Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zurich and Cham

For one person, living is cheaper in Cham: $3,575 a month against $4,270 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

207

Cost of Living Index in Zurich
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Zurich Living Index
172

Cost of Living Index in Cham
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Cham Living Index

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Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,270

/mo nomad

Cham

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,575

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zurich and in Cham

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 Cham actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,270 in Zurich versus $3,575 in Cham.

Zurich $4,270
Cham $3,575

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,666 in Zurich versus $5,453 in Cham.

Zurich $6,666
Cham $5,453

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,061 in Zurich versus $7,331 in Cham.

Zurich $9,061
Cham $7,331

Living in Zurich is roughly 19% more expensive than in Cham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Zurich 214% above, Cham 163% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$33.89 CHF 28.11

$29.74 CHF 24.67

13.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$146 CHF 121

$122 CHF 101

19.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.10 CHF 15.02

$17.93 CHF 14.87

0.95%

Cappuccino

$6.88 CHF 5.71

$5.82 CHF 4.83

18.21%

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

$5.73 CHF 4.75

$5.32 CHF 4.42

7.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 CHF 4.36

$4.87 CHF 4.04

7.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.61 CHF 7.97

$8.45 CHF 7.01

13.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.37 CHF 6.94

$6.53 CHF 5.42

28.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 CHF 1.75

$2.13 CHF 1.76

-0.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.95 CHF 3.28

$3.76 CHF 3.12

5.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 CHF 3.16

$3.62 CHF 3.00

5.25%

Eggs

$8.40 CHF 6.97

$7.27 CHF 6.03

15.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.05 CHF 22.44

$26.38 CHF 21.88

2.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.85 CHF 23.93

$28.65 CHF 23.77

0.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$59.4 CHF 49.27

$42.06 CHF 34.89

41.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 CHF 3.42

$3.91 CHF 3.25

5.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 CHF 2.37

$2.15 CHF 1.78

33.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 CHF 2.91

$3.10 CHF 2.57

12.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 CHF 3.78

$4.58 CHF 3.80

-0.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 CHF 2.11

$2.25 CHF 1.87

13.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 CHF 1.92

$2.24 CHF 1.86

3.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CHF 2.05

$2.39 CHF 1.98

3.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CHF 1.07

$1.11 CHF 0.92

16.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.04 CHF 9.16

$11.02 CHF 9.15

0.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 CHF 11.61

$12.08 CHF 10.02

15.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 CHF 2.39

$2.82 CHF 2.34

2.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CHF 2.64

$3.10 CHF 2.58

2.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.44 CHF 4.51

$5.13 CHF 4.26

6.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.7

$146 CHF 121

-28.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 CHF 6.75

$4.44 CHF 3.69

83.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.56 CHF 3.79

$2.96 CHF 2.45

54.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$89.8 CHF 74.5

$59.7 CHF 49.49

50.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 CHF 1.93

$2.19 CHF 1.82

5.94%

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

$38.9K CHF 32.2K

$39.7K CHF 32.9K

-2.03%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.4K

$39.9K CHF 33.1K

-2.28%

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

$282 CHF 234

$286 CHF 237

-1.32%

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

$39.00 CHF 32.35

$29.15 CHF 24.18

33.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.0 CHF 45.65

$54.8 CHF 45.49

0.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.6 CHF 70.2

$85.3 CHF 70.7

-0.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$61.7 CHF 51.2

$40.01 CHF 33.19

54.19%

Cinema Ticket

$24.31 CHF 20.17

$22.10 CHF 18.34

10.00%

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

$3,444 CHF 2,857

$1,488 CHF 1,234

131.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.6K CHF 34.5K

$24.7K CHF 20.5K

68.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$138 CHF 114

$137 CHF 114

0.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 CHF 45.64

$54.0 CHF 44.76

1.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$157 CHF 130

1.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$249 CHF 207

$249 CHF 206

0.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,878 CHF 2,387

$1,780 CHF 1,477

61.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,143 CHF 1,777

$1,566 CHF 1,299

36.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,559 CHF 4,611

$2,896 CHF 2,402

91.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,003 CHF 3,321

$2,704 CHF 2,243

48.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$28.2K CHF 23.4K

$13.0K CHF 10.8K

116.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.9K CHF 14.0K

$11.7K CHF 9,730

44.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,230 CHF 6,827

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.09

2.03

2.96%

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

Last update for Zurich: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cham: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zurich

$2.1K 50.2%

Cham

$1.6K 43.8% 26.9% $576

Groceries & Markets

Zurich

$674 15.8%

Cham

$597 16.7% 11.4% $77

Eating Out

Zurich

$517 12.1%

Cham

$458 12.8% 11.4% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zurich

$376 8.8%

Cham

$370 10.4% 1.7% $6.3

Clothing & Footwear

Zurich

$270 6.3%

Cham

$268 7.5% 0.7% $1.9

Getting Around

Zurich

$157 3.7%

Cham

$186 5.2% 18.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Zurich

$133 3.1%

Cham

$129 3.6% 2.9% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,878 in Zurich and $1,780 in Cham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $146 in Zurich vs $122 in Cham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $674 vs $597 per month, with Cham cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Zurich

🇨🇭 Cham

🕒 Local time

17:44 5:44 PM

Same time as Zurich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

443,037

17,060

💱 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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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 Cham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cham is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 19% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $6,406 in Zurich and $5,362 in Cham 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: $2,878 in Zurich versus $1,780 in Cham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,444 in Zurich versus $1,488 in Cham. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Zurich. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Cham is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Zurich and Cham are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.