Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Uster and Riehen

For one person, living is cheaper in Riehen: $3,372 a month against $3,689 in Uster, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

178

Cost of Living Index in Uster
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Uster Living Index
164

Cost of Living Index in Riehen
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Riehen Living Index

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Uster

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,689

/mo nomad

Riehen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Uster and in Riehen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,689 in Uster versus $3,372 in Riehen.

Uster $3,689
Riehen $3,372

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,289 in Uster versus $5,084 in Riehen.

Uster $5,289
Riehen $5,084

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,889 in Uster versus $6,797 in Riehen.

Uster $6,889
Riehen $6,797

Living in Uster is roughly 9% more expensive than in Riehen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Uster 173% above, Riehen 150% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.11 CHF 24.80

$29.55 CHF 24.34

1.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 CHF 98.7

$120 CHF 98.5

0.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.34 CHF 15.10

$15.72 CHF 12.94

16.67%

Cappuccino

$6.04 CHF 4.97

$6.21 CHF 5.11

-2.74%

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

$5.33 CHF 4.39

$4.98 CHF 4.10

7.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 CHF 3.95

$5.26 CHF 4.33

-8.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.59 CHF 7.08

$7.15 CHF 5.89

20.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.73 CHF 5.54

$6.57 CHF 5.41

2.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.83

$2.13 CHF 1.75

4.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.34 CHF 2.75

$3.14 CHF 2.59

6.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 CHF 3.61

$3.51 CHF 2.89

25.07%

Eggs

$7.35 CHF 6.05

$7.13 CHF 5.87

3.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$32.17 CHF 26.49

$24.83 CHF 20.45

29.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.34 CHF 24.17

$24.86 CHF 20.48

18.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.64 CHF 35.12

$37.07 CHF 30.53

15.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 CHF 2.84

$3.52 CHF 2.90

-2.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 CHF 1.73

$1.61 CHF 1.33

30.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 CHF 2.31

$2.51 CHF 2.07

11.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.78

$4.36 CHF 3.59

5.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$1.78 CHF 1.46

14.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 CHF 1.79

$2.09 CHF 1.72

4.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CHF 2.00

$2.19 CHF 1.80

10.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 CHF 1.10

$1.23 CHF 1.02

8.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.65 CHF 8.77

$10.91 CHF 8.99

-2.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.97 CHF 10.69

$10.39 CHF 8.56

24.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 CHF 2.68

$3.48 CHF 2.87

-6.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 CHF 2.75

$2.32 CHF 1.91

43.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.60 CHF 3.79

$4.45 CHF 3.67

3.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 CHF 82.2

$98.6 CHF 81.2

1.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 CHF 4.50

$9.84 CHF 8.11

-44.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.28 CHF 2.70

$4.02 CHF 3.31

-18.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.4 CHF 48.94

$73.6 CHF 60.6

-19.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$2.18 CHF 1.80

0.46%

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

$43.3K CHF 35.6K

$41.5K CHF 34.1K

4.36%

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

$39.7K CHF 32.7K

$39.3K CHF 32.3K

1.19%

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

$233 CHF 192

$339 CHF 280

-31.38%

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

$31.89 CHF 26.26

$41.49 CHF 34.17

-23.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.4 CHF 53.8

$56.6 CHF 46.59

15.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.6 CHF 60.6

$88.7 CHF 73.1

-17.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.51 CHF 37.49

$45.01 CHF 37.07

1.11%

Cinema Ticket

$21.75 CHF 17.92

$21.40 CHF 17.63

1.64%

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

$1,802 CHF 1,484

$1,786 CHF 1,471

0.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 26.8K

$36.6K CHF 30.2K

-11.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$164 CHF 135

$102 CHF 84.0

61.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$86.4 CHF 71.1

$57.0 CHF 46.94

51.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 CHF 118

$165 CHF 136

-13.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$173 CHF 142

$183 CHF 151

-5.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,678 CHF 1,382

$1,680 CHF 1,384

-0.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 CHF 1,448

$1,440 CHF 1,186

22.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,928 CHF 2,412

$3,422 CHF 2,819

-14.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,382 CHF 1,962

$2,418 CHF 1,992

-1.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.9K CHF 13.1K

$15.7K CHF 12.9K

1.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.1K CHF 9,993

$12.0K CHF 9,867

1.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,850 CHF 5,642

$8,642 CHF 7,118

-20.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.72

2.31

-25.54%

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

Last update for Uster: October 11, 2026

Last update for Riehen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Uster

$1.8K 47.7%

Riehen

$1.4K 42.7% 18.1% $319

Groceries & Markets

Uster

$623 16.9%

Riehen

$540 16% 13.2% $82

Eating Out

Uster

$465 12.6%

Riehen

$448 13.3% 3.7% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Uster

$330 9%

Riehen

$438 13% 32.5% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Uster

$255 6.9%

Riehen

$228 6.8% 10.5% $27

Getting Around

Uster

$140 3.8%

Riehen

$146 4.3% 4.5% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Uster

$117 3.2%

Riehen

$132 3.9% 12.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,678 in Uster and $1,680 in Riehen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riehen pays 26% 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 $120 in Riehen. Groceries flip the comparison at $623 vs $540, with Riehen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Uster

🇨🇭 Riehen

🕒 Local time

07:00 7:00 AM

Same time as Uster

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,097

20,970

💱 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

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Between locations

Uster Riehen 84 km

From you

Uster
Riehen

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 Riehen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Uster and Riehen differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($3,689 vs $3,372 including rent). Riehen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Riehen. 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 $1,680 in Riehen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Uster. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Riehen – a meal for two runs $120 versus $120 in Uster. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Riehen is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Uster and Riehen 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 Riehen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Uster. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.