Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zurich and Rheinfelden

For one person, living is cheaper in Rheinfelden: $1,976 a month against $4,270 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $27,500 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
95

Cost of Living Index in Rheinfelden
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Rheinfelden Living Index

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Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,270

/mo nomad

Rheinfelden

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$1,976

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zurich and in Rheinfelden

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

A single person spends $4,270 per month in Zurich vs $1,976 in Rheinfelden, rent included.

Zurich $4,270
Rheinfelden $1,976

A couple spends around $6,666 per month in Zurich vs $4,764 in Rheinfelden, rent included.

Zurich $6,666
Rheinfelden $4,764

A family of three spends $9,061 per month in Zurich vs $7,551 in Rheinfelden, rent included.

Zurich $9,061
Rheinfelden $7,551

Zurich costs about 116% more than Rheinfelden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Zurich and Rheinfelden sit above the global median – Zurich by 214%, Rheinfelden by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$33.89 CHF 28.09

$30.11 CHF 24.96

12.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$146 CHF 121

$123 CHF 102

18.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.10 CHF 15.00

$18.06 CHF 14.97

0.22%

Cappuccino

$6.88 CHF 5.70

$5.76 CHF 4.78

19.44%

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

$5.73 CHF 4.75

$5.51 CHF 4.57

3.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 CHF 4.35

$4.88 CHF 4.05

7.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.61 CHF 7.96

$8.44 CHF 7.00

13.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.37 CHF 6.94

$6.67 CHF 5.53

25.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 CHF 1.75

$2.20 CHF 1.82

-4.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.95 CHF 3.27

$3.61 CHF 3.00

9.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 CHF 3.15

$4.33 CHF 3.59

-12.01%

Eggs

$8.40 CHF 6.96

$7.34 CHF 6.08

14.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.05 CHF 22.42

$26.05 CHF 21.59

3.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.85 CHF 23.91

$27.83 CHF 23.07

3.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$59.4 CHF 49.23

$41.23 CHF 34.18

44.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 CHF 3.42

$4.02 CHF 3.33

2.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 CHF 2.37

$2.16 CHF 1.79

32.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 CHF 2.90

$2.95 CHF 2.45

18.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 CHF 3.78

$5.45 CHF 4.52

-16.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 CHF 2.11

$1.69 CHF 1.40

50.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 CHF 1.92

$1.93 CHF 1.60

19.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CHF 2.04

$2.26 CHF 1.88

9.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CHF 1.07

$1.11 CHF 0.92

16.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.04 CHF 9.15

$11.36 CHF 9.42

-2.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 CHF 11.60

$12.30 CHF 10.20

13.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 CHF 2.39

$2.80 CHF 2.32

2.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CHF 2.63

$3.57 CHF 2.96

-10.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.44 CHF 4.51

$3.58 CHF 2.97

51.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.7

$123 CHF 102

-15.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 CHF 6.74

$4.58 CHF 3.80

77.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.56 CHF 3.78

$2.81 CHF 2.33

62.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$89.8 CHF 74.5

$59.9 CHF 49.67

49.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 CHF 1.92

$2.23 CHF 1.85

4.04%

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

$38.9K CHF 32.2K

$38.6K CHF 32.0K

0.63%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.3K

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

-1.48%

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

$282 CHF 234

$236 CHF 196

19.46%

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

$39.00 CHF 32.33

$46.56 CHF 38.59

-16.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.0 CHF 45.62

$64.0 CHF 53.0

-13.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.6 CHF 70.1

$107 CHF 88.3

-20.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$61.7 CHF 51.1

Cinema Ticket

$24.31 CHF 20.15

$21.92 CHF 18.17

10.90%

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

$3,444 CHF 2,855

$3,007 CHF 2,492

14.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.6K CHF 34.5K

$24.8K CHF 20.6K

67.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$138 CHF 114

$144 CHF 120

-4.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 CHF 45.60

$80.0 CHF 66.3

-31.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$166 CHF 137

-3.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$249 CHF 207

$202 CHF 167

23.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,878 CHF 2,385

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,143 CHF 1,776

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,559 CHF 4,608

$2,206 CHF 1,828

152.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,003 CHF 3,318

$2,991 CHF 2,479

33.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$28.2K CHF 23.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.9K CHF 14.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,230 CHF 6,821

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.09

2.41

-13.28%

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

Last update for Zurich: October 25, 2026

Last update for Rheinfelden: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zurich

$2.1K 50.2%

Rheinfelden

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Zurich

$674 15.8%

Rheinfelden

$595 30.1% 11.7% $79

Eating Out

Zurich

$517 12.1%

Rheinfelden

$461 23.4% 10.7% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zurich

$376 8.8%

Rheinfelden

$347 17.6% 7.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Zurich

$270 6.3%

Rheinfelden

$266 13.5% 1.5% $4.2

Getting Around

Zurich

$157 3.7%

Rheinfelden

$156 7.9% 0.7% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Zurich

$133 3.1%

Rheinfelden

$150 7.6% 12.8% $17

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $146 in Zurich versus $123 in Rheinfelden. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $674 vs $595 – making Rheinfelden the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Zurich

🇨🇭 Rheinfelden

🕒 Local time

07:33 7:33 AM

Same time as Zurich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

443,037

13,360

💱 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)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Zurich vs Rheinfelden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Zurich is pricier by about 116%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,406 per month in Zurich and $2,964 in Rheinfelden. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Public transport costs about 15% less in Zurich. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $3,444 per month in Zurich and $3,007 in Rheinfelden. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Rheinfelden, where all-in costs run around $1,976, than in Zurich at $4,270. In Rheinfelden it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zurich it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Zurich has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,976 in Rheinfelden to $4,270 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.