Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yens and Basel

For one person, living costs are similar in Yens and in Basel: $3,329 and $3,461 a month, rent and utilities included.

162

Cost of Living Index in Yens
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Yens Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

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Yens

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,329

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,461

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,329 in Yens versus $3,461 in Basel.

Yens $3,329
Basel $3,461

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,100 in Yens versus $5,427 in Basel.

Yens $5,100
Basel $5,427

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,872 in Yens versus $7,394 in Basel.

Yens $6,872
Basel $7,394

Living in Yens costs roughly 4% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Yens 147% above, Basel 156% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.34 CHF 24.16

$29.60 CHF 24.38

-0.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 CHF 98.0

$123 CHF 102

-3.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.95 CHF 13.14

$17.93 CHF 14.77

-11.04%

Cappuccino

$6.00 CHF 4.94

$6.21 CHF 5.12

-3.38%

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

$4.95 CHF 4.08

$6.50 CHF 5.35

-23.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 CHF 3.51

$5.77 CHF 4.75

-26.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.07 CHF 7.47

$9.20 CHF 7.58

-1.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.69 CHF 6.34

$9.79 CHF 8.07

-21.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 CHF 1.76

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-5.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 CHF 2.46

$3.12 CHF 2.57

-4.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.18 CHF 2.62

$3.17 CHF 2.61

0.32%

Eggs

$7.17 CHF 5.91

$7.83 CHF 6.45

-8.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.95 CHF 19.73

$26.04 CHF 21.45

-8.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.06 CHF 23.11

$26.78 CHF 22.05

4.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.38 CHF 32.44

$40.31 CHF 33.20

-2.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.63 CHF 2.99

$3.52 CHF 2.90

3.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 CHF 1.61

$2.34 CHF 1.92

-16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 CHF 2.08

$2.96 CHF 2.44

-14.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.43 CHF 3.65

$4.52 CHF 3.72

-1.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 CHF 1.34

$1.72 CHF 1.42

-5.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CHF 1.60

$1.89 CHF 1.56

2.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 CHF 1.63

$2.24 CHF 1.84

-11.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 CHF 1.05

$1.61 CHF 1.33

-21.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.70 CHF 8.81

$11.08 CHF 9.13

-3.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.98 CHF 9.87

$11.84 CHF 9.75

1.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 CHF 1.85

$2.52 CHF 2.08

-11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 CHF 2.36

$2.97 CHF 2.44

-3.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.58 CHF 3.77

$4.53 CHF 3.73

1.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.4 CHF 81.0

$105 CHF 86.5

-6.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.70 CHF 6.34

$7.95 CHF 6.54

-3.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.56 CHF 3.75

$4.51 CHF 3.71

1.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$84.2 CHF 69.3

$84.6 CHF 69.7

-0.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 CHF 1.94

$2.31 CHF 1.91

2.16%

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

$41.9K CHF 34.5K

$42.3K CHF 34.8K

-0.90%

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

$39.7K CHF 32.7K

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

2.50%

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

$274 CHF 225

$292 CHF 240

-6.16%

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

$27.35 CHF 22.52

$46.45 CHF 38.25

-41.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 CHF 42.31

$61.9 CHF 51.0

-16.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.6 CHF 73.8

$81.1 CHF 66.8

10.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.51 CHF 37.48

$58.5 CHF 48.17

-22.18%

Cinema Ticket

$24.00 CHF 19.76

$22.48 CHF 18.52

6.76%

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

$2,954 CHF 2,433

$2,993 CHF 2,465

-1.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.3K CHF 25.0K

$32.0K CHF 26.3K

-5.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$141 CHF 116

$142 CHF 117

-1.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.4 CHF 50.6

$77.1 CHF 63.5

-20.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 CHF 114

$159 CHF 131

-13.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$197 CHF 162

$198 CHF 163

-0.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,679 CHF 1,383

$1,953 CHF 1,609

-14.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 CHF 1,186

$1,465 CHF 1,207

-1.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,839 CHF 2,338

$3,586 CHF 2,954

-20.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 CHF 2,054

$2,796 CHF 2,302

-10.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.2K CHF 13.3K

$18.1K CHF 14.9K

-10.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.0K CHF 9,900

$14.3K CHF 11.8K

-15.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,863 CHF 5,652

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

2.42

-19.42%

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

Last update for Yens: October 12, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Yens

$1.4K 43.3%

Basel

$1.5K 42.4% 1.8% $26

Groceries & Markets

Yens

$558 16.8%

Basel

$576 16.7% 3.3% $18

Eating Out

Yens

$452 13.6%

Basel

$480 13.9% 6.1% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yens

$352 10.6%

Basel

$400 11.6% 13.5% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Yens

$242 7.3%

Basel

$260 7.5% 7.4% $18

Getting Around

Yens

$147 4.4%

Basel

$154 4.4% 4.4% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Yens

$138 4.1%

Basel

$126 3.6% 8.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,679 in Yens and $1,953 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $119 in Yens vs $123 in Basel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $558 vs $576 per month, with Yens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Yens

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

06:15 6:15 AM

Same time as Yens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,200

174,491

💱 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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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

Yens vs Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yens wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Yens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,993 in Yens and $5,191 in Basel to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,679 in Yens versus $1,953 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,954 in Yens versus $2,993 in Basel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Basel. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Yens is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Yens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $3,329 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Yens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Yens and Basel 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 Yens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Basel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.