Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zurich and Kreuzlingen

For one person, living is cheaper in Kreuzlingen: $3,474 a month against $4,451 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
169

Cost of Living Index in Kreuzlingen
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Kreuzlingen Living Index

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Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,451

/mo nomad

Kreuzlingen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,474

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zurich and in Kreuzlingen

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

A single person spends $4,451 per month in Zurich vs $3,474 in Kreuzlingen, rent included.

Zurich $4,451
Kreuzlingen $3,474

A couple spends around $6,817 per month in Zurich vs $5,386 in Kreuzlingen, rent included.

Zurich $6,817
Kreuzlingen $5,386

A family of three spends $9,184 per month in Zurich vs $7,298 in Kreuzlingen, rent included.

Zurich $9,184
Kreuzlingen $7,298

Zurich costs about 28% more than Kreuzlingen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Zurich and Kreuzlingen sit above the global median – Zurich by 230%, Kreuzlingen by 157%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$34.71 CHF 28.59

$36.25 CHF 29.86

-4.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$144 CHF 119

$175 CHF 144

-17.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.69 CHF 14.57

$23.78 CHF 19.59

-25.61%

Cappuccino

$6.91 CHF 5.69

$6.95 CHF 5.72

-0.58%

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

$5.86 CHF 4.83

$6.13 CHF 5.05

-4.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.15 CHF 4.24

$5.99 CHF 4.93

-14.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.70 CHF 7.99

$9.73 CHF 8.02

-0.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.28 CHF 6.82

$7.30 CHF 6.01

13.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 CHF 1.81

$2.14 CHF 1.76

2.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 CHF 3.11

$4.03 CHF 3.32

-6.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 CHF 3.03

$4.17 CHF 3.43

-11.75%

Eggs

$8.54 CHF 7.03

$7.73 CHF 6.36

10.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.22 CHF 22.42

$18.09 CHF 14.90

50.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.67 CHF 22.79

$26.69 CHF 21.98

3.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$61.7 CHF 50.8

$30.23 CHF 24.89

104.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 CHF 3.41

$3.65 CHF 3.01

13.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 CHF 2.21

$2.02 CHF 1.66

32.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.54 CHF 2.91

$2.75 CHF 2.27

28.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.45 CHF 3.67

$5.49 CHF 4.53

-18.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 CHF 2.09

$1.95 CHF 1.61

30.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$2.12 CHF 1.74

4.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 CHF 2.07

$2.36 CHF 1.94

6.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 CHF 1.02

$1.32 CHF 1.09

-6.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.62 CHF 8.75

$10.89 CHF 8.97

-2.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 CHF 11.39

$17.86 CHF 14.71

-22.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 CHF 2.19

$2.86 CHF 2.35

-6.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CHF 2.62

$3.84 CHF 3.16

-17.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.39 CHF 4.44

$4.59 CHF 3.78

17.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 CHF 87.2

$97.4 CHF 80.2

8.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.93 CHF 6.54

$8.60 CHF 7.08

-7.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.50 CHF 3.71

$4.78 CHF 3.93

-5.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$89.4 CHF 73.6

$104 CHF 85.5

-13.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 CHF 1.87

$2.09 CHF 1.72

9.09%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

$41.6K CHF 34.3K

-6.27%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

$39.7K CHF 32.7K

-0.43%

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

$276 CHF 227

$281 CHF 232

-1.83%

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

$36.80 CHF 30.31

$38.22 CHF 31.48

-3.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 CHF 46.10

$59.3 CHF 48.81

-5.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.3 CHF 75.2

$91.1 CHF 75.0

0.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$60.0 CHF 49.43

$44.52 CHF 36.67

34.79%

Cinema Ticket

$24.81 CHF 20.43

$23.88 CHF 19.67

3.89%

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

$3,505 CHF 2,887

$4,144 CHF 3,413

-15.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

$35.2K CHF 29.0K

18.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$139 CHF 115

$162 CHF 133

-13.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.3 CHF 48.04

$68.6 CHF 56.5

-15.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$166 CHF 137

$148 CHF 122

11.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$260 CHF 214

$180 CHF 148

44.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,916 CHF 2,402

$1,710 CHF 1,408

70.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 CHF 1,901

$1,451 CHF 1,195

59.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,918 CHF 4,874

$3,893 CHF 3,206

52.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,092 CHF 3,370

$2,416 CHF 1,990

69.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$26.8K CHF 22.1K

$15.7K CHF 12.9K

70.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.2K CHF 13.4K

$12.0K CHF 9,880

35.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,928 CHF 6,529

$6,342 CHF 5,223

25.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.07

1.9

8.95%

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

Last update for Zurich: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kreuzlingen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zurich

$2.3K 51.9%

Kreuzlingen

$1.5K 41.8% 37.1% $857

Groceries & Markets

Zurich

$671 15.1%

Kreuzlingen

$550 15.8% 18.1% $122

Eating Out

Zurich

$523 11.7%

Kreuzlingen

$557 16% 6.5% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zurich

$369 8.3%

Kreuzlingen

$379 10.9% 2.7% $9.9

Clothing & Footwear

Zurich

$281 6.3%

Kreuzlingen

$251 7.2% 10.5% $29

Getting Around

Zurich

$158 3.6%

Kreuzlingen

$148 4.3% 6.1% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Zurich

$141 3.2%

Kreuzlingen

$139 4% 1.5% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,916 in Zurich versus $1,710 in Kreuzlingen. 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 25% 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 $175 in Kreuzlingen. Groceries tell a different story – $671 in Zurich vs $550 in Kreuzlingen – so Kreuzlingen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Zurich

🇨🇭 Kreuzlingen

🕒 Local time

16:27 4:27 PM

Same time as Zurich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

443,037

20,846

💱 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)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Zurich vs Kreuzlingen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Zurich is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,676 per month in Zurich and $5,211 in Kreuzlingen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $144 in Zurich and $175 in Kreuzlingen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,451 in Zurich and $3,474 in Kreuzlingen. That's a gap of about 28%.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,451 in Zurich and $3,474 in Kreuzlingen. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Kreuzlingen – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Kreuzlingen. 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.