Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zurich and Riehen

For one person, living is cheaper in Riehen: $3,372 a month against $4,451 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 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
164

Cost of Living Index in Riehen
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Riehen Living Index

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Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,451

/mo nomad

Riehen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zurich and in Riehen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,451 in Zurich versus $3,372 in Riehen.

Zurich $4,451
Riehen $3,372

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,817 in Zurich versus $5,084 in Riehen.

Zurich $6,817
Riehen $5,084

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,184 in Zurich versus $6,797 in Riehen.

Zurich $9,184
Riehen $6,797

Living in Zurich is roughly 32% more expensive than in Riehen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Zurich 230% above, Riehen 150% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$34.71 CHF 28.59

$29.55 CHF 24.34

17.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$144 CHF 119

$120 CHF 98.5

20.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.69 CHF 14.57

$15.72 CHF 12.94

12.53%

Cappuccino

$6.91 CHF 5.69

$6.21 CHF 5.11

11.27%

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

$5.86 CHF 4.83

$4.98 CHF 4.10

17.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.15 CHF 4.24

$5.26 CHF 4.33

-2.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.70 CHF 7.99

$7.15 CHF 5.89

35.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.28 CHF 6.82

$6.57 CHF 5.41

26.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 CHF 1.81

$2.13 CHF 1.75

3.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 CHF 3.11

$3.14 CHF 2.59

20.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 CHF 3.03

$3.51 CHF 2.89

4.84%

Eggs

$8.54 CHF 7.03

$7.13 CHF 5.87

19.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.22 CHF 22.42

$24.83 CHF 20.45

9.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.67 CHF 22.79

$24.86 CHF 20.48

11.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$61.7 CHF 50.8

$37.07 CHF 30.53

66.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 CHF 3.41

$3.52 CHF 2.90

17.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 CHF 2.21

$1.61 CHF 1.33

66.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.54 CHF 2.91

$2.51 CHF 2.07

41.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.45 CHF 3.67

$4.36 CHF 3.59

2.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 CHF 2.09

$1.78 CHF 1.46

42.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$2.09 CHF 1.72

5.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 CHF 2.07

$2.19 CHF 1.80

15.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 CHF 1.02

$1.23 CHF 1.02

0.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.62 CHF 8.75

$10.91 CHF 8.99

-2.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 CHF 11.39

$10.39 CHF 8.56

33.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 CHF 2.19

$3.48 CHF 2.87

-23.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CHF 2.62

$2.32 CHF 1.91

37.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.39 CHF 4.44

$4.45 CHF 3.67

21.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 CHF 87.2

$98.6 CHF 81.2

7.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.93 CHF 6.54

$9.84 CHF 8.11

-19.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.50 CHF 3.71

$4.02 CHF 3.31

11.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$89.4 CHF 73.6

$73.6 CHF 60.6

21.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 CHF 1.87

$2.18 CHF 1.80

4.59%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

$41.5K CHF 34.1K

-5.95%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

$39.3K CHF 32.3K

0.70%

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

$276 CHF 227

$339 CHF 280

-18.64%

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

$36.80 CHF 30.31

$41.49 CHF 34.17

-11.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 CHF 46.10

$56.6 CHF 46.59

-1.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.3 CHF 75.2

$88.7 CHF 73.1

2.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$60.0 CHF 49.43

$45.01 CHF 37.07

33.33%

Cinema Ticket

$24.81 CHF 20.43

$21.40 CHF 17.63

15.93%

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

$3,505 CHF 2,887

$1,786 CHF 1,471

96.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

$36.6K CHF 30.2K

13.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$139 CHF 115

$102 CHF 84.0

36.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.3 CHF 48.04

$57.0 CHF 46.94

2.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$166 CHF 137

$165 CHF 136

0.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$260 CHF 214

$183 CHF 151

41.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,916 CHF 2,402

$1,680 CHF 1,384

73.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 CHF 1,901

$1,440 CHF 1,186

60.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,918 CHF 4,874

$3,422 CHF 2,819

72.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,092 CHF 3,370

$2,418 CHF 1,992

69.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$26.8K CHF 22.1K

$15.7K CHF 12.9K

71.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.2K CHF 13.4K

$12.0K CHF 9,867

35.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,928 CHF 6,529

$8,642 CHF 7,118

-8.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.07

2.31

-10.39%

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

Last update for Zurich: October 11, 2026

Last update for Riehen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zurich

$2.3K 51.9%

Riehen

$1.4K 42.7% 37.6% $869

Groceries & Markets

Zurich

$671 15.1%

Riehen

$540 16% 19.5% $131

Eating Out

Zurich

$523 11.7%

Riehen

$448 13.3% 14.3% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zurich

$369 8.3%

Riehen

$438 13% 18.6% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Zurich

$281 6.3%

Riehen

$228 6.8% 18.6% $52

Getting Around

Zurich

$158 3.6%

Riehen

$146 4.3% 7.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Zurich

$141 3.2%

Riehen

$132 3.9% 6.6% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,916 in Zurich and $1,680 in Riehen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riehen pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $144 in Zurich vs $120 in Riehen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $671 vs $540 per month, with Riehen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Zurich

🇨🇭 Riehen

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

Same time as Zurich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

443,037

20,970

💱 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 Riehen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zurich and Riehen differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($4,451 vs $3,372 including rent). Riehen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Riehen. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,916 in Zurich versus $1,680 in Riehen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Zurich. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Riehen – a meal for two runs $120 versus $144 in Zurich. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Riehen 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 Riehen 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 Riehen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Zurich. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.