Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Uster and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Basel: $3,461 a month against $3,689 in Uster, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Uster outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

178

Cost of Living Index in Uster
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Uster Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Uster

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,689

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,461

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,689 in Uster versus $3,461 in Basel.

Uster $3,689
Basel $3,461

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,289 in Uster versus $5,427 in Basel.

Uster $5,289
Basel $5,427

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,889 in Uster versus $7,394 in Basel.

Uster $6,889
Basel $7,394

Living in Uster is roughly 7% more expensive than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Uster 173% above, Basel 156% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.11 CHF 24.80

$29.60 CHF 24.38

1.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 CHF 98.7

$123 CHF 102

-2.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.34 CHF 15.10

$17.93 CHF 14.77

2.29%

Cappuccino

$6.04 CHF 4.97

$6.21 CHF 5.12

-2.74%

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

$5.33 CHF 4.39

$6.50 CHF 5.35

-18.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 CHF 3.95

$5.77 CHF 4.75

-16.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.59 CHF 7.08

$9.20 CHF 7.58

-6.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.73 CHF 5.54

$9.79 CHF 8.07

-31.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.83

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-1.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.34 CHF 2.75

$3.12 CHF 2.57

7.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 CHF 3.61

$3.17 CHF 2.61

38.49%

Eggs

$7.35 CHF 6.05

$7.83 CHF 6.45

-6.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$32.17 CHF 26.49

$26.04 CHF 21.45

23.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.34 CHF 24.17

$26.78 CHF 22.05

9.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.64 CHF 35.12

$40.31 CHF 33.20

5.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 CHF 2.84

$3.52 CHF 2.90

-2.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 CHF 1.73

$2.34 CHF 1.92

-10.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 CHF 2.31

$2.96 CHF 2.44

-5.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.78

$4.52 CHF 3.72

1.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$1.72 CHF 1.42

18.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 CHF 1.79

$1.89 CHF 1.56

15.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CHF 2.00

$2.24 CHF 1.84

8.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 CHF 1.10

$1.61 CHF 1.33

-17.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.65 CHF 8.77

$11.08 CHF 9.13

-3.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.97 CHF 10.69

$11.84 CHF 9.75

9.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 CHF 2.68

$2.52 CHF 2.08

28.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 CHF 2.75

$2.97 CHF 2.44

12.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.60 CHF 3.79

$4.53 CHF 3.73

1.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 CHF 82.2

$105 CHF 86.5

-5.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 CHF 4.50

$7.95 CHF 6.54

-31.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.28 CHF 2.70

$4.51 CHF 3.71

-27.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.4 CHF 48.94

$84.6 CHF 69.7

-29.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$2.31 CHF 1.91

-5.19%

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

$43.3K CHF 35.6K

$42.3K CHF 34.8K

2.37%

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

$39.7K CHF 32.7K

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

2.55%

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

$233 CHF 192

$292 CHF 240

-20.12%

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

$31.89 CHF 26.26

$46.45 CHF 38.25

-31.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.4 CHF 53.8

$61.9 CHF 51.0

5.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.6 CHF 60.6

$81.1 CHF 66.8

-9.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.51 CHF 37.49

$58.5 CHF 48.17

-22.18%

Cinema Ticket

$21.75 CHF 17.92

$22.48 CHF 18.52

-3.25%

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

$1,802 CHF 1,484

$2,993 CHF 2,465

-39.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 26.8K

$32.0K CHF 26.3K

1.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$164 CHF 135

$142 CHF 117

15.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$86.4 CHF 71.1

$77.1 CHF 63.5

12.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 CHF 118

$159 CHF 131

-10.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$173 CHF 142

$198 CHF 163

-12.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,678 CHF 1,382

$1,953 CHF 1,609

-14.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 CHF 1,448

$1,465 CHF 1,207

20.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,928 CHF 2,412

$3,586 CHF 2,954

-18.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,382 CHF 1,962

$2,796 CHF 2,302

-14.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.9K CHF 13.1K

$18.1K CHF 14.9K

-12.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.1K CHF 9,993

$14.3K CHF 11.8K

-15.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,850 CHF 5,642

$6,863 CHF 5,652

-0.18%

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 Uster: October 11, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Uster

$1.8K 47.7%

Basel

$1.5K 42.4% 16.7% $293

Groceries & Markets

Uster

$623 16.9%

Basel

$576 16.7% 7.5% $46

Eating Out

Uster

$465 12.6%

Basel

$480 13.9% 3.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Uster

$330 9%

Basel

$400 11.6% 21.1% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Uster

$255 6.9%

Basel

$260 7.5% 1.8% $4.6

Getting Around

Uster

$140 3.8%

Basel

$154 4.4% 9.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Uster

$117 3.2%

Basel

$126 3.6% 7.6% $9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,678 in Uster and $1,953 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays 0% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $120 in Uster vs $123 in Basel. Groceries flip the comparison at $623 vs $576, with Basel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Uster

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

Same time as Uster

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,097

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Uster Basel 88 km

From you

Uster
Basel

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

Uster vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Basel wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Uster. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Basel the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 0% lower in Basel. 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: $1,678 in Uster versus $1,953 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,802 in Uster versus $2,993 in Basel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Uster. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Basel 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 Basel delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $3,461 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Basel hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Uster 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.

Expats usually find Basel gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Uster. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.