Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Winterthur and Basel

For one person, living costs are similar in Winterthur and in Basel: $3,759 and $3,669 a month, rent and utilities included.

182

Cost of Living Index in Winterthur
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Winterthur Living Index
176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Winterthur

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,759

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,759 in Winterthur versus $3,669 in Basel.

Winterthur $3,759
Basel $3,669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,534 in Winterthur versus $5,649 in Basel.

Winterthur $5,534
Basel $5,649

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,309 in Winterthur versus $7,629 in Basel.

Winterthur $7,309
Basel $7,629

Monthly costs are close between Winterthur and Basel; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Winterthur 176% above, Basel 170% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.70 CHF 24.50

$30.27 CHF 24.97

-1.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$121 CHF 100.0

$125 CHF 103

-2.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.77 CHF 14.66

$17.91 CHF 14.77

-0.78%

Cappuccino

$5.75 CHF 4.74

$6.52 CHF 5.38

-11.81%

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

$5.35 CHF 4.42

$6.47 CHF 5.34

-17.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.81 CHF 3.96

$5.91 CHF 4.87

-18.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.70 CHF 7.18

$9.41 CHF 7.76

-7.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 CHF 5.56

$9.48 CHF 7.82

-28.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 CHF 1.85

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-1.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.65 CHF 3.01

$3.04 CHF 2.51

20.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.35 CHF 3.59

$3.27 CHF 2.70

33.03%

Eggs

$7.05 CHF 5.82

$7.97 CHF 6.57

-11.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$30.76 CHF 25.38

$26.34 CHF 21.73

16.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.27 CHF 24.14

$27.32 CHF 22.53

7.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.10 CHF 34.73

$41.15 CHF 33.94

2.31%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 CHF 3.34

$3.70 CHF 3.05

9.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 CHF 1.72

$2.30 CHF 1.90

-9.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 CHF 2.49

$3.03 CHF 2.50

-0.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.61 CHF 5.45

$4.54 CHF 3.75

45.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 CHF 1.92

$1.68 CHF 1.38

38.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 CHF 2.07

$1.91 CHF 1.58

31.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$2.27 CHF 1.87

0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 CHF 0.91

$1.60 CHF 1.32

-30.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.68 CHF 8.81

$11.15 CHF 9.20

-4.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.15 CHF 10.03

$11.90 CHF 9.82

2.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 CHF 2.29

$2.44 CHF 2.01

13.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 CHF 2.93

$3.03 CHF 2.50

17.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.24 CHF 4.33

$5.21 CHF 4.30

0.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.1 CHF 68.6

$105 CHF 86.4

-20.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 CHF 3.65

$7.98 CHF 6.58

-44.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.96 CHF 2.45

$4.61 CHF 3.81

-35.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.3 CHF 50.5

$83.3 CHF 68.7

-26.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 CHF 1.88

$2.42 CHF 1.99

-5.79%

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

$38.6K CHF 31.9K

$38.3K CHF 31.6K

0.80%

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

$38.6K CHF 31.9K

$40.0K CHF 33.0K

-3.42%

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

$417 CHF 344

$296 CHF 244

41.12%

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

$28.64 CHF 23.63

$46.31 CHF 38.20

-38.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.3 CHF 54.7

$63.2 CHF 52.1

4.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.5 CHF 59.0

$82.0 CHF 67.7

-12.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.10 CHF 21.53

$58.3 CHF 48.06

-55.20%

Cinema Ticket

$21.50 CHF 17.73

$22.84 CHF 18.84

-5.87%

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

$1,495 CHF 1,233

$3,139 CHF 2,589

-52.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K CHF 20.4K

$32.6K CHF 26.9K

-24.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$181 CHF 149

$144 CHF 119

24.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$125 CHF 103

$79.9 CHF 65.9

56.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$173 CHF 143

$159 CHF 132

8.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$325 CHF 268

$195 CHF 161

66.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,166 CHF 1,787

$2,087 CHF 1,722

3.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 CHF 1,289

$1,646 CHF 1,358

-5.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,461 CHF 2,855

$3,618 CHF 2,984

-4.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,436 CHF 2,009

$2,966 CHF 2,447

-17.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$21.3K CHF 17.6K

$17.5K CHF 14.4K

22.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$15.2K CHF 12.5K

$13.7K CHF 11.3K

10.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,646 CHF 5,483

$7,080 CHF 5,840

-6.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.41

2.42

-0.41%

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

Last update for Winterthur: October 27, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Winterthur

$1.6K 41.6%

Basel

$1.6K 44.9% 5.4% $84

Groceries & Markets

Winterthur

$627 16.7%

Basel

$584 15.9% 6.9% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Winterthur

$512 13.6%

Basel

$405 11% 20.9% $107

Eating Out

Winterthur

$458 12.2%

Basel

$490 13.3% 7% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Winterthur

$362 9.6%

Basel

$261 7.1% 28% $101

Getting Around

Winterthur

$123 3.3%

Basel

$157 4.3% 27% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Winterthur

$114 3.1%

Basel

$128 3.5% 11.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,166 in Winterthur and $2,087 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays 7% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $121 in Winterthur vs $125 in Basel. Groceries flip the comparison at $627 vs $584, with Basel cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Winterthur

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

01:44 1:44 AM

Same time as Winterthur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,044

174,491

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Winterthur Basel 86 km

From you

Winterthur
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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

Winterthur vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Winterthur. 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: $2,166 in Winterthur versus $2,087 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,495 in Winterthur versus $3,139 in Basel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Winterthur – a meal for two runs $121 versus $125 in Basel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 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, Winterthur and Basel are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.