Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zurich and Buochs

For one person, living is cheaper in Buochs: $3,393 a month against $4,502 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

219

Cost of Living Index in Zurich
Learn more

Zurich Living Index
163

Cost of Living Index in Buochs
Learn more

Buochs Living Index

Jump to prices

Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,502

/mo nomad

Buochs

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,393

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zurich and in Buochs

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Zurich and in Buochs actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,502 per month in Zurich vs $3,393 in Buochs, rent included.

Zurich $4,502
Buochs $3,393

A couple spends around $6,894 per month in Zurich vs $5,147 in Buochs, rent included.

Zurich $6,894
Buochs $5,147

A family of three spends $9,287 per month in Zurich vs $6,902 in Buochs, rent included.

Zurich $9,287
Buochs $6,902

Zurich costs about 33% more than Buochs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Zurich and Buochs sit above the global median – Zurich by 232%, Buochs by 150%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$34.81 CHF 28.68

$30.61 CHF 25.23

13.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$148 CHF 122

$120 CHF 98.6

23.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.95 CHF 14.79

$16.22 CHF 13.37

10.67%

Cappuccino

$6.93 CHF 5.71

$5.99 CHF 4.93

15.69%

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

$5.74 CHF 4.73

$5.55 CHF 4.57

3.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.38 CHF 4.43

$4.94 CHF 4.07

8.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 CHF 7.89

$8.41 CHF 6.93

13.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.23 CHF 6.78

$6.82 CHF 5.62

20.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 CHF 1.77

$2.12 CHF 1.75

1.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.89 CHF 3.21

$3.38 CHF 2.79

15.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.87 CHF 3.19

$4.37 CHF 3.60

-11.44%

Eggs

$8.35 CHF 6.88

$7.27 CHF 5.99

14.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.80 CHF 22.09

$27.05 CHF 22.30

-0.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.59 CHF 23.56

$26.22 CHF 21.61

9.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$61.2 CHF 50.5

$40.16 CHF 33.10

52.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.25 CHF 3.50

$3.47 CHF 2.86

22.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 CHF 2.27

$2.06 CHF 1.70

33.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.57 CHF 2.94

$2.66 CHF 2.19

34.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.57 CHF 3.77

$4.64 CHF 3.82

-1.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 CHF 2.12

$2.08 CHF 1.71

23.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$2.21 CHF 1.82

-3.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CHF 2.03

$2.45 CHF 2.02

0.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 CHF 1.03

$1.21 CHF 0.99

2.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.74 CHF 8.85

$10.99 CHF 9.05

-2.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 CHF 11.50

$12.70 CHF 10.46

9.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 CHF 2.26

$2.29 CHF 1.89

19.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 CHF 2.56

$3.50 CHF 2.88

-11.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.51 CHF 4.54

$4.40 CHF 3.62

25.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 CHF 88.9

$101 CHF 83.1

7.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.99 CHF 6.58

$5.33 CHF 4.39

49.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.50 CHF 3.71

$3.44 CHF 2.83

30.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$88.6 CHF 73.0

$61.1 CHF 50.4

45.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.39 CHF 1.97

$2.19 CHF 1.80

9.13%

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

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

$38.5K CHF 31.7K

0.87%

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

$40.1K CHF 33.0K

$38.6K CHF 31.8K

3.80%

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

$284 CHF 234

$231 CHF 191

22.89%

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

$38.69 CHF 31.88

$31.48 CHF 25.94

22.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 CHF 45.96

$66.3 CHF 54.6

-15.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$92.1 CHF 75.9

$88.5 CHF 72.9

4.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$61.2 CHF 50.4

$45.71 CHF 37.67

33.82%

Cinema Ticket

$25.49 CHF 21.01

$21.96 CHF 18.10

16.07%

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

$3,632 CHF 2,993

$1,814 CHF 1,495

100.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

$32.7K CHF 27.0K

27.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$142 CHF 117

$138 CHF 114

2.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.8 CHF 47.59

$89.5 CHF 73.7

-35.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$163 CHF 134

$145 CHF 120

12.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$254 CHF 210

$175 CHF 144

45.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,953 CHF 2,434

$1,552 CHF 1,279

90.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,342 CHF 1,930

$1,504 CHF 1,239

55.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,897 CHF 4,860

$3,220 CHF 2,653

83.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,150 CHF 3,420

$2,490 CHF 2,052

66.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.1K CHF 22.3K

$17.9K CHF 14.7K

51.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.3K CHF 13.4K

$11.5K CHF 9,515

41.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,247 CHF 6,796

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.07

1.72

20.35%

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

Last update for Zurich: October 20, 2026

Last update for Buochs: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zurich

$2.3K 52%

Buochs

$1.5K 44.3% 35.8% $838

Groceries & Markets

Zurich

$676 15%

Buochs

$577 17% 14.7% $99

Eating Out

Zurich

$524 11.6%

Buochs

$463 13.7% 11.7% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zurich

$379 8.4%

Buochs

$329 9.7% 13.1% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Zurich

$278 6.2%

Buochs

$247 7.3% 11.1% $31

Getting Around

Zurich

$160 3.6%

Buochs

$141 4.2% 12.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Zurich

$143 3.2%

Buochs

$132 3.9% 7.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,953 in Zurich versus $1,552 in Buochs. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $148 in Zurich versus $120 in Buochs. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $676 vs $577 – making Buochs the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Zurich

🇨🇭 Buochs

🕒 Local time

19:54 7:54 PM

Same time as Zurich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

443,037

5,500

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zurich Buochs 45 km

From you

Zurich
Buochs

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

Zurich vs Buochs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,502 in Zurich, $3,393 in Buochs – roughly 33% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,752 per month in Zurich and $5,089 in Buochs. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Buochs, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,552 there versus $2,953 in Zurich.

Public transport costs about 7% less in Buochs. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $3,632 per month in Zurich and $1,814 in Buochs. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,502 in Zurich and $3,393 in Buochs. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Buochs – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

For expats, Buochs is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 33% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.