Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Moritz and Bern

For one person, living is cheaper in Bern: $3,337 a month against $3,609 in St. Moritz, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

175

Cost of Living Index in St. Moritz
Learn more

St. Moritz Living Index
162

Cost of Living Index in Bern
Learn more

Bern Living Index

Jump to prices

St. Moritz

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,609

/mo nomad

Bern

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,337

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in St. Moritz and in Bern

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,609 in St. Moritz versus $3,337 in Bern.

St. Moritz $3,609
Bern $3,337

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,451 in St. Moritz versus $5,148 in Bern.

St. Moritz $6,451
Bern $5,148

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,292 in St. Moritz versus $6,958 in Bern.

St. Moritz $9,292
Bern $6,958

Living in St. Moritz is roughly 8% more expensive than in Bern, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: St. Moritz 167% above, Bern 147% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$35.22 CHF 29.01

$28.53 CHF 23.50

23.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$143 CHF 118

$119 CHF 98.3

20.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.44 CHF 11.89

$15.35 CHF 12.64

-5.93%

Cappuccino

$6.14 CHF 5.05

$6.90 CHF 5.68

-11.01%

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

$5.49 CHF 4.52

$6.13 CHF 5.05

-10.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 CHF 3.79

$6.79 CHF 5.59

-32.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.64 CHF 7.94

$8.89 CHF 7.32

8.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.07 CHF 5.00

$7.72 CHF 6.36

-21.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 CHF 1.48

$2.17 CHF 1.79

-17.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.76 CHF 3.09

$3.02 CHF 2.49

24.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 CHF 3.04

$3.25 CHF 2.67

13.54%

Eggs

$7.46 CHF 6.14

$7.79 CHF 6.42

-4.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.32 CHF 21.68

$23.73 CHF 19.54

10.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.45 CHF 22.61

$28.58 CHF 23.54

-3.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$60.5 CHF 49.86

$38.02 CHF 31.31

59.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 CHF 3.32

$3.93 CHF 3.23

2.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 CHF 2.32

$1.97 CHF 1.63

43.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.36 CHF 2.77

$2.70 CHF 2.22

24.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 CHF 3.71

$4.56 CHF 3.76

-1.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 CHF 2.08

$1.61 CHF 1.33

57.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$2.04 CHF 1.68

4.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 CHF 1.99

$2.27 CHF 1.87

6.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 CHF 1.03

$1.28 CHF 1.05

-2.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.91 CHF 8.98

$11.37 CHF 9.37

-4.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 CHF 11.56

$12.12 CHF 9.98

15.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 CHF 2.26

$2.19 CHF 1.80

25.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 CHF 2.57

$2.97 CHF 2.45

5.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.77 CHF 3.10

$6.11 CHF 5.03

-38.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.4 CHF 76.1

$98.4 CHF 81.0

-6.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.02 CHF 6.60

$8.19 CHF 6.75

-2.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.58 CHF 3.77

$4.61 CHF 3.79

-0.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$88.1 CHF 72.5

$106 CHF 87.3

-16.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 CHF 1.73

$2.35 CHF 1.93

-10.64%

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

$39.8K CHF 32.8K

$42.0K CHF 34.6K

-5.16%

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

$38.2K CHF 31.4K

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

-2.17%

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

$97.5 CHF 80.3

$275 CHF 227

-64.62%

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

$36.42 CHF 30.00

$28.22 CHF 23.24

29.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 CHF 46.14

$53.9 CHF 44.43

3.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.2 CHF 60.3

$89.2 CHF 73.4

-17.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.49 CHF 38.29

Cinema Ticket

$18.35 CHF 15.11

$23.80 CHF 19.60

-22.90%

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

$3,525 CHF 2,903

$3,103 CHF 2,556

13.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.5K CHF 35.0K

$30.9K CHF 25.4K

37.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$140 CHF 115

$137 CHF 113

2.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.2 CHF 48.72

$60.7 CHF 50.0

-2.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$163 CHF 134

$156 CHF 128

4.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$250 CHF 206

$192 CHF 158

30.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,799 CHF 1,481

$1,841 CHF 1,516

-2.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,740 CHF 1,433

$1,411 CHF 1,162

23.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,419 CHF 4,463

$3,449 CHF 2,841

57.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,642 CHF 3,823

$2,508 CHF 2,066

85.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K CHF 15.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.1K CHF 9,973

$15.1K CHF 12.4K

-19.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,707 CHF 3,877

$6,708 CHF 5,525

-29.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.8

2.46

-26.83%

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

Last update for St. Moritz: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bern: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Moritz

$1.7K 48.2%

Bern

$1.4K 42.3% 18.9% $329

Groceries & Markets

St. Moritz

$656 18.2%

Bern

$564 16.9% 14% $92

Eating Out

St. Moritz

$499 13.8%

Bern

$469 14% 6.2% $31

Clothing & Footwear

St. Moritz

$276 7.6%

Bern

$246 7.4% 10.9% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Moritz

$190 5.3%

Bern

$358 10.7% 88.3% $168

Getting Around

St. Moritz

$138 3.8%

Bern

$154 4.6% 11.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

St. Moritz

$110 3.1%

Bern

$137 4.1% 24.4% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,799 in St. Moritz and $1,841 in Bern. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bern pays 42% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $143 in St. Moritz vs $119 in Bern for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $656 vs $564 per month, with Bern cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 St. Moritz

🇨🇭 Bern

🕒 Local time

01:25 1:25 AM

Same time as St. Moritz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

128,848 Capital

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

St. Moritz Bern 190 km

From you

St. Moritz
Bern

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 Bern: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bern wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in St. Moritz. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bern the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 42% lower in Bern. 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: $1,799 in St. Moritz versus $1,841 in Bern. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bern – a meal for two runs $119 versus $143 in St. Moritz. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,609 per month in St. Moritz versus $3,337 in Bern – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Bern is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bern delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $3,337 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bern hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, St. Moritz and Bern are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bern gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in St. Moritz. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.