Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zurich and Embrach

For one person, living is cheaper in Embrach: $3,413 a month against $4,451 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

217

Cost of Living Index in Zurich
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Zurich Living Index
165

Cost of Living Index in Embrach
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Embrach Living Index

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Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,451

/mo nomad

Embrach

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,413

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zurich and in Embrach

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

A single person spends $4,451 per month in Zurich vs $3,413 in Embrach, rent included.

Zurich $4,451
Embrach $3,413

A couple spends around $6,817 per month in Zurich vs $5,157 in Embrach, rent included.

Zurich $6,817
Embrach $5,157

A family of three spends $9,184 per month in Zurich vs $6,900 in Embrach, rent included.

Zurich $9,184
Embrach $6,900

Zurich costs about 30% more than Embrach, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Zurich and Embrach sit above the global median – Zurich by 230%, Embrach by 153%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$34.71 CHF 28.59

$29.58 CHF 24.36

17.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$144 CHF 119

$119 CHF 97.7

21.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.69 CHF 14.57

$18.28 CHF 15.05

-3.23%

Cappuccino

$6.91 CHF 5.69

$6.10 CHF 5.02

13.28%

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

$5.86 CHF 4.83

$5.27 CHF 4.34

11.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.15 CHF 4.24

$4.94 CHF 4.07

4.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.70 CHF 7.99

$8.93 CHF 7.36

8.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.28 CHF 6.82

$7.01 CHF 5.77

18.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 CHF 1.81

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 CHF 3.11

$3.68 CHF 3.03

2.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 CHF 3.03

$3.63 CHF 2.99

1.38%

Eggs

$8.54 CHF 7.03

$7.75 CHF 6.38

10.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.22 CHF 22.42

$25.68 CHF 21.15

6.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.67 CHF 22.79

$28.23 CHF 23.25

-1.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$61.7 CHF 50.8

$39.96 CHF 32.91

54.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 CHF 3.41

$3.53 CHF 2.91

17.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 CHF 2.21

$2.04 CHF 1.68

31.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.54 CHF 2.91

$2.60 CHF 2.14

36.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.45 CHF 3.67

$4.70 CHF 3.87

-5.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 CHF 2.09

$1.79 CHF 1.48

41.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$2.13 CHF 1.75

3.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 CHF 2.07

$2.26 CHF 1.86

11.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 CHF 1.02

$1.25 CHF 1.03

-0.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.62 CHF 8.75

$10.80 CHF 8.89

-1.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 CHF 11.39

$12.55 CHF 10.33

10.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 CHF 2.19

$2.69 CHF 2.21

-1.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CHF 2.62

$3.16 CHF 2.60

0.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.39 CHF 4.44

$4.62 CHF 3.80

16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 CHF 87.2

$97.8 CHF 80.5

8.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.93 CHF 6.54

$7.57 CHF 6.23

4.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.50 CHF 3.71

$4.62 CHF 3.80

-2.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$89.4 CHF 73.6

$74.5 CHF 61.3

20.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 CHF 1.87

$2.18 CHF 1.80

4.59%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

$41.5K CHF 34.1K

-5.94%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

$39.1K CHF 32.2K

1.17%

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

$276 CHF 227

$280 CHF 231

-1.32%

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

$36.80 CHF 30.31

$33.14 CHF 27.30

11.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 CHF 46.10

$56.0 CHF 46.09

0.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.3 CHF 75.2

$88.4 CHF 72.8

3.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$60.0 CHF 49.43

$46.03 CHF 37.91

30.37%

Cinema Ticket

$24.81 CHF 20.43

$22.52 CHF 18.55

10.17%

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

$3,505 CHF 2,887

$2,681 CHF 2,208

30.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

$34.0K CHF 28.0K

22.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$139 CHF 115

$142 CHF 117

-2.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.3 CHF 48.04

$58.3 CHF 48.02

0.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$166 CHF 137

$152 CHF 126

9.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$260 CHF 214

$186 CHF 153

39.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,916 CHF 2,402

$1,685 CHF 1,388

73.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 CHF 1,901

$1,472 CHF 1,213

56.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,918 CHF 4,874

$2,787 CHF 2,295

112.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,092 CHF 3,370

$2,429 CHF 2,001

68.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$26.8K CHF 22.1K

$15.7K CHF 12.9K

71.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.2K CHF 13.4K

$12.2K CHF 10.1K

32.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,928 CHF 6,529

$6,693 CHF 5,513

18.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.07

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

Last update for Zurich: October 11, 2026

Last update for Embrach: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zurich

$2.3K 51.9%

Embrach

$1.5K 43.2% 36.2% $836

Groceries & Markets

Zurich

$671 15.1%

Embrach

$585 17.1% 12.9% $87

Eating Out

Zurich

$523 11.7%

Embrach

$464 13.6% 11.2% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zurich

$369 8.3%

Embrach

$369 10.8% 0% $0

Clothing & Footwear

Zurich

$281 6.3%

Embrach

$242 7.1% 13.6% $38

Getting Around

Zurich

$158 3.6%

Embrach

$147 4.3% 7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Zurich

$141 3.2%

Embrach

$133 3.9% 5.3% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,916 in Zurich versus $1,685 in Embrach. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 18% higher in Zurich, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $144 in Zurich versus $119 in Embrach. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $671 vs $585 – making Embrach the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Zurich

🇨🇭 Embrach

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

Same time as Zurich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

443,037

9,300

💱 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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Zurich Embrach 15 km

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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 Embrach: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,451 in Zurich, $3,413 in Embrach – roughly 30% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,676 per month in Zurich and $5,119 in Embrach. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Embrach, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,451 in Zurich and $3,413 in Embrach. That's a gap of about 30%.

Public transport costs about 8% less in Embrach. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,451 in Zurich and $3,413 in Embrach. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Zurich has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $3,413 in Embrach to $4,451 in Zurich. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Embrach. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Zurich makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.