Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zurich and Glattfelden

For one person, living is cheaper in Glattfelden: $3,443 a month against $4,270 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 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
166

Cost of Living Index in Glattfelden
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Glattfelden Living Index

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Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,270

/mo nomad

Glattfelden

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zurich and in Glattfelden

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

A single person spends $4,270 per month in Zurich vs $3,443 in Glattfelden, rent included.

Zurich $4,270
Glattfelden $3,443

A couple spends around $6,666 per month in Zurich vs $5,235 in Glattfelden, rent included.

Zurich $6,666
Glattfelden $5,235

A family of three spends $9,061 per month in Zurich vs $7,027 in Glattfelden, rent included.

Zurich $9,061
Glattfelden $7,027

Zurich costs about 24% more than Glattfelden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Zurich and Glattfelden sit above the global median – Zurich by 214%, Glattfelden by 153%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$33.89 CHF 28.11

$30.05 CHF 24.93

12.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$146 CHF 121

$121 CHF 101

20.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.10 CHF 15.02

$18.45 CHF 15.31

-1.90%

Cappuccino

$6.88 CHF 5.71

$6.07 CHF 5.03

13.34%

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

$5.73 CHF 4.75

$5.31 CHF 4.41

7.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 CHF 4.36

$4.82 CHF 4.00

8.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.61 CHF 7.97

$9.28 CHF 7.70

3.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.37 CHF 6.94

$7.38 CHF 6.12

13.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 CHF 1.75

$2.12 CHF 1.76

-0.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.95 CHF 3.28

$3.71 CHF 3.08

6.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 CHF 3.16

$3.85 CHF 3.19

-1.04%

Eggs

$8.40 CHF 6.97

$7.85 CHF 6.52

7.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.05 CHF 22.44

$26.10 CHF 21.65

3.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.85 CHF 23.93

$28.68 CHF 23.79

0.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$59.4 CHF 49.27

$40.12 CHF 33.28

48.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 CHF 3.42

$3.50 CHF 2.90

18.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 CHF 2.37

$2.11 CHF 1.75

35.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 CHF 2.91

$2.83 CHF 2.34

23.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 CHF 3.78

$4.81 CHF 3.99

-5.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 CHF 2.11

$1.77 CHF 1.47

44.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 CHF 1.92

$2.15 CHF 1.79

7.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CHF 2.05

$2.20 CHF 1.83

12.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CHF 1.07

$1.30 CHF 1.08

-0.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.04 CHF 9.16

$11.00 CHF 9.12

0.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 CHF 11.61

$12.78 CHF 10.60

9.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 CHF 2.39

$2.79 CHF 2.32

3.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CHF 2.64

$3.12 CHF 2.59

1.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.44 CHF 4.51

$4.36 CHF 3.62

24.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.7

$101 CHF 83.4

3.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 CHF 6.75

$7.80 CHF 6.47

4.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.56 CHF 3.79

$4.52 CHF 3.75

0.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$89.8 CHF 74.5

$76.5 CHF 63.4

17.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 CHF 1.93

$2.21 CHF 1.84

4.98%

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

$38.9K CHF 32.2K

$38.9K CHF 32.3K

-0.10%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.4K

$39.9K CHF 33.1K

-2.20%

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

$282 CHF 234

-0.07%

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

$39.00 CHF 32.35

$32.87 CHF 27.27

18.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.0 CHF 45.65

$57.3 CHF 47.51

-3.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.6 CHF 70.2

$89.9 CHF 74.6

-5.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$61.7 CHF 51.2

$45.50 CHF 37.75

35.58%

Cinema Ticket

$24.31 CHF 20.17

$23.62 CHF 19.60

2.92%

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

$3,444 CHF 2,857

$2,883 CHF 2,392

19.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.6K CHF 34.5K

$32.4K CHF 26.9K

28.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$138 CHF 114

$139 CHF 116

-1.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 CHF 45.64

$58.6 CHF 48.57

-6.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$160 CHF 133

-0.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$249 CHF 207

$185 CHF 153

34.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,878 CHF 2,387

$1,774 CHF 1,472

62.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,143 CHF 1,777

$1,477 CHF 1,226

45.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,559 CHF 4,611

$2,913 CHF 2,417

90.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,003 CHF 3,321

$2,495 CHF 2,070

60.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$28.2K CHF 23.4K

$16.4K CHF 13.6K

71.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.9K CHF 14.0K

$12.4K CHF 10.3K

36.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,230 CHF 6,827

$5,530 CHF 4,588

48.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.09

2.07

0.97%

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

Last update for Zurich: October 25, 2026

Last update for Glattfelden: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zurich

$2.1K 50.2%

Glattfelden

$1.5K 42.9% 31% $665

Groceries & Markets

Zurich

$674 15.8%

Glattfelden

$592 17.2% 12.1% $82

Eating Out

Zurich

$517 12.1%

Glattfelden

$470 13.7% 9% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zurich

$376 8.8%

Glattfelden

$373 10.8% 1% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Zurich

$270 6.3%

Glattfelden

$244 7.1% 9.6% $26

Getting Around

Zurich

$157 3.7%

Glattfelden

$148 4.3% 5.6% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Zurich

$133 3.1%

Glattfelden

$137 4% 2.9% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,878 in Zurich versus $1,774 in Glattfelden. 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 49% higher in Zurich. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $146 in Zurich versus $121 in Glattfelden. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $674 vs $592 – making Glattfelden the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Zurich

🇨🇭 Glattfelden

🕒 Local time

23:08 11:08 PM

Same time as Zurich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

443,037

5,400

💱 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 Glattfelden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zurich costs about 24% more than Glattfelden, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $5,164 in Glattfelden. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Glattfelden, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,774 there versus $2,878 in Zurich.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $146 in Zurich and $121 in Glattfelden. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,270 in Zurich and $3,443 in Glattfelden. That makes Glattfelden about 19% cheaper.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,270 in Zurich and $3,443 in Glattfelden. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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