Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Switzerland and Australia

Name: Australia
Address: AU

For one person, living is cheaper in Australia: $2,589 a month against $3,620 in Switzerland, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

175

Cost of Living Index in Switzerland
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Switzerland Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index

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🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,620

/mo nomad

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Switzerland and in Australia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Switzerland and in Australia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,620 per month in Switzerland vs $2,589 in Australia, rent included.

Switzerland $3,620
Australia $2,589

A couple spends around $5,567 per month in Switzerland vs $3,789 in Australia, rent included.

Switzerland $5,567
Australia $3,789

A family of three spends $7,513 per month in Switzerland vs $4,990 in Australia, rent included.

Switzerland $7,513
Australia $4,990

The regional cost range is wider in Switzerland ($1,992–$5,115) than in Australia ($1,068–$3,299), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Switzerland is about 40% higher than in Australia on average.

Both Switzerland and Australia are pricier than the global median – Switzerland by 168%, Australia by 91%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.05 CHF 24.51

$17.24 A$24.87

74.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$123 CHF 100

$85.1 A$123

44.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.06 CHF 14.73

$11.18 A$16.13

61.54%

Cappuccino

$6.00 CHF 4.90

$4.01 A$5.78

49.63%

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

$5.55 CHF 4.53

$2.90 A$4.18

91.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 CHF 3.92

$2.30 A$3.32

108.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.08 CHF 7.41

$7.74 A$11.17

17.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.49 CHF 6.11

$8.16 A$11.78

-8.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 CHF 1.84

$1.73 A$2.49

30.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.81 CHF 3.10

$2.69 A$3.88

41.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.62 CHF 2.95

$2.24 A$3.22

61.61%

Eggs

$7.80 CHF 6.36

$4.95 A$7.13

57.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.76 CHF 21.00

$9.42 A$13.59

173.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.73 CHF 23.42

$9.40 A$13.56

205.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.72 CHF 34.83

$15.30 A$22.07

179.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.76 CHF 3.06

$3.65 A$5.27

3.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 CHF 1.82

$3.08 A$4.44

-27.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 CHF 2.25

$3.27 A$4.72

-15.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.15 CHF 4.20

$4.59 A$6.62

12.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 CHF 1.69

$2.83 A$4.08

-26.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 CHF 1.80

$2.26 A$3.27

-2.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 CHF 1.88

$2.37 A$3.43

-2.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 CHF 1.18

$1.66 A$2.39

-12.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CHF 9.07

$38.43 A$55.4

-71.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.41 CHF 10.93

$14.21 A$20.50

-5.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 CHF 2.20

$4.95 A$7.15

-45.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 CHF 2.49

$5.13 A$7.40

-40.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.21 CHF 3.44

$2.46 A$3.56

71.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 CHF 83.2

$93.0 A$134

9.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 CHF 6.44

$3.66 A$5.28

115.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.76 CHF 3.88

$1.82 A$2.62

161.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$87.1 CHF 71.0

$43.83 A$63.2

98.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.87

$1.35 A$1.94

69.63%

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

$40.2K CHF 32.7K

$29.8K A$43.0K

34.54%

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

$39.1K CHF 31.9K

$26.1K A$37.6K

49.87%

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

$287 CHF 234

$208 A$300

38.06%

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

$38.31 CHF 31.24

$29.05 A$41.90

31.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.8 CHF 47.91

$58.7 A$84.7

0.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.5 CHF 67.3

$56.4 A$81.4

46.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.18 CHF 38.47

$19.40 A$27.99

143.20%

Cinema Ticket

$24.46 CHF 19.94

$15.11 A$21.79

61.88%

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

$2,998 CHF 2,445

$2,113 A$3,048

41.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.9K CHF 32.5K

$23.1K A$33.3K

72.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$135 CHF 110

$80.0 A$115

68.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.2 CHF 54.0

$54.2 A$78.2

22.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$151 CHF 123

$112 A$161

35.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 159

$125 A$180

56.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,049 CHF 1,671

$1,620 A$2,337

26.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 CHF 1,330

$1,256 A$1,812

29.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,586 CHF 2,924

$2,616 A$3,774

37.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,924 CHF 2,385

$2,007 A$2,895

45.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.4K CHF 15.0K

$8,539 A$12.3K

115.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.9K CHF 10.5K

$6,404 A$9,237

100.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,160 CHF 5,838

$3,931 A$5,670

82.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.05

5.96

-65.60%

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

Last update for Switzerland: November 1, 2026

Last update for Australia: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Switzerland

$1.6K 45.1%

Australia

$1.3K 48.5% 23% $375

Groceries & Markets

Switzerland

$608 16.8%

Australia

$373 14.4% 38.7% $235

Eating Out

Switzerland

$469 12.9%

Australia

$295 11.4% 36.9% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Switzerland

$384 10.6%

Australia

$296 11.4% 23% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Switzerland

$246 6.8%

Australia

$167 6.4% 32.2% $79

Getting Around

Switzerland

$151 4.2%

Australia

$116 4.5% 23.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Switzerland

$131 3.6%

Australia

$87 3.4% 34.1% $45

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,848 in Switzerland vs $1,381 in Australia. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,162 in Bern and $1,761 in Canberra.

Average salary: $7,210 in Switzerland vs $3,863 in Australia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 34% higher in Switzerland.

Dining out costs 54% more in Switzerland.

Public transport is 24% more expensive in Switzerland.

Salaries are 87% higher in Switzerland, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Switzerland.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Switzerland

🇦🇺 Australia

🕒 Local time

02:26 2:26 AM

12:26 12:26 PM

10 h ahead of Switzerland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,902,308

26,473,055

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.23 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1 AUD = 0.693 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.815 CHF (1 CHF = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 0.915 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.693 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Switzerland Australia 16,590 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Switzerland
Australia

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

Switzerland vs Australia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Australia is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 28% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Switzerland: a central one-bedroom averages $1,848 versus $1,381 in Australia.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Australia – part of why living there is about 28% cheaper overall.

Australia is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.