For one person, living is cheaper in Wil: $3,084 a month against $3,372 in Meilen, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Meilen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Wil and in Meilen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
A single person spends $3,084 per month in Wil vs $3,372 in Meilen, rent included.
Wil $3,084
Meilen $3,372
A couple spends around $4,617 per month in Wil vs $5,942 in Meilen, rent included.
Wil $4,617
Meilen $5,942
A family of three spends $6,150 per month in Wil vs $8,512 in Meilen, rent included.
Wil $6,150
Meilen $8,512
🙂
Wil is about 9% cheaper than Meilen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.
📊
Both Wil and Meilen sit above the global median – Wil by 128%, Meilen by 150%.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Wil
Meilen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$29.32CHF 24.14
$32.47CHF 26.74
-9.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$145CHF 119
$122CHF 101
18.11%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$23.90CHF 19.68
$16.33CHF 13.45
46.36%
Cappuccino
$6.09CHF 5.02
$6.31CHF 5.19
-3.49%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75CHF 4.73
$5.68CHF 4.67
1.23%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$5.08CHF 4.18
$5.01CHF 4.13
1.40%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$9.16CHF 7.55
$8.46CHF 6.97
8.27%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$6.46CHF 5.32
$8.29CHF 6.83
-22.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Wil
Meilen
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$2.16CHF 1.78
$2.21CHF 1.82
-2.26%
White Bread(500g)
$4.18CHF 3.44
$3.27CHF 2.69
27.83%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$3.73CHF 3.07
$3.78CHF 3.11
-1.32%
Eggs
$7.52CHF 6.19
$7.49CHF 6.17
0.40%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$26.86CHF 22.12
$26.56CHF 21.87
1.13%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$28.65CHF 23.59
$25.69CHF 21.16
11.52%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$41.13CHF 33.88
$40.25CHF 33.15
2.19%
Apples(1kg)
$3.57CHF 2.94
$3.42CHF 2.82
4.39%
Banana(1kg)
$2.00CHF 1.65
$2.03CHF 1.67
-1.48%
Oranges(1kg)
$2.33CHF 1.92
$2.67CHF 2.20
-12.73%
Tomato(1kg)
$5.46CHF 4.50
$4.58CHF 3.77
19.21%
Potato(1kg)
$1.98CHF 1.63
$1.96CHF 1.61
1.02%
Onion(1kg)
$2.06CHF 1.70
$2.16CHF 1.78
-4.63%
Lettuce(1 head)
$2.34CHF 1.93
$2.32CHF 1.91
0.86%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$1.17CHF 0.97
$1.25CHF 1.03
-6.40%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$10.80CHF 8.90
$11.03CHF 9.09
-2.09%
Wine(Bottle)
$18.28CHF 15.05
$13.25CHF 10.91
37.96%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$2.12CHF 1.74
$2.26CHF 1.86
-6.19%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.33CHF 1.92
$3.23CHF 2.66
-27.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Wil
Meilen
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$3.94CHF 3.25
$4.59CHF 3.78
-14.16%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$89.0CHF 73.3
$96.8CHF 79.7
-8.07%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$6.60CHF 5.44
$7.55CHF 6.21
-12.58%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$4.77CHF 3.93
$4.50CHF 3.71
6.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$36.34CHF 29.93
$88.0CHF 72.5
-58.72%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$2.23CHF 1.84
$2.26CHF 1.86
-1.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2KCHF 28.1K
$38.7KCHF 31.9K
-11.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.3KCHF 32.4K
$39.4KCHF 32.5K
-0.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wil
Meilen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$271CHF 224
$235CHF 194
15.31%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.31CHF 30.73
$36.06CHF 29.70
3.47%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.6CHF 44.98
$65.3CHF 53.8
-16.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Wil
Meilen
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$81.9CHF 67.4
$88.1CHF 72.6
-7.10%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$44.50CHF 36.65
-
Cinema Ticket
$26.59CHF 21.90
$21.90CHF 18.04
21.42%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Wil
Meilen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$2,300CHF 1,894
$2,816CHF 2,319
-18.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$31.7KCHF 26.1K
$42.3KCHF 34.8K
-25.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Wil
Meilen
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$146CHF 120
$137CHF 113
6.40%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$67.5CHF 55.6
$59.2CHF 48.77
13.98%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$142CHF 117
$144CHF 118
-1.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$267CHF 220
$174CHF 143
53.69%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Wil
Meilen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,459CHF 1,202
$1,690CHF 1,392
-13.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$1,081CHF 891
$1,471CHF 1,211
-26.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$2,128CHF 1,753
$2,831CHF 2,332
-24.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$1,460CHF 1,202
$4,065CHF 3,348
-64.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
-
$15.8KCHF 13.0K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
-
$11.9KCHF 9,812
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Wil
Meilen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$4,294CHF 3,536
$8,259CHF 6,802
-48.01%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
1.9
1.72
10.47%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Wil: October 12, 2026
Last update for Meilen: October 11, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Wil
$1.1K 35.1%
Meilen
$1.5K 43.6% ↑ 36%$389
🛒Groceries & Markets
Wil
$607 19.7%
Meilen
$570 16.9% ↓ 6.1%$37
🍽Eating Out
Wil
$481 15.6%
Meilen
$486 14.4% ↑ 1%$4.6
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wil
$363 11.8%
Meilen
$337 10% ↓ 7.3%$27
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Wil
$280 9.1%
Meilen
$231 6.9% ↓ 17.5%$49
🚌Getting Around
Wil
$135 4.4%
Meilen
$145 4.3% ↑ 7.4%$10
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Wil
$135 4.4%
Meilen
$132 3.9% ↓ 2.3%$3.1
🏠Accommodation & Living
Wil
$1.5K 23.7%
Meilen
$4.1K 47.8% ↑ 179%$2.6K
🛒Groceries & Markets
Wil
$1.4K 23.4%
Meilen
$1.4K 15.9% ↓ 5.6%$81
🍽Eating Out
Wil
$1.7K 27.3%
Meilen
$1.6K 18.7% ↓ 5.1%$86
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wil
$401 6.5%
Meilen
$373 4.4% ↓ 6.9%$28
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Wil
$623 10.1%
Meilen
$514 6% ↓ 17.5%$109
🚌Getting Around
Wil
$278 4.5%
Meilen
$300 3.5% ↑ 7.7%$21
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Wil
$270 * 4.4%
Meilen
$308 3.6% ↑ 14.2%$38
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
Cost Breakdown
🏠A central one-bedroom costs $1,459 in Wil versus $1,690 in Meilen. 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 92% higher in Meilen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.
🛒A mid-range dinner for two costs $145 in Wil versus $122 in Meilen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $607 vs $570 – making Meilen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.
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
Wil vs Meilen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Wil or Meilen?
Meilen costs about 9% more than Wil, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Wil and in Meilen?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,626 per month in Wil and $5,059 in Meilen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Wil or Meilen?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Wil, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How expensive is transport in Wil compared to Meilen?
Public transport costs about 9% less in Wil. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
How do childcare costs compare in Wil and in Meilen?
Kindergarten costs $2,300 per month in Wil and $2,816 in Meilen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $3,000/month in Wil or in Meilen?
$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,084 in Wil and $3,372 in Meilen. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Wil – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Wil compared to Meilen?
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.
Should I move to Wil or to Meilen?
If budget matters most, go with Wil. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Meilen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.