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

😐 Solo nomad: Zurich is 0.1% more expensive than Basel without rent, and 16.7% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Zurich is 2.8% cheaper than Basel without rent, and 10.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.44 CHF 24.44

$30.64 CHF 24.61

-0.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$145 CHF 117

$155 CHF 124

-6.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$20.65 CHF 16.58

$20.06 CHF 16.11

2.94%

Cappuccino

$6.98 CHF 5.61

$6.82 CHF 5.48

2.35%

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

$5.77 CHF 4.64

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 CHF 4.15

$5.11 CHF 4.10

1.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.08 CHF 8.09

$9.97 CHF 8.01

1.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.64 CHF 6.93

$7.40 CHF 5.94

16.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 CHF 1.73

White Bread (500g)

$3.37 CHF 2.71

$3.87 CHF 3.11

-12.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.02 CHF 3.23

$5.15 CHF 4.13

-21.94%

Eggs

$7.54 CHF 6.05

$7.90 CHF 6.34

-4.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$29.47 CHF 23.67

$28.62 CHF 22.98

2.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$33.72 CHF 27.08

$36.22 CHF 29.08

-6.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$50.2 CHF 40.31

$43.52 CHF 34.95

15.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 CHF 3.35

$3.85 CHF 3.09

8.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.87 CHF 2.31

$2.63 CHF 2.11

9.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 CHF 2.40

$4.24 CHF 3.40

-29.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.10 CHF 4.09

$6.77 CHF 5.44

-24.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 CHF 2.28

$3.19 CHF 2.56

-10.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 CHF 1.84

$2.83 CHF 2.27

-19.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.59 CHF 2.08

$2.57 CHF 2.07

0.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 CHF 1.37

$1.49 CHF 1.20

14.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.06 CHF 8.88

$11.57 CHF 9.29

-4.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CHF 11.44

$14.93 CHF 11.99

-4.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 CHF 2.11

$2.44 CHF 1.96

7.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 CHF 2.61

$3.01 CHF 2.42

7.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.86 CHF 3.91

$4.62 CHF 3.71

5.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 CHF 87.7

$108 CHF 86.8

1.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.61 CHF 6.11

$8.03 CHF 6.45

-5.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.15 CHF 3.33

$4.28 CHF 3.44

-3.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$88.7 CHF 71.2

$85.4 CHF 68.6

3.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 CHF 1.80

$2.24 CHF 1.80

0.45%

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

$40.7K CHF 32.7K

-0.12%

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

$39.6K CHF 31.8K

$45.7K CHF 36.7K

-13.42%

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

$256 CHF 206

$298 CHF 240

-14.17%

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

$35.59 CHF 28.58

$54.6 CHF 43.86

-34.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.2 CHF 46.72

$59.1 CHF 47.46

-1.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.3 CHF 72.5

$91.9 CHF 73.8

-1.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$49.68 CHF 39.89

$41.57 CHF 33.38

19.51%

Cinema Ticket

$24.49 CHF 19.66

$22.54 CHF 18.10

8.65%

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

$3,412 CHF 2,739

$2,618 CHF 2,102

30.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.3K CHF 31.5K

$34.1K CHF 27.4K

15.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$142 CHF 114

$132 CHF 106

7.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.6 CHF 48.66

$87.5 CHF 70.3

-30.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$149 CHF 120

$178 CHF 143

-16.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$198 CHF 159

$234 CHF 188

-15.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,720 CHF 2,184

$2,089 CHF 1,677

30.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,250 CHF 1,807

$1,513 CHF 1,215

48.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,982 CHF 4,000

$3,732 CHF 2,996

33.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,719 CHF 2,986

$2,828 CHF 2,271

31.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$25.5K CHF 20.4K

$17.3K CHF 13.9K

47.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.1K CHF 12.9K

$13.3K CHF 10.7K

21.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,135 CHF 6,532

$7,802 CHF 6,265

4.27%

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: January 12, 2026

Last update for Basel: January 12, 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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