Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zurich and Rapperswil

For one person, living is cheaper in Rapperswil: $3,330 a month against $4,270 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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
161

Cost of Living Index in Rapperswil
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Rapperswil Living Index

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Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,270

/mo nomad

Rapperswil

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,330

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zurich and in Rapperswil

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,270 in Zurich versus $3,330 in Rapperswil.

Zurich $4,270
Rapperswil $3,330

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,666 in Zurich versus $5,029 in Rapperswil.

Zurich $6,666
Rapperswil $5,029

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,061 in Zurich versus $6,729 in Rapperswil.

Zurich $9,061
Rapperswil $6,729

Living in Zurich is roughly 28% more expensive than in Rapperswil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Zurich 214% above, Rapperswil 145% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$33.89 CHF 28.09

$23.80 CHF 19.73

42.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$146 CHF 121

$95.5 CHF 79.2

52.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.10 CHF 15.00

$16.02 CHF 13.28

12.98%

Cappuccino

$6.88 CHF 5.70

$6.08 CHF 5.04

13.16%

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

$5.73 CHF 4.75

$4.70 CHF 3.90

21.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 CHF 4.35

$4.82 CHF 3.99

8.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.61 CHF 7.96

$8.65 CHF 7.17

11.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.37 CHF 6.94

$6.00 CHF 4.97

39.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 CHF 1.75

$2.14 CHF 1.78

-1.40%

White Bread (500g)

$3.95 CHF 3.27

$3.39 CHF 2.81

16.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 CHF 3.15

$4.35 CHF 3.61

-12.41%

Eggs

$8.40 CHF 6.96

$7.80 CHF 6.46

7.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.05 CHF 22.42

$26.76 CHF 22.18

1.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.85 CHF 23.91

$26.19 CHF 21.71

10.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$59.4 CHF 49.23

$40.71 CHF 33.74

45.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 CHF 3.42

$3.60 CHF 2.98

14.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 CHF 2.37

$2.15 CHF 1.78

33.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 CHF 2.90

$2.62 CHF 2.17

33.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 CHF 3.78

$4.81 CHF 3.98

-5.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 CHF 2.11

$2.04 CHF 1.69

25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 CHF 1.92

$2.19 CHF 1.82

5.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CHF 2.04

$2.32 CHF 1.92

6.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CHF 1.07

$1.37 CHF 1.13

-5.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.04 CHF 9.15

$10.74 CHF 8.90

2.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 CHF 11.60

$13.18 CHF 10.93

6.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 CHF 2.39

$2.25 CHF 1.86

28.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CHF 2.63

$3.44 CHF 2.85

-7.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.44 CHF 4.51

$4.37 CHF 3.62

24.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.7

$100.0 CHF 82.9

4.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 CHF 6.74

$7.56 CHF 6.26

7.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.56 CHF 3.78

$4.97 CHF 4.12

-8.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$89.8 CHF 74.5

$88.3 CHF 73.2

1.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 CHF 1.92

$2.17 CHF 1.80

6.91%

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

$38.9K CHF 32.2K

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

-1.75%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.3K

$38.9K CHF 32.2K

0.32%

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

$282 CHF 234

$237 CHF 196

19.29%

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

$39.00 CHF 32.33

$31.70 CHF 26.27

23.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.0 CHF 45.62

$65.1 CHF 54.0

-15.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.6 CHF 70.1

$88.7 CHF 73.5

-4.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$61.7 CHF 51.1

$45.22 CHF 37.48

36.42%

Cinema Ticket

$24.31 CHF 20.15

$21.76 CHF 18.03

11.72%

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

$3,444 CHF 2,855

$2,879 CHF 2,386

19.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.6K CHF 34.5K

$43.7K CHF 36.2K

-4.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$138 CHF 114

$141 CHF 117

-2.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 CHF 45.60

$88.1 CHF 73.0

-37.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$149 CHF 124

6.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$249 CHF 207

$174 CHF 144

43.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,878 CHF 2,385

$1,769 CHF 1,466

62.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,143 CHF 1,776

$1,478 CHF 1,225

44.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,559 CHF 4,608

$2,984 CHF 2,473

86.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,003 CHF 3,318

$2,524 CHF 2,092

58.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$28.2K CHF 23.3K

$16.6K CHF 13.7K

70.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.9K CHF 14.0K

$12.6K CHF 10.5K

33.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,230 CHF 6,821

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.09

1.72

21.51%

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

Last update for Zurich: October 25, 2026

Last update for Rapperswil: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zurich

$2.1K 50.2%

Rapperswil

$1.5K 44.4% 31% $665

Groceries & Markets

Zurich

$674 15.8%

Rapperswil

$583 17.5% 13.4% $91

Eating Out

Zurich

$517 12.1%

Rapperswil

$405 12.2% 21.7% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zurich

$376 8.8%

Rapperswil

$333 10% 11.4% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Zurich

$270 6.3%

Rapperswil

$248 7.5% 8.2% $22

Getting Around

Zurich

$157 3.7%

Rapperswil

$150 4.5% 4.7% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Zurich

$133 3.1%

Rapperswil

$132 4% 0.8% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,878 in Zurich and $1,769 in Rapperswil. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $146 in Zurich vs $96 in Rapperswil for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $674 vs $583 per month, with Rapperswil cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Zurich

🇨🇭 Rapperswil

🕒 Local time

15:58 3:58 PM

Same time as Zurich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

443,037

26,354

💱 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 Rapperswil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zurich and Rapperswil differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($4,270 vs $3,330 including rent). Rapperswil is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $6,406 in Zurich and $4,995 in Rapperswil 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: $2,878 in Zurich versus $1,769 in Rapperswil. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $4,270 per month in Zurich versus $3,330 in Rapperswil – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Rapperswil runs roughly 4% less than in Zurich. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Rapperswil 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 Rapperswil are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Rapperswil gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Zurich. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.