Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thun and Nelson

For one person, living is cheaper in Nelson: $1,833 a month against $3,388 in Thun, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

166

Cost of Living Index in Thun
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Thun Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Nelson
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Nelson Living Index

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Thun

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,388

/mo nomad

Nelson

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,833

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thun and in Nelson

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,388 in Thun versus $1,833 in Nelson.

Thun $3,388
Nelson $1,833

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,170 in Thun versus $2,842 in Nelson.

Thun $5,170
Nelson $2,842

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,952 in Thun versus $3,852 in Nelson.

Thun $6,952
Nelson $3,852

Living in Thun is roughly 85% more expensive than in Nelson, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Thun 151% above, Nelson 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.31 CHF 23.32

$13.86 NZ$24.51

104.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 100

$64.6 NZ$114

88.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.51 CHF 12.77

$8.53 NZ$15.08

81.83%

Cappuccino

$6.45 CHF 5.31

$3.24 NZ$5.74

99.07%

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

$6.28 CHF 5.17

$1.72 NZ$3.04

265.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 CHF 4.84

$1.65 NZ$2.91

256.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.85 CHF 7.29

$7.13 NZ$12.61

24.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.67 CHF 6.32

$5.53 NZ$9.79

38.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 CHF 1.76

$1.90 NZ$3.36

12.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 CHF 2.46

$2.05 NZ$3.63

45.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 CHF 2.58

$1.83 NZ$3.24

71.04%

Eggs

$7.60 CHF 6.26

$5.70 NZ$10.08

33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.82 CHF 19.62

$9.09 NZ$16.08

162.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.88 CHF 22.14

$7.34 NZ$12.98

266.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.26 CHF 32.34

$13.70 NZ$24.22

186.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 CHF 2.92

$3.08 NZ$5.45

15.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 CHF 1.61

$2.19 NZ$3.88

-10.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 CHF 2.18

$3.06 NZ$5.41

-13.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 CHF 3.90

$5.61 NZ$9.92

-15.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 CHF 1.28

$2.05 NZ$3.63

-23.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 CHF 1.65

$1.28 NZ$2.27

56.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$1.97 NZ$3.48

11.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CHF 1.05

$1.01 NZ$1.79

26.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.25 CHF 9.26

$24.79 NZ$43.85

-54.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.09 CHF 9.96

$9.44 NZ$16.69

28.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 CHF 1.86

$3.06 NZ$5.41

-26.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 CHF 2.41

$2.75 NZ$4.86

6.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.49 CHF 3.70

$2.22 NZ$3.92

102.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 CHF 82.6

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.04 CHF 6.62

$1.82 NZ$3.21

341.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.53 CHF 3.73

$1.78 NZ$3.14

154.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$82.9 CHF 68.3

$33.41 NZ$59.1

148.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 CHF 1.96

$1.61 NZ$2.85

47.83%

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

$42.5K CHF 35.0K

$17.1K NZ$30.2K

148.92%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

$21.9K NZ$38.7K

80.02%

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

$289 CHF 238

$131 NZ$231

121.56%

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

$46.36 CHF 38.18

$32.95 NZ$58.3

40.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.8 CHF 51.7

$41.79 NZ$73.9

50.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.8 CHF 74.0

$99.3 NZ$176

-9.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.01 CHF 37.89

$33.61 NZ$59.4

36.89%

Cinema Ticket

$23.22 CHF 19.12

$11.01 NZ$19.48

110.90%

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

$3,058 CHF 2,519

$440 NZ$777

595.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K CHF 25.1K

$12.7K NZ$22.4K

140.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 119

$52.4 NZ$92.6

174.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.8 CHF 64.9

$27.78 NZ$49.13

183.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 131

$101 NZ$179

57.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$192 CHF 158

$138 NZ$245

38.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,685 CHF 1,388

$1,000 NZ$1,769

68.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,432 CHF 1,180

$795 NZ$1,406

80.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,842 CHF 2,341

$1,704 NZ$3,014

66.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,457 CHF 2,023

$1,456 NZ$2,574

68.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.2K CHF 13.4K

$1,374 NZ$2,430

1080.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K CHF 9,721

$827 NZ$1,462

1327.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,785 CHF 4,765

$2,017 NZ$3,568

186.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

5.39

-55.10%

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

Last update for Thun: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nelson: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thun

$1.4K 42.3%

Nelson

$795 43.4% 44.5% $638

Groceries & Markets

Thun

$556 16.4%

Nelson

$312 17% 43.8% $244

Eating Out

Thun

$459 13.5%

Nelson

$236 12.9% 48.6% $223

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thun

$398 11.8%

Nelson

$205 11.2% 48.5% $193

Clothing & Footwear

Thun

$258 7.6%

Nelson

$144 7.9% 44.2% $114

Getting Around

Thun

$149 4.4%

Nelson

$20 * 1.1% 86.9% $129

Sport & Entertainment

Thun

$136 4%

Nelson

$121 6.6% 11% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,685 in Thun and $1,000 in Nelson. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thun pays 187% 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: $122 in Thun vs $65.0 in Nelson for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $556 vs $312 per month, with Nelson cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Thun

🇳🇿 Nelson

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

18:27 6:27 PM

11 h ahead of Thun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,905

51,100

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Thun Nelson 18,720 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Thun
Nelson

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

Thun vs Nelson: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nelson wins on cost – living expenses run 85% lower than in Thun. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nelson the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 187% higher in Thun, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,685 in Thun versus $1,000 in Nelson. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,058 in Thun versus $440 in Nelson. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nelson – a meal for two runs $65.0 versus $122 in Thun. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,833 in Nelson versus $3,388 in Thun, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nelson but tight or insufficient in Thun. The gap between the two cities makes Nelson the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Thun and Nelson 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 Nelson gentler on the wallet – expenses run 85% less than in Thun. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.