CHF 77.7
$48.94 CHF 38.12
103.80%
Cinema Ticket
$30.59 CHF 23.83
$24.92 CHF 19.41
22.75%
🧸 Childcare & Education
St. Gallen
Zurich
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,831 CHF 2,206
$3,471 CHF 2,704
-18.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$34.5K CHF 26.9K
$39.2K CHF 30.5K
-11.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
St. Gallen
Zurich
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$145 CHF 113
$137 CHF 107
5.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$66.0 CHF 51.4
$61.1 CHF 47.57
8.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$155 CHF 121
$149 CHF 116
3.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$235 CHF 183
$201 CHF 156
17.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
St. Gallen
Zurich
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,790 CHF 1,395
$2,726 CHF 2,124
-34.33%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,520 CHF 1,184
$2,225 CHF 1,733
-31.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,805 CHF 2,185
$4,974 CHF 3,874
-43.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,296 CHF 1,789
$3,694 CHF 2,878
-37.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$10.9K CHF 8,476
$24.7K CHF 19.3K
-56.01%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,522 CHF 6,639
$16.4K CHF 12.8K
-48.03%
💵 Salaries & Financials
St. Gallen
Zurich
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$6,996 CHF 5,450
$8,573 CHF 6,679
-18.40%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.5
2.09
19.62%

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

Last update for St. Gallen: March 3, 2026

Last update for Zurich: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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