Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zurich and Solothurn

For one person, living is cheaper in Solothurn: $2,753 a month against $4,270 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 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
132

Cost of Living Index in Solothurn
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Solothurn Living Index

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Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,270

/mo nomad

Solothurn

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,753

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zurich and in Solothurn

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

A single person spends $4,270 per month in Zurich vs $2,753 in Solothurn, rent included.

Zurich $4,270
Solothurn $2,753

A couple spends around $6,666 per month in Zurich vs $4,410 in Solothurn, rent included.

Zurich $6,666
Solothurn $4,410

A family of three spends $9,061 per month in Zurich vs $6,067 in Solothurn, rent included.

Zurich $9,061
Solothurn $6,067

Zurich costs about 55% more than Solothurn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Zurich and Solothurn sit above the global median – Zurich by 214%, Solothurn by 102%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$33.89 CHF 28.06

$30.77 CHF 25.48

10.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$146 CHF 121

$147 CHF 122

-1.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.10 CHF 14.99

$18.33 CHF 15.17

-1.25%

Cappuccino

$6.88 CHF 5.70

$6.67 CHF 5.52

3.15%

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

$5.73 CHF 4.74

$5.31 CHF 4.40

7.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 CHF 4.35

$5.33 CHF 4.41

-1.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.61 CHF 7.95

$6.59 CHF 5.46

45.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.37 CHF 6.93

$5.89 CHF 4.88

42.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 CHF 1.74

$2.19 CHF 1.81

-3.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.95 CHF 3.27

$3.76 CHF 3.12

5.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 CHF 3.15

$3.40 CHF 2.82

12.06%

Eggs

$8.40 CHF 6.95

$8.42 CHF 6.97

-0.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.05 CHF 22.40

$22.43 CHF 18.57

20.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.85 CHF 23.89

$26.36 CHF 21.83

9.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$59.4 CHF 49.18

$60.1 CHF 49.74

-1.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 CHF 3.42

$2.92 CHF 2.41

41.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 CHF 2.37

$1.49 CHF 1.23

91.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 CHF 2.90

$3.52 CHF 2.92

-0.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 CHF 3.78

$4.26 CHF 3.52

7.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 CHF 2.11

$1.65 CHF 1.36

54.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 CHF 1.91

$1.84 CHF 1.52

25.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CHF 2.04

$1.55 CHF 1.29

59.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CHF 1.07

$1.01 CHF 0.84

27.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.04 CHF 9.14

$10.81 CHF 8.95

2.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 CHF 11.59

$14.12 CHF 11.69

-0.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 CHF 2.39

$2.91 CHF 2.41

-1.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CHF 2.63

$3.11 CHF 2.58

2.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.44 CHF 4.50

$4.68 CHF 3.87

16.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.6

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 CHF 6.74

$7.96 CHF 6.59

2.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.56 CHF 3.78

$4.47 CHF 3.70

2.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$89.8 CHF 74.4

$88.1 CHF 72.9

1.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 CHF 1.92

$2.23 CHF 1.84

4.04%

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

$38.9K CHF 32.2K

$30.4K CHF 25.2K

27.69%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.3K

$35.0K CHF 29.0K

11.52%

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

$282 CHF 234

$97.8 CHF 81.0

188.63%

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

$39.00 CHF 32.29

$30.67 CHF 25.39

27.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.0 CHF 45.56

$54.3 CHF 44.99

1.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.6 CHF 70.1

$89.4 CHF 74.0

-5.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$61.7 CHF 51.1

$17.05 CHF 14.11

261.82%

Cinema Ticket

$24.31 CHF 20.13

$17.87 CHF 14.79

36.04%

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

$3,444 CHF 2,851

$3,421 CHF 2,832

0.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.6K CHF 34.4K

$19.5K CHF 16.1K

113.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$138 CHF 114

-0.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 CHF 45.55

$41.96 CHF 34.74

31.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

-0.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$249 CHF 206

$246 CHF 203

1.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,878 CHF 2,383

$1,154 CHF 955

149.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,143 CHF 1,774

$1,043 CHF 864

105.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,559 CHF 4,602

$1,803 CHF 1,493

208.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,003 CHF 3,314

$1,718 CHF 1,422

133.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$28.2K CHF 23.3K

$9,576 CHF 7,929

193.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.9K CHF 14.0K

$4,801 CHF 3,975

251.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,230 CHF 6,814

$6,805 CHF 5,634

20.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.09

2.03

2.96%

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

Last update for Zurich: October 25, 2026

Last update for Solothurn: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zurich

$2.1K 50.2%

Solothurn

$1K 37.9% 51.3% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Zurich

$674 15.8%

Solothurn

$621 22.6% 7.9% $53

Eating Out

Zurich

$517 12.1%

Solothurn

$468 17% 9.3% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zurich

$376 8.8%

Solothurn

$183 6.6% 51.4% $193

Clothing & Footwear

Zurich

$270 6.3%

Solothurn

$263 9.6% 2.7% $7.3

Getting Around

Zurich

$157 3.7%

Solothurn

$49 * 1.8% 68.8% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Zurich

$133 3.1%

Solothurn

$125 4.6% 6.1% $8.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,878 in Zurich versus $1,154 in Solothurn. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 21% higher in Zurich, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $146 in Zurich versus $147 in Solothurn. Groceries tell a different story – $674 in Zurich vs $621 in Solothurn – so Solothurn wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Zurich

🇨🇭 Solothurn

🕒 Local time

05:01 5:01 AM

Same time as Zurich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

443,037

16,599

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Zurich Solothurn 78 km

From you

Zurich
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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 Solothurn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,270 in Zurich, $2,753 in Solothurn – Solothurn comes out roughly 36% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,406 per month in Zurich and $4,130 in Solothurn. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Solothurn, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,154 there versus $2,878 in Zurich.

Kindergarten costs $3,444 per month in Zurich and $3,421 in Solothurn. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,270 in Zurich and $2,753 in Solothurn. That makes Solothurn about 36% cheaper.

It depends on your priorities. Zurich has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,753 in Solothurn to $4,270 in Zurich. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Solothurn. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Zurich makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.