Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zurich and Kriens

For one person, living is cheaper in Kriens: $3,154 a month against $4,274 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 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
160

Cost of Living Index in Kriens
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Kriens Living Index

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Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,274

/mo nomad

Kriens

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,154

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zurich and in Kriens

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

A single person spends $4,274 per month in Zurich vs $3,154 in Kriens, rent included.

Zurich $4,274
Kriens $3,154

A couple spends around $6,740 per month in Zurich vs $4,836 in Kriens, rent included.

Zurich $6,740
Kriens $4,836

A family of three spends $9,207 per month in Zurich vs $6,518 in Kriens, rent included.

Zurich $9,207
Kriens $6,518

Zurich costs about 36% more than Kriens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Zurich and Kriens sit above the global median – Zurich by 216%, Kriens by 133%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$36.93 CHF 30.17

$29.66 CHF 24.23

24.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$146 CHF 119

$106 CHF 86.5

37.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.49 CHF 15.11

$18.11 CHF 14.80

2.10%

Cappuccino

$7.03 CHF 5.75

$5.92 CHF 4.83

18.75%

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 4.42

$4.78 CHF 3.91

13.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.91 CHF 8.10

$6.05 CHF 4.94

63.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.63 CHF 7.05

$7.17 CHF 5.86

20.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 CHF 1.78

$2.06 CHF 1.68

5.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.88 CHF 3.17

$3.68 CHF 3.01

5.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.82 CHF 3.12

$2.72 CHF 2.22

40.44%

Eggs

$8.43 CHF 6.89

$7.91 CHF 6.46

6.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.56 CHF 22.51

$27.84 CHF 22.75

-1.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.03 CHF 22.90

$31.26 CHF 25.54

-10.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$60.1 CHF 49.10

$41.79 CHF 34.14

43.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 CHF 3.41

$3.00 CHF 2.45

39.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 CHF 2.29

$1.80 CHF 1.47

55.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 CHF 2.85

$2.46 CHF 2.01

41.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.74

$5.44 CHF 4.45

-15.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 CHF 2.07

$1.75 CHF 1.43

45.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 CHF 1.93

$2.05 CHF 1.67

15.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 CHF 1.97

$2.28 CHF 1.86

5.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CHF 1.05

$1.36 CHF 1.11

-5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.89 CHF 8.90

$10.91 CHF 8.92

-0.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.09 CHF 11.51

$10.20 CHF 8.34

38.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 CHF 2.27

$2.59 CHF 2.12

7.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 CHF 2.64

$2.84 CHF 2.32

13.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.72 CHF 4.67

$4.51 CHF 3.68

26.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 CHF 86.5

$87.4 CHF 71.4

21.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.07 CHF 6.59

$7.13 CHF 5.82

13.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.74 CHF 3.87

$5.94 CHF 4.86

-20.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$91.4 CHF 74.6

$36.66 CHF 29.95

149.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.43 CHF 1.98

$2.40 CHF 1.96

1.25%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.2K

$39.9K CHF 32.6K

-1.30%

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

$39.0K CHF 31.9K

$39.2K CHF 32.0K

-0.54%

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

$284 CHF 232

$124 CHF 101

129.38%

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

$36.15 CHF 29.53

$37.81 CHF 30.89

-4.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.7 CHF 46.34

$56.9 CHF 46.51

-0.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.4 CHF 68.1

$73.9 CHF 60.4

12.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$62.4 CHF 51.0

$40.83 CHF 33.36

52.76%

Cinema Ticket

$24.03 CHF 19.63

$21.90 CHF 17.89

9.73%

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

$3,473 CHF 2,837

$3,213 CHF 2,625

8.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.0K CHF 34.3K

$41.4K CHF 33.8K

1.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$139 CHF 113

$90.1 CHF 73.6

53.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 CHF 44.86

$68.8 CHF 56.2

-20.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$161 CHF 131

$110 CHF 89.7

46.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 CHF 207

$172 CHF 141

47.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,964 CHF 2,422

$1,965 CHF 1,605

50.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,111 CHF 1,724

$1,428 CHF 1,167

47.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,507 CHF 4,499

$2,559 CHF 2,091

115.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,074 CHF 3,328

$2,380 CHF 1,944

71.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.0K CHF 22.0K

$13.4K CHF 11.0K

100.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K CHF 13.7K

$9,706 CHF 7,929

72.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,335 CHF 6,810

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.03

1.9

6.84%

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

Last update for Zurich: November 3, 2026

Last update for Kriens: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zurich

$2.1K 49.4%

Kriens

$1.4K 45.3% 32.4% $683

Groceries & Markets

Zurich

$673 15.8%

Kriens

$602 19.1% 10.6% $71

Eating Out

Zurich

$548 12.8%

Kriens

$447 14.2% 18.4% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zurich

$377 8.8%

Kriens

$219 6.9% 42% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Zurich

$273 6.4%

Kriens

$198 6.3% 27.5% $75

Getting Around

Zurich

$161 3.8%

Kriens

$142 4.5% 11.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Zurich

$131 3.1%

Kriens

$118 3.7% 10.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,964 in Zurich versus $1,965 in Kriens. 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 $106 in Kriens. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $673 vs $602 – making Kriens the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Zurich

🇨🇭 Kriens

🕒 Local time

22:30 10:30 PM

Same time as Zurich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

443,037

25,932

💱 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 Kriens 43 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 Kriens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zurich costs about 36% more than Kriens, 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 $6,411 per month in Zurich and $4,730 in Kriens. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kriens, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,965 there versus $2,964 in Zurich.

Kindergarten costs $3,473 per month in Zurich and $3,213 in Kriens. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Zurich, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,274 in Zurich and $3,154 in Kriens. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Kriens – 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.

For expats, Kriens is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 26% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.