Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Staefa and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Staefa: $3,475 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Basel outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

166

Cost of Living Index in Staefa
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Staefa Living Index
176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Staefa

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,475

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,475 in Staefa versus $3,669 in Basel.

Staefa $3,475
Basel $3,669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,304 in Staefa versus $5,649 in Basel.

Staefa $5,304
Basel $5,649

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,132 in Staefa versus $7,629 in Basel.

Staefa $7,132
Basel $7,629

Living in Staefa costs roughly 5% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Staefa 155% above, Basel 170% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$33.44 CHF 27.72

$30.27 CHF 25.09

10.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 101

$125 CHF 103

-2.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.20 CHF 13.43

$17.91 CHF 14.84

-9.55%

Cappuccino

$6.25 CHF 5.18

$6.52 CHF 5.40

-4.14%

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

$5.69 CHF 4.71

$6.47 CHF 5.36

-12.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 CHF 4.23

$5.91 CHF 4.90

-13.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.37 CHF 6.94

$9.41 CHF 7.80

-11.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.60 CHF 7.13

$9.48 CHF 7.86

-9.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.79

$2.29 CHF 1.90

-5.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.28 CHF 2.72

$3.04 CHF 2.52

7.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.89 CHF 3.22

$3.27 CHF 2.71

18.96%

Eggs

$8.36 CHF 6.93

$7.97 CHF 6.60

4.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.66 CHF 22.10

$26.34 CHF 21.83

1.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.56 CHF 22.02

$27.32 CHF 22.64

-2.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$55.3 CHF 45.82

$41.15 CHF 34.10

34.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 CHF 2.89

$3.70 CHF 3.07

-5.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.78 CHF 2.31

$2.30 CHF 1.91

20.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 CHF 2.97

$3.03 CHF 2.51

18.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 CHF 3.75

$4.54 CHF 3.76

-0.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 CHF 2.05

$1.68 CHF 1.39

47.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 CHF 1.81

$1.91 CHF 1.58

14.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 CHF 2.03

$2.27 CHF 1.88

7.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CHF 1.07

$1.60 CHF 1.32

-19.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.68 CHF 8.85

$11.15 CHF 9.24

-4.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.15 CHF 11.73

$11.90 CHF 9.86

18.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 CHF 2.28

$2.44 CHF 2.02

12.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 CHF 2.66

$3.03 CHF 2.51

5.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.36 CHF 3.61

$5.21 CHF 4.32

-16.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 CHF 83.5

$105 CHF 86.8

-3.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.54 CHF 6.25

$7.98 CHF 6.61

-5.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.69 CHF 3.89

$4.61 CHF 3.82

1.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$86.9 CHF 72.1

$83.3 CHF 69.0

4.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 CHF 1.92

$2.42 CHF 2.00

-4.13%

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

$39.2K CHF 32.5K

$38.3K CHF 31.8K

2.24%

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

$38.5K CHF 32.0K

$40.0K CHF 33.1K

-3.59%

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

$232 CHF 192

$296 CHF 245

-21.41%

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

$32.86 CHF 27.24

$46.31 CHF 38.39

-29.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 CHF 46.04

$63.2 CHF 52.4

-12.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.1 CHF 75.5

$82.0 CHF 68.0

11.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.55 CHF 38.59

$58.3 CHF 48.29

-20.10%

Cinema Ticket

$21.56 CHF 17.87

$22.84 CHF 18.94

-5.60%

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

$2,904 CHF 2,407

$3,139 CHF 2,602

-7.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.2K CHF 35.0K

$32.6K CHF 27.0K

29.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$139 CHF 115

$144 CHF 120

-4.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.4 CHF 48.38

$79.9 CHF 66.2

-26.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$145 CHF 120

$159 CHF 132

-8.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 CHF 141

$195 CHF 162

-13.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,760 CHF 1,459

$2,087 CHF 1,730

-15.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 CHF 1,251

$1,646 CHF 1,365

-8.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,982 CHF 2,472

$3,618 CHF 2,999

-17.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,507 CHF 2,078

$2,966 CHF 2,459

-15.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.4K CHF 13.6K

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

-6.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.2K CHF 10.1K

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

-11.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,868

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.72

2.42

-28.93%

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

Last update for Staefa: October 25, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Staefa

$1.5K 43.4%

Basel

$1.6K 44.9% 9.1% $137

Groceries & Markets

Staefa

$639 18.4%

Basel

$584 15.9% 8.6% $55

Eating Out

Staefa

$493 14.2%

Basel

$490 13.3% 0.8% $3.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Staefa

$321 9.2%

Basel

$405 11% 26.3% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Staefa

$230 6.6%

Basel

$261 7.1% 13.1% $30

Getting Around

Staefa

$149 4.3%

Basel

$157 4.3% 5% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Staefa

$134 3.9%

Basel

$128 3.5% 4.9% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,760 in Staefa and $2,087 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $122 in Staefa vs $125 in Basel. Groceries flip the comparison at $639 vs $584, with Basel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Staefa

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

12:02 12:02 PM

Same time as Staefa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,567

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

On the map

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Staefa Basel 93 km

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Staefa
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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

Staefa vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Staefa wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Staefa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $5,213 in Staefa and $5,504 in Basel to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,760 in Staefa versus $2,087 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,904 in Staefa versus $3,139 in Basel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Staefa runs roughly 4% less than in Basel. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Staefa 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, Staefa and Basel are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.