Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thun and Zurich

For one person, living is cheaper in Thun: $3,388 a month against $4,451 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

166

Cost of Living Index in Thun
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Thun Living Index
217

Cost of Living Index in Zurich
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Zurich Living Index

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Thun

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,388

/mo nomad

Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,451

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,388 in Thun versus $4,451 in Zurich.

Thun $3,388
Zurich $4,451

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,170 in Thun versus $6,817 in Zurich.

Thun $5,170
Zurich $6,817

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,952 in Thun versus $9,184 in Zurich.

Thun $6,952
Zurich $9,184

Living in Thun costs roughly 24% less than in Zurich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Thun 151% above, Zurich 230% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.31 CHF 23.32

$34.71 CHF 28.59

-18.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 100

$144 CHF 119

-15.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.51 CHF 12.77

$17.69 CHF 14.57

-12.32%

Cappuccino

$6.45 CHF 5.31

$6.91 CHF 5.69

-6.66%

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

$6.28 CHF 5.17

$5.86 CHF 4.83

7.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 CHF 4.84

$5.15 CHF 4.24

14.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.85 CHF 7.29

$9.70 CHF 7.99

-8.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.67 CHF 6.32

$8.28 CHF 6.82

-7.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 CHF 1.76

$2.20 CHF 1.81

-3.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 CHF 2.46

$3.78 CHF 3.11

-20.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 CHF 2.58

$3.68 CHF 3.03

-14.95%

Eggs

$7.60 CHF 6.26

$8.54 CHF 7.03

-11.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.82 CHF 19.62

$27.22 CHF 22.42

-12.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.88 CHF 22.14

$27.67 CHF 22.79

-2.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.26 CHF 32.34

$61.7 CHF 50.8

-36.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 CHF 2.92

$4.14 CHF 3.41

-14.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 CHF 1.61

$2.68 CHF 2.21

-26.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 CHF 2.18

$3.54 CHF 2.91

-25.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 CHF 3.90

$4.45 CHF 3.67

6.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 CHF 1.28

$2.54 CHF 2.09

-38.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 CHF 1.65

$2.21 CHF 1.82

-9.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$2.52 CHF 2.07

-13.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CHF 1.05

$1.24 CHF 1.02

3.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.25 CHF 9.26

$10.62 CHF 8.75

5.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.09 CHF 9.96

$13.83 CHF 11.39

-12.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 CHF 1.86

$2.66 CHF 2.19

-15.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 CHF 2.41

$3.18 CHF 2.62

-8.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.49 CHF 3.70

$5.39 CHF 4.44

-16.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 CHF 82.6

$106 CHF 87.2

-5.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.04 CHF 6.62

$7.93 CHF 6.54

1.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.53 CHF 3.73

$4.50 CHF 3.71

0.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$82.9 CHF 68.3

$89.4 CHF 73.6

-7.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 CHF 1.96

$2.28 CHF 1.87

4.39%

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

$42.5K CHF 35.0K

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

9.06%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

-0.22%

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

$289 CHF 238

$276 CHF 227

4.71%

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

$46.36 CHF 38.18

$36.80 CHF 30.31

25.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.8 CHF 51.7

$56.0 CHF 46.10

12.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.8 CHF 74.0

$91.3 CHF 75.2

-1.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.01 CHF 37.89

$60.0 CHF 49.43

-23.33%

Cinema Ticket

$23.22 CHF 19.12

$24.81 CHF 20.43

-6.41%

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

$3,058 CHF 2,519

$3,505 CHF 2,887

-12.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K CHF 25.1K

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

-26.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 119

$139 CHF 115

3.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.8 CHF 64.9

$58.3 CHF 48.04

35.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 131

$166 CHF 137

-4.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$192 CHF 158

$260 CHF 214

-26.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,685 CHF 1,388

$2,916 CHF 2,402

-42.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,432 CHF 1,180

$2,308 CHF 1,901

-37.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,842 CHF 2,341

$5,918 CHF 4,874

-51.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,457 CHF 2,023

$4,092 CHF 3,370

-39.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.2K CHF 13.4K

$26.8K CHF 22.1K

-39.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K CHF 9,721

$16.2K CHF 13.4K

-27.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,785 CHF 4,765

$7,928 CHF 6,529

-27.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

2.07

16.91%

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

Last update for Thun: 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

Thun

$1.4K 42.3%

Zurich

$2.3K 51.9% 61.1% $876

Groceries & Markets

Thun

$556 16.4%

Zurich

$671 15.1% 20.8% $116

Eating Out

Thun

$459 13.5%

Zurich

$523 11.7% 14% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thun

$398 11.8%

Zurich

$369 8.3% 7.4% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Thun

$258 7.6%

Zurich

$281 6.3% 8.6% $22

Getting Around

Thun

$149 4.4%

Zurich

$158 3.6% 6% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Thun

$136 4%

Zurich

$141 3.2% 3.4% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,685 in Thun and $2,916 in Zurich. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zurich pays 37% 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 $144 in Zurich for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $556 vs $671 per month, with Thun cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Thun

🇨🇭 Zurich

🕒 Local time

03:48 3:48 AM

Same time as Thun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,905

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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Thun Zurich 97 km

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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

Thun vs Zurich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thun wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Zurich. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Thun the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 37% 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: $1,685 in Thun 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 Thun runs roughly 6% less than in Zurich. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $3,058 in Thun 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 $2,000. Thun is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Thun delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $3,388 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Thun hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Thun 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 Thun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Zurich. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.