Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Switzerland and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $789 a month against $3,620 in Switzerland, rent and utilities included – about $34,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

175

Cost of Living Index in Switzerland
Learn more

Switzerland Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,620

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$789

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Switzerland and in China

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,620 in Switzerland versus $789 in China.

Switzerland $3,620
China $789

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,567 in Switzerland versus $1,254 in China.

Switzerland $5,567
China $1,254

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,513 in Switzerland versus $1,720 in China.

Switzerland $7,513
China $1,720

Internal cost variation is higher in Switzerland: monthly costs span $1,992 to $5,115, compared to $468–$1,246 in China. City choice carries more weight in Switzerland.

Living in Switzerland is roughly 359% more expensive than in China on average.

Switzerland (168% above) and China (42% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.05 CHF 24.58

$3.04 ¥20.24

888.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$123 CHF 100

$22.12 ¥147

454.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.06 CHF 14.78

$5.37 ¥35.74

236.31%

Cappuccino

$6.00 CHF 4.91

$2.93 ¥19.53

104.78%

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

$5.55 CHF 4.54

$0.48 ¥3.21

1056.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 CHF 3.93

$0.30 ¥2.01

1500.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.08 CHF 7.43

$1.07 ¥7.15

748.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.49 CHF 6.13

$2.21 ¥14.69

238.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 CHF 1.85

$1.80 ¥12.00

25.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.81 CHF 3.11

$1.62 ¥10.76

135.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.62 CHF 2.96

$0.99 ¥6.58

265.66%

Eggs

$7.80 CHF 6.38

$1.62 ¥10.79

381.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.76 CHF 21.07

$13.44 ¥89.5

91.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.73 CHF 23.49

$3.46 ¥23.04

730.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.72 CHF 34.94

$11.15 ¥74.2

283.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.76 CHF 3.07

$1.89 ¥12.60

98.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 CHF 1.83

$1.31 ¥8.72

70.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 CHF 2.26

$1.50 ¥9.96

84.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.15 CHF 4.21

$1.34 ¥8.90

284.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 CHF 1.69

$0.72 ¥4.76

187.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 CHF 1.80

$0.93 ¥6.21

136.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 CHF 1.88

$0.65 ¥4.35

253.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 CHF 1.19

$0.60 ¥3.98

141.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CHF 9.09

$3.82 ¥25.42

191.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.41 CHF 10.97

$12.18 ¥81.1

10.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 CHF 2.21

$0.91 ¥6.04

196.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 CHF 2.50

$1.65 ¥10.96

84.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.21 CHF 3.45

$0.29 ¥1.92

1351.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 CHF 83.4

$18.07 ¥120

464.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 CHF 6.46

$1.53 ¥10.22

415.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.76 CHF 3.89

$0.37 ¥2.46

1186.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$87.1 CHF 71.2

$6.69 ¥44.57

1201.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.88

$1.28 ¥8.49

78.91%

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

$40.2K CHF 32.8K

$19.7K ¥131.4K

103.42%

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

$39.1K CHF 32.0K

$17.5K ¥116.2K

124.06%

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

$287 CHF 235

$55.3 ¥368

419.41%

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

$38.31 CHF 31.33

$8.32 ¥55.4

360.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.8 CHF 48.05

$11.12 ¥74.1

428.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.5 CHF 67.5

$39.65 ¥264

108.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.18 CHF 38.59

$15.17 ¥101

211.01%

Cinema Ticket

$24.46 CHF 20.00

$6.65 ¥44.26

267.82%

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

$2,998 CHF 2,452

$514 ¥3,424

482.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.9K CHF 32.6K

$34.9K ¥232.4K

14.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$135 CHF 110

$45.85 ¥305

193.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.2 CHF 54.1

$35.41 ¥236

86.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$151 CHF 123

$76.0 ¥506

98.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 159

$80.0 ¥533

143.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,049 CHF 1,676

$380 ¥2,527

439.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 CHF 1,334

$232 ¥1,543

603.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,586 CHF 2,933

$836 ¥5,563

329.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,924 CHF 2,392

$462 ¥3,074

533.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.4K CHF 15.0K

$4,743 ¥31.6K

287.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.9K CHF 10.5K

$2,383 ¥15.9K

439.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,160 CHF 5,856

$1,117 ¥7,435

541.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.05

3.45

-40.58%

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

Last update for Switzerland: November 1, 2026

Last update for China: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Switzerland

$1.6K 45.1%

China

$232 29.4% 85.8% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Switzerland

$608 16.8%

China

$212 26.8% 65.2% $396

Eating Out

Switzerland

$469 12.9%

China

$89 11.2% 81.1% $380

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Switzerland

$384 10.6%

China

$75 9.5% 80.6% $310

Clothing & Footwear

Switzerland

$246 6.8%

China

$107 13.5% 56.6% $139

Getting Around

Switzerland

$151 4.2%

China

$23 2.9% 85% $128

Sport & Entertainment

Switzerland

$131 3.6%

China

$53 6.7% 59.7% $78

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,848 in Switzerland, $298 in China. Capital cities: $2,162 in Bern vs $942 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $7,210 in Switzerland, $881 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 520% higher in Switzerland.

Dining out costs 482% more in Switzerland.

Public transport is 483% more expensive in Switzerland.

Salaries are about 8.2 times higher in Switzerland, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Switzerland.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Switzerland

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

20:28 8:28 PM

03:28 3:28 AM

7 h ahead of Switzerland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,902,308

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.818 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.918 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.47 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Switzerland China 8,070 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Switzerland
China

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 China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $789 per month in China and $3,620 in Switzerland, China comes out about 78% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,848 in Switzerland and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.