Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Moritz and Basel

For one person, living costs are similar in St. Moritz and in Basel: $3,626 and $3,669 a month, rent and utilities included.

174

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

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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St. Moritz

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,626

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,626 in St. Moritz versus $3,669 in Basel.

St. Moritz $3,626
Basel $3,669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,508 in St. Moritz versus $5,649 in Basel.

St. Moritz $6,508
Basel $5,649

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,390 in St. Moritz versus $7,629 in Basel.

St. Moritz $9,390
Basel $7,629

Living in St. Moritz costs roughly 1% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: St. Moritz 166% above, Basel 170% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$34.20 CHF 28.37

$30.27 CHF 25.11

12.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$143 CHF 119

$125 CHF 104

14.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.40 CHF 11.94

$17.91 CHF 14.86

-19.60%

Cappuccino

$5.90 CHF 4.90

$6.52 CHF 5.41

-9.51%

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

$5.54 CHF 4.60

$6.47 CHF 5.37

-14.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 CHF 3.82

$5.91 CHF 4.90

-22.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 CHF 8.21

$9.41 CHF 7.81

5.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.03 CHF 5.00

$9.48 CHF 7.87

-36.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 CHF 1.50

$2.29 CHF 1.90

-20.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.96 CHF 3.29

$3.04 CHF 2.52

30.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.60 CHF 2.99

$3.27 CHF 2.72

10.09%

Eggs

$7.67 CHF 6.36

$7.97 CHF 6.61

-3.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.09 CHF 22.47

$26.34 CHF 21.85

2.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.89 CHF 23.97

$27.32 CHF 22.66

5.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$60.5 CHF 50.2

$41.15 CHF 34.13

47.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.09 CHF 3.39

$3.70 CHF 3.07

10.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 CHF 2.28

$2.30 CHF 1.91

19.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 CHF 2.99

$3.03 CHF 2.51

18.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 CHF 3.81

$4.54 CHF 3.77

1.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 CHF 2.11

$1.68 CHF 1.39

51.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 CHF 1.94

$1.91 CHF 1.58

22.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 CHF 2.06

$2.27 CHF 1.88

9.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 CHF 1.03

$1.60 CHF 1.32

-21.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.77 CHF 8.94

$11.15 CHF 9.25

-3.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.92 CHF 11.54

$11.90 CHF 9.87

16.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 CHF 2.39

$2.44 CHF 2.03

18.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 CHF 2.66

$3.03 CHF 2.52

5.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.92 CHF 3.26

$5.21 CHF 4.33

-24.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.6 CHF 76.8

$105 CHF 86.9

-11.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.08 CHF 6.70

$7.98 CHF 6.62

1.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.54 CHF 3.77

$4.61 CHF 3.83

-1.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$87.8 CHF 72.8

$83.3 CHF 69.1

5.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 CHF 1.77

$2.42 CHF 2.01

-11.57%

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

$38.6K CHF 32.0K

$38.3K CHF 31.8K

0.73%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.9K

$40.0K CHF 33.2K

-0.95%

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

$96.8 CHF 80.3

$296 CHF 245

-67.24%

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

$39.12 CHF 32.45

$46.31 CHF 38.42

-15.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.8 CHF 45.42

$63.2 CHF 52.4

-13.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.0 CHF 60.5

$82.0 CHF 68.0

-11.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.33

Cinema Ticket

$18.96 CHF 15.73

$22.84 CHF 18.95

-16.99%

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

$3,402 CHF 2,823

$3,139 CHF 2,604

8.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.2K CHF 34.2K

$32.6K CHF 27.1K

26.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$140 CHF 116

$144 CHF 120

-3.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 CHF 45.69

$79.9 CHF 66.3

-31.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$161 CHF 133

$159 CHF 132

0.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$249 CHF 206

$195 CHF 162

27.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 CHF 1,488

$2,087 CHF 1,732

-14.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,753 CHF 1,454

$1,646 CHF 1,366

6.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,403 CHF 4,482

$3,618 CHF 3,001

49.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,730 CHF 3,924

$2,966 CHF 2,461

59.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.3K CHF 10.2K

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

-10.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,889 CHF 4,056

$7,080 CHF 5,873

-30.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.8

2.42

-25.62%

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

Last update for St. Moritz: 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. Moritz

$1.8K 48.3%

Basel

$1.6K 44.9% 6.1% $107

Groceries & Markets

St. Moritz

$670 18.5%

Basel

$584 15.9% 12.9% $87

Eating Out

St. Moritz

$490 13.5%

Basel

$490 13.3% 0% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

St. Moritz

$272 7.5%

Basel

$261 7.1% 4.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Moritz

$191 5.3%

Basel

$405 11% 112% $214

Getting Around

St. Moritz

$139 3.8%

Basel

$157 4.3% 12.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

St. Moritz

$111 3.1%

Basel

$128 3.5% 15.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,794 in St. Moritz and $2,087 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays 45% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $143 in St. Moritz vs $125 in Basel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $670 vs $584 per month, with Basel cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 St. Moritz

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

14:01 2:01 PM

Same time as St. Moritz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

174,491

💱 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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St. Moritz Basel 210 km

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St. Moritz
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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

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

St. Moritz wins on cost – living expenses run 1% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making St. Moritz the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in St. Moritz. 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: $1,794 in St. Moritz versus $2,087 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,402 in St. Moritz versus $3,139 in Basel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Basel pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. St. Moritz is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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