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

🙂 Solo nomad: St. Gallen is 3.5% cheaper than Zurich without rent, and 14.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: St. Gallen is 1.2% cheaper than Zurich without rent, and 13.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
St. Gallen
Zurich
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$30.40 CHF 23.74
$30.84 CHF 24.09
-1.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$150 CHF 117
$150 CHF 117
-0.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$18.21 CHF 14.23
$20.90 CHF 16.32
-12.87%
Cappuccino
$6.48 CHF 5.06
$6.84 CHF 5.35
-5.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.95 CHF 4.65
$6.08 CHF 4.75
-2.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.30 CHF 4.14
$5.25 CHF 4.10
0.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.69 CHF 6.01
$10.10 CHF 7.89
-23.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.11 CHF 5.55
$8.57 CHF 6.69
-17.04%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
St. Gallen
Zurich
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.28 CHF 1.78
$2.17 CHF 1.69
5.07%
White Bread (500g)
$2.71 CHF 2.12
$3.36 CHF 2.63
-19.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.71 CHF 2.90
$4.10 CHF 3.20
-9.51%
Eggs
$8.31 CHF 6.49
$7.49 CHF 5.85
10.95%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$27.13 CHF 21.19
$29.78 CHF 23.25
-8.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$32.03 CHF 25.02
$34.08 CHF 26.62
-6.02%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$40.95 CHF 31.98
$49.33 CHF 38.53
-16.99%
Apples (1kg)
$3.25 CHF 2.54
$4.01 CHF 3.13
-18.95%
Banana (1kg)
$1.89 CHF 1.47
$2.83 CHF 2.21
-33.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.53 CHF 1.98
$2.98 CHF 2.33
-15.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.08 CHF 5.53
$5.22 CHF 4.07
35.63%
Potato (1kg)
$2.59 CHF 2.02
$2.88 CHF 2.25
-10.07%
Onion (1kg)
$2.33 CHF 1.82
$2.28 CHF 1.78
2.19%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.44 CHF 1.90
$2.58 CHF 2.02
-5.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 CHF 0.89
$1.73 CHF 1.35
-34.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.69 CHF 8.35
$11.16 CHF 8.72
-4.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.76 CHF 9.18
$15.04 CHF 11.74
-21.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.27 CHF 1.77
$2.65 CHF 2.07
-14.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.33 CHF 1.82
$3.34 CHF 2.61
-30.24%
🚌 Getting Around
St. Gallen
Zurich
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.26 CHF 3.32
$4.82 CHF 3.77
-11.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$80.0 CHF 62.5
$110 CHF 85.7
-27.08%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.63 CHF 5.18
$7.64 CHF 5.96
-13.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.13 CHF 3.23
$4.29 CHF 3.35
-3.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$81.7 CHF 63.8
$87.2 CHF 68.1
-6.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.21 CHF 1.72
$2.30 CHF 1.80
-3.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.0K CHF 31.3K
$41.1K CHF 32.1K
-2.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.8K CHF 32.7K
$40.1K CHF 31.3K
4.39%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
St. Gallen
Zurich
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$331 CHF 258
$253 CHF 197
30.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$59.9 CHF 46.76
$36.27 CHF 28.33
65.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.5 CHF 40.98
$58.4 CHF 45.59
-10.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
St. Gallen
Zurich
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$83.0 CHF 64.8
$87.7 CHF 68.5
-5.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$98.5 CHF 76.9
$50.1 CHF 39.13
96.51%
Cinema Ticket
$30.50 CHF 23.82
$24.74 CHF 19.32
23.28%
🧸 Childcare & Education
St. Gallen
Zurich
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,842 CHF 2,220
$3,342 CHF 2,610
-14.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.0K CHF 27.3K
$38.6K CHF 30.1K
-9.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
St. Gallen
Zurich
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$148 CHF 116
$138 CHF 108
7.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$65.3 CHF 51.0
$61.1 CHF 47.69
6.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$159 CHF 124
$148 CHF 116
6.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$231 CHF 180
$199 CHF 155
16.25%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
St. Gallen
Zurich
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,810 CHF 1,414
$2,700 CHF 2,109
-32.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,526 CHF 1,192
$2,181 CHF 1,703
-30.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,773 CHF 2,166
$4,895 CHF 3,823
-43.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,336 CHF 1,825
$3,804 CHF 2,971
-38.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$10.7K CHF 8,361
$25.5K CHF 19.9K
-57.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,685 CHF 6,783
$16.3K CHF 12.8K
-46.83%
💵 Salaries & Financials
St. Gallen
Zurich
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$7,096 CHF 5,542
$8,581 CHF 6,702
-17.30%
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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Zurich: April 11, 2026

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

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