Cost of Living Comparison Between Zurich and Basel Cost of Living Comparison Between Zurich and Basel

🙂 Solo nomad: Zurich is 4.2% cheaper than Basel without rent, and 17.1% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Zurich is 2.7% cheaper than Basel without rent, and 7.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.39 CHF 24.49

$30.35 CHF 23.67

3.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$148 CHF 116

$154 CHF 121

-4.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$20.60 CHF 16.06

$19.43 CHF 15.15

6.02%

Cappuccino

$6.90 CHF 5.38

$7.03 CHF 5.48

-1.85%

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

$5.83 CHF 4.55

$5.76 CHF 4.50

1.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.30 CHF 4.13

$5.06 CHF 3.94

4.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.74 CHF 7.59

$9.82 CHF 7.66

-0.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.44 CHF 6.58

$7.29 CHF 5.68

15.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.69

$2.19 CHF 1.71

-1.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 CHF 2.65

$3.88 CHF 3.03

-12.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.94 CHF 3.07

$5.15 CHF 4.02

-23.50%

Eggs

$7.57 CHF 5.91

$7.87 CHF 6.14

-3.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$29.08 CHF 22.68

$28.96 CHF 22.59

0.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$33.28 CHF 25.96

$36.22 CHF 28.25

-8.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$50.8 CHF 39.61

$43.87 CHF 34.22

15.75%

Apples (1kg)

$4.01 CHF 3.13

$3.95 CHF 3.08

1.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 CHF 2.20

$2.61 CHF 2.04

8.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.04 CHF 2.37

$4.05 CHF 3.16

-24.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.17 CHF 4.03

$6.96 CHF 5.43

-25.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 CHF 2.13

$3.28 CHF 2.56

-16.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 CHF 1.85

$2.92 CHF 2.28

-18.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.58 CHF 2.02

$2.62 CHF 2.04

-1.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 CHF 1.30

$1.55 CHF 1.21

7.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 8.69

$11.87 CHF 9.26

-6.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.52 CHF 12.10

$15.48 CHF 12.07

0.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 CHF 2.14

$2.47 CHF 1.93

11.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 CHF 2.60

$3.15 CHF 2.46

6.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.96 CHF 3.87

$4.80 CHF 3.74

3.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 CHF 85.3

$107 CHF 83.4

2.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.63 CHF 5.95

$8.15 CHF 6.36

-6.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.13 CHF 3.22

$4.18 CHF 3.26

-1.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$89.0 CHF 69.4

$86.7 CHF 67.6

2.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 CHF 1.75

$2.15 CHF 1.68

4.19%

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

$40.1K CHF 31.3K

$40.6K CHF 31.7K

-1.30%

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

$39.5K CHF 30.8K

$45.3K CHF 35.3K

-12.82%

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

$253 CHF 198

$299 CHF 233

-15.19%

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

$35.07 CHF 27.35

$54.6 CHF 42.56

-35.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.2 CHF 45.36

$60.4 CHF 47.07

-3.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.5 CHF 70.6

$88.5 CHF 69.0

2.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.94 CHF 38.17

$41.45 CHF 32.33

18.07%

Cinema Ticket

$24.92 CHF 19.44

$23.14 CHF 18.05

7.69%

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

$3,471 CHF 2,707

$2,625 CHF 2,047

32.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.2K CHF 30.6K

$34.2K CHF 26.7K

14.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 107

$133 CHF 104

3.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 CHF 47.63

$88.7 CHF 69.2

-31.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$149 CHF 117

$178 CHF 139

-16.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$201 CHF 157

$230 CHF 179

-12.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,726 CHF 2,126

$2,087 CHF 1,628

30.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,225 CHF 1,736

$1,476 CHF 1,151

50.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,974 CHF 3,879

$3,778 CHF 2,947

31.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,694 CHF 2,881

$2,825 CHF 2,203

30.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$24.7K CHF 19.3K

$17.7K CHF 13.8K

39.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.4K CHF 12.8K

$13.6K CHF 10.6K

20.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,573 CHF 6,687

$8,090 CHF 6,310

5.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.09

2.55

-18.04%

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

Last update for Zurich: February 28, 2026

Last update for Basel: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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