Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zurich and Sion

For one person, living is cheaper in Sion: $3,284 a month against $4,270 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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
157

Cost of Living Index in Sion
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Sion Living Index

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Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,270

/mo nomad

Sion

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zurich and in Sion

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,270 in Zurich versus $3,284 in Sion.

Zurich $4,270
Sion $3,284

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,666 in Zurich versus $4,915 in Sion.

Zurich $6,666
Sion $4,915

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,061 in Zurich versus $6,546 in Sion.

Zurich $9,061
Sion $6,546

Living in Zurich is roughly 30% more expensive than in Sion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Zurich 214% above, Sion 141% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$33.89 CHF 28.11

$29.93 CHF 24.83

13.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$146 CHF 121

$90.2 CHF 74.8

61.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.10 CHF 15.02

$19.21 CHF 15.94

-5.78%

Cappuccino

$6.88 CHF 5.71

$4.66 CHF 3.86

47.64%

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

$5.73 CHF 4.75

$5.39 CHF 4.47

6.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 CHF 4.36

$4.17 CHF 3.46

25.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.61 CHF 7.97

$7.32 CHF 6.08

31.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.37 CHF 6.94

$7.40 CHF 6.14

13.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 CHF 1.75

$2.02 CHF 1.68

4.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.95 CHF 3.28

$3.71 CHF 3.08

6.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 CHF 3.16

$4.02 CHF 3.33

-5.22%

Eggs

$8.40 CHF 6.97

$7.23 CHF 5.99

16.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.05 CHF 22.44

$25.77 CHF 21.38

4.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.85 CHF 23.93

$22.80 CHF 18.91

26.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$59.4 CHF 49.27

$39.58 CHF 32.83

50.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 CHF 3.42

$3.28 CHF 2.72

25.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 CHF 2.37

$1.70 CHF 1.41

68.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 CHF 2.91

$2.54 CHF 2.11

37.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 CHF 3.78

$6.35 CHF 5.27

-28.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 CHF 2.11

$1.81 CHF 1.50

40.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 CHF 1.92

$2.15 CHF 1.79

7.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CHF 2.05

$2.45 CHF 2.03

0.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CHF 1.07

$1.17 CHF 0.97

10.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.04 CHF 9.16

$10.96 CHF 9.10

0.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 CHF 11.61

$14.59 CHF 12.10

-4.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 CHF 2.39

$1.79 CHF 1.49

60.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CHF 2.64

$1.88 CHF 1.56

69.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.44 CHF 4.51

$5.17 CHF 4.29

5.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.7

$179 CHF 148

-41.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 CHF 6.75

$5.93 CHF 4.92

37.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.56 CHF 3.79

$5.39 CHF 4.47

-15.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$89.8 CHF 74.5

$49.11 CHF 40.74

82.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 CHF 1.93

$2.30 CHF 1.91

0.87%

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

$38.9K CHF 32.2K

$39.4K CHF 32.7K

-1.39%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.4K

$37.6K CHF 31.2K

3.76%

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

$282 CHF 234

$309 CHF 256

-8.72%

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

$39.00 CHF 32.35

$25.35 CHF 21.03

53.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.0 CHF 45.65

$48.26 CHF 40.03

14.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.6 CHF 70.2

$137 CHF 114

-38.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$61.7 CHF 51.2

$55.4 CHF 45.98

11.31%

Cinema Ticket

$24.31 CHF 20.17

$20.33 CHF 16.87

19.58%

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

$3,444 CHF 2,857

$974 CHF 808

253.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.6K CHF 34.5K

$38.2K CHF 31.7K

8.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$138 CHF 114

$110 CHF 91.5

24.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 CHF 45.64

$49.30 CHF 40.90

11.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$165 CHF 137

-3.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$249 CHF 207

$172 CHF 143

44.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,878 CHF 2,387

$1,231 CHF 1,021

133.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,143 CHF 1,777

$1,269 CHF 1,053

68.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,559 CHF 4,611

$2,308 CHF 1,915

140.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,003 CHF 3,321

$2,091 CHF 1,734

91.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$28.2K CHF 23.4K

$7,526 CHF 6,244

274.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.9K CHF 14.0K

$5,552 CHF 4,606

204.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,230 CHF 6,827

$5,816 CHF 4,825

41.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.09

2.15

-2.79%

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

Last update for Zurich: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sion: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zurich

$2.1K 50.2%

Sion

$1.3K 38.6% 40.8% $874

Groceries & Markets

Zurich

$674 15.8%

Sion

$556 16.9% 17.5% $118

Eating Out

Zurich

$517 12.1%

Sion

$443 13.5% 14.3% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zurich

$376 8.8%

Sion

$383 11.7% 1.7% $6.5

Clothing & Footwear

Zurich

$270 6.3%

Sion

$224 6.8% 17.2% $47

Getting Around

Zurich

$157 3.7%

Sion

$232 7.1% 47.6% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Zurich

$133 3.1%

Sion

$178 5.4% 33.4% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,878 in Zurich and $1,231 in Sion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zurich pays 42% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $146 in Zurich vs $90 in Sion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $674 vs $556 per month, with Sion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Zurich

🇨🇭 Sion

🕒 Local time

19:43 7:43 PM

Same time as Zurich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

443,037

34,599

💱 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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From you

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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 Sion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sion wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Zurich. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sion the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 42% higher in Zurich, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,878 in Zurich versus $1,231 in Sion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Zurich. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Sion – a meal for two runs $90 versus $146 in Zurich. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Sion 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.

It comes down to priorities – Sion wins on affordability, Zurich on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.