Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Uster and St. Gallen

For one person, living costs are similar in Uster and in St. Gallen: $3,689 and $3,635 a month, rent and utilities included.

178

Cost of Living Index in Uster
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Uster Living Index
178

Cost of Living Index in St. Gallen
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St. Gallen Living Index

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Uster

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,689

/mo nomad

St. Gallen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Uster and in St. Gallen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,689 in Uster versus $3,635 in St. Gallen.

Uster $3,689
St. Gallen $3,635

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,289 in Uster versus $5,183 in St. Gallen.

Uster $5,289
St. Gallen $5,183

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,889 in Uster versus $6,730 in St. Gallen.

Uster $6,889
St. Gallen $6,730

Living in Uster is roughly 1% more expensive than in St. Gallen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Uster 173% above, St. Gallen 169% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.11 CHF 24.80

$29.02 CHF 23.90

3.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 CHF 98.7

$143 CHF 118

-16.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.34 CHF 15.10

$17.94 CHF 14.78

2.23%

Cappuccino

$6.04 CHF 4.97

$5.96 CHF 4.91

1.34%

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

$5.33 CHF 4.39

$5.81 CHF 4.79

-8.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 CHF 3.95

$5.02 CHF 4.13

-4.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.59 CHF 7.08

$8.92 CHF 7.34

-3.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.73 CHF 5.54

$6.31 CHF 5.19

6.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.83

$2.13 CHF 1.75

4.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.34 CHF 2.75

$3.10 CHF 2.55

7.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 CHF 3.61

$3.59 CHF 2.96

22.28%

Eggs

$7.35 CHF 6.05

$7.63 CHF 6.29

-3.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$32.17 CHF 26.49

$25.24 CHF 20.79

27.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.34 CHF 24.17

$28.21 CHF 23.23

4.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.64 CHF 35.12

$39.20 CHF 32.29

8.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 CHF 2.84

$3.07 CHF 2.53

12.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 CHF 1.73

$1.59 CHF 1.31

32.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 CHF 2.31

$2.30 CHF 1.89

22.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.78

$5.87 CHF 4.84

-21.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$1.72 CHF 1.41

18.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 CHF 1.79

$2.08 CHF 1.71

4.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CHF 2.00

$2.26 CHF 1.86

7.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 CHF 1.10

$1.16 CHF 0.96

14.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.65 CHF 8.77

$11.00 CHF 9.06

-3.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.97 CHF 10.69

$11.19 CHF 9.21

15.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 CHF 2.68

$2.11 CHF 1.74

54.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 CHF 2.75

$2.23 CHF 1.83

49.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.60 CHF 3.79

$4.26 CHF 3.51

7.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.8 CHF 82.2

$125 CHF 103

-20.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 CHF 4.50

$6.73 CHF 5.54

-18.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.28 CHF 2.70

$4.56 CHF 3.75

-28.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.4 CHF 48.94

$78.0 CHF 64.3

-23.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$2.30 CHF 1.89

-4.78%

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

$43.3K CHF 35.6K

$34.2K CHF 28.2K

26.51%

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

$39.7K CHF 32.7K

$39.3K CHF 32.3K

1.14%

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

$233 CHF 192

$309 CHF 254

-24.53%

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

$31.89 CHF 26.26

$37.13 CHF 30.58

-14.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.4 CHF 53.8

$54.8 CHF 45.11

19.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.6 CHF 60.6

$79.0 CHF 65.1

-6.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.51 CHF 37.49

Cinema Ticket

$21.75 CHF 17.92

$30.06 CHF 24.76

-27.64%

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

$1,802 CHF 1,484

$2,233 CHF 1,839

-19.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 26.8K

$32.0K CHF 26.4K

1.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$164 CHF 135

$144 CHF 118

14.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$86.4 CHF 71.1

$63.6 CHF 52.4

35.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 CHF 118

$144 CHF 119

-0.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$173 CHF 142

$179 CHF 147

-3.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,678 CHF 1,382

$1,720 CHF 1,417

-2.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 CHF 1,448

$1,662 CHF 1,369

5.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,928 CHF 2,412

$2,818 CHF 2,321

3.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,382 CHF 1,962

$2,152 CHF 1,773

10.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.9K CHF 13.1K

$11.9K CHF 9,807

33.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.1K CHF 9,993

$9,042 CHF 7,447

34.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,850 CHF 5,642

$6,580 CHF 5,419

4.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.72

2.1

-18.10%

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

Last update for Uster: October 11, 2026

Last update for St. Gallen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Uster

$1.8K 47.7%

St. Gallen

$1.7K 45.7% 5.5% $96

Groceries & Markets

Uster

$623 16.9%

St. Gallen

$565 15.5% 9.3% $58

Eating Out

Uster

$465 12.6%

St. Gallen

$458 12.6% 1.6% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Uster

$330 9%

St. Gallen

$401 11% 21.3% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Uster

$255 6.9%

St. Gallen

$239 6.6% 6.5% $17

Getting Around

Uster

$140 3.8%

St. Gallen

$172 4.7% 22.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Uster

$117 3.2%

St. Gallen

$139 3.8% 18.8% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,678 in Uster and $1,720 in St. Gallen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Uster pays 4% 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: $120 in Uster vs $143 in St. Gallen. Groceries flip the comparison at $623 vs $565, with St. Gallen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Uster

🇨🇭 St. Gallen

🕒 Local time

07:00 7:00 AM

Same time as Uster

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,097

78,213

💱 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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Uster St. Gallen 50 km

From you

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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 St. Gallen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St. Gallen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Uster, 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: $1,678 in Uster versus $1,720 in St. Gallen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in St. Gallen runs roughly 26% less than in Uster. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,802 in Uster versus $2,233 in St. Gallen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. St. Gallen is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, St. Gallen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Uster, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Uster and St. Gallen 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 St. Gallen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Uster. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.