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

🙂 Solo nomad: Zurich is 2.7% cheaper than Basel without rent, and 16.4% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Zurich is 4.7% cheaper than Basel without rent, and 5.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.12 CHF 25.3

$31.25 CHF 25.41

-0.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$148 CHF 120

$156 CHF 127

-4.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$20.93 CHF 17.02

$19.97 CHF 16.24

4.81%

Cappuccino

$6.67 CHF 5.43

$6.94 CHF 5.65

-3.89%

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

$6.1 CHF 4.96

$5.53 CHF 4.49

10.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 CHF 4.21

$4.98 CHF 4.05

4.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.93 CHF 8.08

$10.15 CHF 8.26

-2.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.68 CHF 7.05

$7.31 CHF 5.94

18.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 CHF 1.77

$2.27 CHF 1.84

-4.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.4 CHF 2.77

$3.74 CHF 3.04

-9.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.94 CHF 3.2

$5.06 CHF 4.12

-22.13%

Eggs

$7.42 CHF 6.03

$7.78 CHF 6.32

-4.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$29.63 CHF 24.09

$28.37 CHF 23.06

4.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$33.86 CHF 27.53

$37 CHF 30.08

-8.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$49.36 CHF 40.13

$43.73 CHF 35.55

12.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 CHF 3.35

$3.86 CHF 3.14

6.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 CHF 2.3

$2.7 CHF 2.2

4.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 CHF 2.45

$4.05 CHF 3.3

-25.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$5 CHF 4.06

$6.86 CHF 5.58

-27.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 CHF 2.26

$3.13 CHF 2.54

-11.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 CHF 1.94

$2.87 CHF 2.33

-17.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.58 CHF 2.1

$2.66 CHF 2.16

-3.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 CHF 1.35

$1.48 CHF 1.21

12.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.87 CHF 8.84

$11.76 CHF 9.56

-7.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.34 CHF 12.48

$15.36 CHF 12.49

-0.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 CHF 2.15

$2.33 CHF 1.9

13.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 CHF 2.62

$3.01 CHF 2.45

7.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.89 CHF 3.98

$4.8 CHF 3.91

1.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 CHF 87.3

$105 CHF 85.4

2.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.55 CHF 6.14

$7.9 CHF 6.42

-4.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.32 CHF 3.52

$4.12 CHF 3.35

4.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$86.9 CHF 70.7

$87.7 CHF 71.3

-0.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 CHF 1.88

$2.23 CHF 1.81

4.04%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.2K

$40.7K CHF 33.1K

-2.58%

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

$40.2K CHF 32.7K

$45.6K CHF 37.1K

-11.96%

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

$253 CHF 206

$309 CHF 251

-17.89%

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

$36.2 CHF 29.43

$54.1 CHF 44

-33.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.7 CHF 46.92

$59.6 CHF 48.5

-3.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.6 CHF 72.9

$88.4 CHF 71.9

1.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$49.81 CHF 40.5

$42.41 CHF 34.49

17.45%

Cinema Ticket

$25.08 CHF 20.39

$23.02 CHF 18.71

8.95%

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

$3,449 CHF 2,805

$2,539 CHF 2,064

35.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.4K CHF 32.1K

$34.5K CHF 28K

14.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$140 CHF 114

$136 CHF 111

2.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 CHF 50.5

$87.7 CHF 71.3

-29.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$145 CHF 118

$178 CHF 145

-18.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$198 CHF 161

$228 CHF 185

-13.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,766 CHF 2,249

$2,108 CHF 1,714

31.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,234 CHF 1,816

$1,500 CHF 1,220

48.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,875 CHF 3,964

$3,798 CHF 3,088

28.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,725 CHF 3,029

$2,881 CHF 2,343

29.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$24.6K CHF 20K

$21K CHF 17.1K

17.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$18K CHF 14.7K

$17K CHF 13.8K

6.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,196 CHF 6,664

$8,088 CHF 6,576

1.34%

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: October 27, 2025

Last update for Basel: October 29, 2025

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