Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zurich and Dietikon

For one person, living is cheaper in Dietikon: $3,492 a month against $4,274 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

205

Cost of Living Index in Zurich
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Zurich Living Index
171

Cost of Living Index in Dietikon
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Dietikon Living Index

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Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,274

/mo nomad

Dietikon

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,492

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zurich and in Dietikon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,274 in Zurich versus $3,492 in Dietikon.

Zurich $4,274
Dietikon $3,492

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,740 in Zurich versus $5,295 in Dietikon.

Zurich $6,740
Dietikon $5,295

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,207 in Zurich versus $7,099 in Dietikon.

Zurich $9,207
Dietikon $7,099

Living in Zurich is roughly 22% more expensive than in Dietikon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Zurich 216% above, Dietikon 158% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$36.93 CHF 30.15

$30.11 CHF 24.58

22.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$146 CHF 119

$123 CHF 100

18.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.49 CHF 15.10

$16.04 CHF 13.09

15.27%

Cappuccino

$7.03 CHF 5.74

$6.12 CHF 5.00

14.87%

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

$6.00 CHF 4.90

$5.13 CHF 4.19

16.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.41 CHF 4.41

$5.41 CHF 4.42

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.91 CHF 8.09

$7.21 CHF 5.89

37.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.63 CHF 7.04

$6.86 CHF 5.60

25.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 CHF 1.78

$2.24 CHF 1.83

-2.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.88 CHF 3.17

$3.29 CHF 2.69

17.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.82 CHF 3.12

$3.56 CHF 2.91

7.30%

Eggs

$8.43 CHF 6.88

$7.41 CHF 6.05

13.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.56 CHF 22.50

$25.06 CHF 20.46

9.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.03 CHF 22.89

$25.31 CHF 20.67

10.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$60.1 CHF 49.07

$36.95 CHF 30.17

62.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 CHF 3.41

$3.57 CHF 2.92

17.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 CHF 2.28

$1.71 CHF 1.40

63.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 CHF 2.85

$2.50 CHF 2.04

39.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.74

$4.44 CHF 3.63

3.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 CHF 2.07

$1.75 CHF 1.43

45.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 CHF 1.93

$2.10 CHF 1.71

12.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 CHF 1.97

$2.25 CHF 1.84

7.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CHF 1.04

$1.19 CHF 0.97

7.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.89 CHF 8.89

$11.11 CHF 9.07

-1.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.09 CHF 11.51

$10.48 CHF 8.55

34.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 CHF 2.27

$3.56 CHF 2.90

-21.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 CHF 2.64

$2.50 CHF 2.04

29.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.72 CHF 4.67

$4.50 CHF 3.67

27.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 CHF 86.5

$88.7 CHF 72.4

19.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.07 CHF 6.59

$12.25 CHF 10.00

-34.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.74 CHF 3.87

$4.99 CHF 4.08

-5.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$91.4 CHF 74.6

$87.4 CHF 71.3

4.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.43 CHF 1.98

$2.32 CHF 1.89

4.74%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.1K

$39.3K CHF 32.1K

0.19%

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

$39.0K CHF 31.9K

$39.9K CHF 32.6K

-2.13%

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

$284 CHF 232

$342 CHF 279

-16.99%

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

$36.15 CHF 29.51

$41.59 CHF 33.96

-13.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.7 CHF 46.31

$58.8 CHF 48.01

-3.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.4 CHF 68.1

$73.9 CHF 60.3

12.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$62.4 CHF 50.9

$50.2 CHF 40.96

24.32%

Cinema Ticket

$24.03 CHF 19.62

$20.66 CHF 16.87

16.31%

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

$3,473 CHF 2,835

$2,884 CHF 2,355

20.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.0K CHF 34.3K

$34.8K CHF 28.4K

20.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$139 CHF 113

$101 CHF 82.6

36.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 CHF 44.83

$98.5 CHF 80.4

-44.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$161 CHF 131

$164 CHF 134

-2.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 CHF 207

$198 CHF 162

27.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,964 CHF 2,420

$1,718 CHF 1,403

72.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,111 CHF 1,723

$1,534 CHF 1,253

37.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,507 CHF 4,496

$3,248 CHF 2,652

69.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,074 CHF 3,326

$2,644 CHF 2,158

54.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.0K CHF 22.0K

$15.2K CHF 12.4K

77.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K CHF 13.7K

$12.8K CHF 10.4K

31.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,335 CHF 6,805

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.03

2.31

-12.12%

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

Last update for Zurich: November 3, 2026

Last update for Dietikon: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zurich

$2.1K 49.4%

Dietikon

$1.5K 43.9% 27.3% $577

Groceries & Markets

Zurich

$673 15.8%

Dietikon

$549 15.7% 18.5% $124

Eating Out

Zurich

$548 12.8%

Dietikon

$454 13% 17% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zurich

$377 8.8%

Dietikon

$443 12.7% 17.4% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Zurich

$273 6.4%

Dietikon

$253 7.2% 7.5% $21

Getting Around

Zurich

$161 3.8%

Dietikon

$144 4.1% 10.3% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Zurich

$131 3.1%

Dietikon

$115 3.3% 12.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,964 in Zurich and $1,718 in Dietikon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $146 in Zurich vs $123 in Dietikon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $673 vs $549 per month, with Dietikon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Zurich

🇨🇭 Dietikon

🕒 Local time

14:49 2:49 PM

Same time as Zurich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

443,037

27,904

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Zurich Dietikon 11 km

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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 Dietikon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dietikon wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Zurich. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Dietikon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $6,411 in Zurich and $5,238 in Dietikon 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: $2,964 in Zurich versus $1,718 in Dietikon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Dietikon – a meal for two runs $123 versus $146 in Zurich. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $4,274 per month in Zurich versus $3,492 in Dietikon – Dietikon is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Dietikon 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 Dietikon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Dietikon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Zurich. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.