Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zurich and Crans-Montana

For one person, living is cheaper in Crans-Montana: $3,330 a month against $4,270 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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
161

Cost of Living Index in Crans-Montana
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Crans-Montana Living Index

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Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,270

/mo nomad

Crans-Montana

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,330

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zurich and in Crans-Montana

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 Crans-Montana actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,270 per month in Zurich vs $3,330 in Crans-Montana, rent included.

Zurich $4,270
Crans-Montana $3,330

A couple spends around $6,666 per month in Zurich vs $5,018 in Crans-Montana, rent included.

Zurich $6,666
Crans-Montana $5,018

A family of three spends $9,061 per month in Zurich vs $6,705 in Crans-Montana, rent included.

Zurich $9,061
Crans-Montana $6,705

Zurich costs about 28% more than Crans-Montana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Zurich and Crans-Montana sit above the global median – Zurich by 214%, Crans-Montana by 145%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$33.89 CHF 28.08

$18.25 CHF 15.13

85.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$146 CHF 121

$101 CHF 83.6

44.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.10 CHF 15.00

$18.49 CHF 15.32

-2.11%

Cappuccino

$6.88 CHF 5.70

$3.69 CHF 3.06

86.45%

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

$5.73 CHF 4.75

$4.74 CHF 3.93

20.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 CHF 4.35

$4.17 CHF 3.46

25.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.61 CHF 7.96

$9.86 CHF 8.17

-2.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.37 CHF 6.93

$9.88 CHF 8.19

-15.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 CHF 1.75

$2.35 CHF 1.95

-10.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.95 CHF 3.27

$3.39 CHF 2.81

16.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 CHF 3.15

$3.42 CHF 2.83

11.40%

Eggs

$8.40 CHF 6.96

$7.79 CHF 6.46

7.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.05 CHF 22.42

$24.72 CHF 20.48

9.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.85 CHF 23.91

$29.24 CHF 24.23

-1.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$59.4 CHF 49.22

$41.26 CHF 34.20

43.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 CHF 3.42

$3.60 CHF 2.98

14.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 CHF 2.37

$1.63 CHF 1.35

75.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 CHF 2.90

$2.77 CHF 2.29

26.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 CHF 3.78

$4.85 CHF 4.02

-5.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 CHF 2.11

$1.62 CHF 1.34

57.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 CHF 1.92

$2.25 CHF 1.87

2.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CHF 2.04

$2.23 CHF 1.85

10.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CHF 1.07

$1.66 CHF 1.38

-22.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.04 CHF 9.15

$10.69 CHF 8.86

3.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 CHF 11.60

$12.23 CHF 10.13

14.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 CHF 2.39

$3.19 CHF 2.65

-9.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CHF 2.63

$3.47 CHF 2.88

-8.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.44 CHF 4.51

$4.33 CHF 3.59

25.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.6

$102 CHF 84.4

2.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 CHF 6.74

$7.45 CHF 6.17

9.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.56 CHF 3.78

$3.05 CHF 2.53

49.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$89.8 CHF 74.4

$63.2 CHF 52.4

42.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 CHF 1.92

$2.42 CHF 2.00

-4.13%

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

$38.9K CHF 32.2K

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

-1.90%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.3K

$39.4K CHF 32.6K

-0.95%

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

$282 CHF 234

$291 CHF 241

-2.92%

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

$39.00 CHF 32.32

$38.33 CHF 31.76

1.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.0 CHF 45.60

$56.9 CHF 47.15

-3.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.6 CHF 70.1

$89.6 CHF 74.3

-5.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$61.7 CHF 51.1

$46.36 CHF 38.41

33.07%

Cinema Ticket

$24.31 CHF 20.15

$23.73 CHF 19.66

2.44%

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

$3,444 CHF 2,854

$2,436 CHF 2,019

41.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.6K CHF 34.4K

$35.7K CHF 29.5K

16.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$138 CHF 114

$134 CHF 111

2.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 CHF 45.59

$80.6 CHF 66.8

-31.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$165 CHF 136

-3.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$249 CHF 206

$189 CHF 157

31.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,878 CHF 2,385

$1,795 CHF 1,487

60.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,143 CHF 1,776

$1,464 CHF 1,213

46.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,559 CHF 4,606

$2,973 CHF 2,464

86.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,003 CHF 3,317

$2,501 CHF 2,073

60.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$28.2K CHF 23.3K

$16.3K CHF 13.5K

72.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.9K CHF 14.0K

$12.4K CHF 10.3K

36.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,230 CHF 6,820

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.09

1.98

5.56%

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

Last update for Zurich: October 25, 2026

Last update for Crans-Montana: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zurich

$2.1K 50.2%

Crans-Montana

$1.5K 44% 31.7% $679

Groceries & Markets

Zurich

$674 15.8%

Crans-Montana

$595 17.9% 11.7% $79

Eating Out

Zurich

$517 12.1%

Crans-Montana

$351 10.5% 32.2% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zurich

$376 8.8%

Crans-Montana

$386 11.6% 2.6% $9.7

Clothing & Footwear

Zurich

$270 6.3%

Crans-Montana

$256 7.7% 5.4% $15

Getting Around

Zurich

$157 3.7%

Crans-Montana

$142 4.3% 9.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Zurich

$133 3.1%

Crans-Montana

$137 4.1% 2.9% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,878 in Zurich versus $1,795 in Crans-Montana. 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 $146 in Zurich versus $101 in Crans-Montana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $674 vs $595 – making Crans-Montana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Zurich

🇨🇭 Crans-Montana

🕒 Local time

16:23 4:23 PM

Same time as Zurich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

443,037

10,218

💱 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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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 Crans-Montana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zurich costs about 28% more than Crans-Montana, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,406 per month in Zurich and $4,995 in Crans-Montana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Crans-Montana, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,795 there versus $2,878 in Zurich.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Zurich, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $146 in Zurich and $101 in Crans-Montana. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,270 in Zurich and $3,330 in Crans-Montana. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Crans-Montana – 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, Crans-Montana is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 28% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.