Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Moritz and Zurich

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Moritz: $3,609 a month against $4,451 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

175

Cost of Living Index in St. Moritz
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St. Moritz Living Index
217

Cost of Living Index in Zurich
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Zurich Living Index

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St. Moritz

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,609

/mo nomad

Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,451

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,609 in St. Moritz versus $4,451 in Zurich.

St. Moritz $3,609
Zurich $4,451

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,451 in St. Moritz versus $6,817 in Zurich.

St. Moritz $6,451
Zurich $6,817

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,292 in St. Moritz versus $9,184 in Zurich.

St. Moritz $9,292
Zurich $9,184

Living in St. Moritz costs roughly 19% less than in Zurich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: St. Moritz 167% above, Zurich 230% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$35.22 CHF 29.01

$34.71 CHF 28.59

1.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$143 CHF 118

$144 CHF 119

-0.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.44 CHF 11.89

$17.69 CHF 14.57

-18.37%

Cappuccino

$6.14 CHF 5.05

$6.91 CHF 5.69

-11.14%

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

$5.49 CHF 4.52

$5.86 CHF 4.83

-6.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 CHF 3.79

$5.15 CHF 4.24

-10.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.64 CHF 7.94

$9.70 CHF 7.99

-0.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.07 CHF 5.00

$8.28 CHF 6.82

-26.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 CHF 1.48

$2.20 CHF 1.81

-18.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.76 CHF 3.09

$3.78 CHF 3.11

-0.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 CHF 3.04

$3.68 CHF 3.03

0.27%

Eggs

$7.46 CHF 6.14

$8.54 CHF 7.03

-12.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.32 CHF 21.68

$27.22 CHF 22.42

-3.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.45 CHF 22.61

$27.67 CHF 22.79

-0.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$60.5 CHF 49.86

$61.7 CHF 50.8

-1.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 CHF 3.32

$4.14 CHF 3.41

-2.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 CHF 2.32

$2.68 CHF 2.21

5.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.36 CHF 2.77

$3.54 CHF 2.91

-5.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 CHF 3.71

$4.45 CHF 3.67

1.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 CHF 2.08

$2.54 CHF 2.09

-0.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$2.21 CHF 1.82

-3.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 CHF 1.99

$2.52 CHF 2.07

-4.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 CHF 1.03

$1.24 CHF 1.02

0.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.91 CHF 8.98

$10.62 CHF 8.75

2.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 CHF 11.56

$13.83 CHF 11.39

1.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 CHF 2.26

$2.66 CHF 2.19

3.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 CHF 2.57

$3.18 CHF 2.62

-1.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.77 CHF 3.10

$5.39 CHF 4.44

-30.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.4 CHF 76.1

$106 CHF 87.2

-12.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.02 CHF 6.60

$7.93 CHF 6.54

1.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.58 CHF 3.77

$4.50 CHF 3.71

1.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$88.1 CHF 72.5

$89.4 CHF 73.6

-1.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 CHF 1.73

$2.28 CHF 1.87

-7.89%

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

$39.8K CHF 32.8K

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

2.02%

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

$38.2K CHF 31.4K

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

-3.43%

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

$97.5 CHF 80.3

$276 CHF 227

-64.72%

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

$36.42 CHF 30.00

$36.80 CHF 30.31

-1.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 CHF 46.14

$56.0 CHF 46.10

0.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.2 CHF 60.3

$91.3 CHF 75.2

-19.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$60.0 CHF 49.43

Cinema Ticket

$18.35 CHF 15.11

$24.81 CHF 20.43

-26.04%

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

$3,525 CHF 2,903

$3,505 CHF 2,887

0.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.5K CHF 35.0K

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

2.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$140 CHF 115

$139 CHF 115

0.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.2 CHF 48.72

$58.3 CHF 48.04

1.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$163 CHF 134

$166 CHF 137

-1.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$250 CHF 206

$260 CHF 214

-3.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,799 CHF 1,481

$2,916 CHF 2,402

-38.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,740 CHF 1,433

$2,308 CHF 1,901

-24.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,419 CHF 4,463

$5,918 CHF 4,874

-8.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,642 CHF 3,823

$4,092 CHF 3,370

13.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$26.8K CHF 22.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.1K CHF 9,973

$16.2K CHF 13.4K

-25.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,707 CHF 3,877

$7,928 CHF 6,529

-40.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.8

2.07

-13.04%

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

Last update for St. Moritz: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zurich: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Moritz

$1.7K 48.2%

Zurich

$2.3K 51.9% 32.7% $568

Groceries & Markets

St. Moritz

$656 18.2%

Zurich

$671 15.1% 2.4% $16

Eating Out

St. Moritz

$499 13.8%

Zurich

$523 11.7% 4.7% $23

Clothing & Footwear

St. Moritz

$276 7.6%

Zurich

$281 6.3% 1.7% $4.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Moritz

$190 5.3%

Zurich

$369 8.3% 94.3% $179

Getting Around

St. Moritz

$138 3.8%

Zurich

$158 3.6% 14.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

St. Moritz

$110 3.1%

Zurich

$141 3.2% 28.2% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,799 in St. Moritz and $2,916 in Zurich. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zurich pays 68% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $143 in St. Moritz vs $144 in Zurich for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $656 vs $671 per month, with St. Moritz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 St. Moritz

🇨🇭 Zurich

🕒 Local time

00:04 12:04 AM

Same time as St. Moritz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

443,037

💱 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. Moritz vs Zurich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St. Moritz and Zurich differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($3,609 vs $4,451 including rent). St. Moritz is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 68% lower in Zurich. 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 $2,916 in Zurich. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in St. Moritz runs roughly 15% less than in Zurich. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $3,525 in St. Moritz versus $3,505 in Zurich. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

Safety-wise, St. Moritz and Zurich 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 St. Moritz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Zurich. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.