Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vaduz and Zurich

For one person, living is cheaper in Vaduz: $3,175 a month against $4,451 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Vaduz
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Vaduz Living Index
217

Cost of Living Index in Zurich
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Zurich Living Index

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Vaduz

🇱🇮 Liechtenstein

$3,175

/mo nomad

Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,451

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,175 per month in Vaduz vs $4,451 in Zurich, rent included.

Vaduz $3,175
Zurich $4,451

A couple spends around $5,202 per month in Vaduz vs $6,817 in Zurich, rent included.

Vaduz $5,202
Zurich $6,817

A family of three spends $7,230 per month in Vaduz vs $9,184 in Zurich, rent included.

Vaduz $7,230
Zurich $9,184

Vaduz is about 29% cheaper than Zurich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Vaduz and Zurich sit above the global median – Vaduz by 135%, Zurich by 230%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$35.48 CHF 29.22

$34.71 CHF 28.59

2.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$147 CHF 121

$144 CHF 119

1.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.08 CHF 14.89

$17.69 CHF 14.57

2.20%

Cappuccino

$6.34 CHF 5.22

$6.91 CHF 5.69

-8.25%

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

$4.28 CHF 3.52

$5.86 CHF 4.83

-26.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 CHF 3.39

$5.15 CHF 4.24

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 CHF 5.87

$9.70 CHF 7.99

-26.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.05 CHF 4.98

$8.28 CHF 6.82

-26.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.78 CHF 2.29

$2.20 CHF 1.81

26.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.53 CHF 2.91

$3.78 CHF 3.11

-6.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.97 CHF 2.45

$3.68 CHF 3.03

-19.29%

Eggs

$10.54 CHF 8.68

$8.54 CHF 7.03

23.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.27 CHF 22.46

$27.22 CHF 22.42

0.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$23.86 CHF 19.65

$27.67 CHF 22.79

-13.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$53.6 CHF 44.10

$61.7 CHF 50.8

-13.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 CHF 2.98

$4.14 CHF 3.41

-12.56%

Banana (1kg)

$3.87 CHF 3.19

$2.68 CHF 2.21

44.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.12 CHF 3.40

$3.54 CHF 2.91

16.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.73 CHF 2.25

$4.45 CHF 3.67

-38.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 CHF 2.29

$2.54 CHF 2.09

9.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 CHF 1.75

$2.21 CHF 1.82

-3.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$2.52 CHF 2.07

-15.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 CHF 1.55

$1.24 CHF 1.02

51.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.69 CHF 10.45

$10.62 CHF 8.75

19.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.28 CHF 15.06

$13.83 CHF 11.39

32.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 CHF 2.22

$2.66 CHF 2.19

1.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 CHF 2.47

$3.18 CHF 2.62

-5.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CHF 2.15

$5.39 CHF 4.44

-51.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$122 CHF 100

$106 CHF 87.2

14.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 CHF 1.59

$7.93 CHF 6.54

-75.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.89 CHF 4.85

$4.50 CHF 3.71

30.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$89.4 CHF 73.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.93

$2.28 CHF 1.87

3.07%

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

$36.6K CHF 30.1K

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

-6.25%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

-1.41%

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

$239 CHF 197

$276 CHF 227

-13.55%

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

$39.54 CHF 32.57

$36.80 CHF 30.31

7.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.0 CHF 54.3

$56.0 CHF 46.10

17.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.4 CHF 67.1

$91.3 CHF 75.2

-10.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.30 CHF 15.08

$60.0 CHF 49.43

-69.51%

Cinema Ticket

$24.10 CHF 19.85

$24.81 CHF 20.43

-2.86%

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

$364 CHF 300

$3,505 CHF 2,887

-89.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K CHF 13.6K

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

-60.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$138 CHF 113

$139 CHF 115

-1.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.65 CHF 39.25

$58.3 CHF 48.04

-18.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$170 CHF 140

$166 CHF 137

2.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$219 CHF 180

$260 CHF 214

-15.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,338 CHF 1,102

$2,916 CHF 2,402

-54.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,133 CHF 933

$2,308 CHF 1,901

-50.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,876 CHF 2,369

$5,918 CHF 4,874

-51.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,361 CHF 1,944

$4,092 CHF 3,370

-42.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.6K CHF 13.7K

$26.8K CHF 22.1K

-38.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,811 CHF 5,609

$16.2K CHF 13.4K

-58.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,205 CHF 7,582

$7,928 CHF 6,529

16.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.25

2.07

250.24%

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

Last update for Vaduz: October 12, 2026

Last update for Zurich: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vaduz

$1.1K 35.7%

Zurich

$2.3K 51.9% 104% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Vaduz

$650 20.5%

Zurich

$671 15.1% 3.2% $21

Eating Out

Vaduz

$495 15.6%

Zurich

$523 11.7% 5.5% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vaduz

$344 10.8%

Zurich

$369 8.3% 7.2% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Vaduz

$258 8.1%

Zurich

$281 6.3% 8.7% $22

Getting Around

Vaduz

$164 5.2%

Zurich

$158 3.6% 3.5% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Vaduz

$130 4.1%

Zurich

$141 3.2% 8.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,338 in Vaduz versus $2,916 in Zurich. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 16% higher in Vaduz, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $146 in Vaduz versus $144 in Zurich. Groceries tell a different story – $650 in Vaduz vs $671 in Zurich – so Vaduz wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇮 Vaduz

🇨🇭 Zurich

🕒 Local time

11:51 11:51 AM

Same time as Vaduz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,800 Capital

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

On the map

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Between locations

Vaduz Zurich 79 km

From you

Vaduz
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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

Vaduz vs Zurich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,175 in Vaduz, $4,451 in Zurich – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,762 per month in Vaduz and $6,676 in Zurich. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vaduz, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $364 per month in Vaduz and $3,505 in Zurich. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Zurich, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,175 in Vaduz and $4,451 in Zurich. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Zurich has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $3,175 in Vaduz to $4,451 in Zurich. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Vaduz. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Zurich makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.