Cost of Living Comparison Between Zurich and St. Gallen Cost of Living Comparison Between Zurich and St. Gallen

😐 Solo nomad: Zurich is 2.7% more expensive than St. Gallen without rent, and 20.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Zurich is 2.5% more expensive than St. Gallen without rent, and 16.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Zurich
St. Gallen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$31.06 CHF 25.25
$31.2 CHF 25.37
-0.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$146 CHF 119
$148 CHF 120
-1.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$20.59 CHF 16.74
$18.28 CHF 14.87
12.64%
Cappuccino
$6.63 CHF 5.39
$6.38 CHF 5.19
3.92%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.93 CHF 4.82
$5.73 CHF 4.66
3.49%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.34 CHF 4.34
$5.14 CHF 4.18
3.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.58 CHF 7.79
$7.6 CHF 6.18
26.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.74 CHF 7.1
$7.25 CHF 5.89
20.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Zurich
St. Gallen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.25 CHF 1.83
$2.27 CHF 1.84
-0.88%
White Bread (500g)
$3.25 CHF 2.64
$2.68 CHF 2.18
21.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.95 CHF 3.21
$3.65 CHF 2.97
8.22%
Eggs
$7.62 CHF 6.19
$8.31 CHF 6.76
-8.30%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$29.65 CHF 24.1
$27.23 CHF 22.14
8.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$34.05 CHF 27.68
$31.9 CHF 25.94
6.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$49.68 CHF 40.4
$41.18 CHF 33.49
20.64%
Apples (1kg)
$4.01 CHF 3.26
$3.29 CHF 2.67
21.88%
Banana (1kg)
$2.8 CHF 2.27
$1.91 CHF 1.55
46.60%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.09 CHF 2.51
$2.58 CHF 2.09
19.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.09 CHF 4.14
$6.97 CHF 5.66
-26.97%
Potato (1kg)
$2.79 CHF 2.27
$2.54 CHF 2.06
9.84%
Onion (1kg)
$2.3 CHF 1.87
$2.35 CHF 1.91
-2.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.5 CHF 2.03
$2.39 CHF 1.94
4.60%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 CHF 1.35
$1.14 CHF 0.93
45.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.07 CHF 9
$10.91 CHF 8.87
1.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.09 CHF 12.27
$11.27 CHF 9.16
33.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.75 CHF 2.24
$2.28 CHF 1.86
20.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.23 CHF 2.63
$2.31 CHF 1.88
39.83%
🚌 Getting Around
Zurich
St. Gallen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.96 CHF 4.03
$4.18 CHF 3.4
18.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$110 CHF 89.3
$81.6 CHF 66.3
34.65%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.71 CHF 6.27
$6.58 CHF 5.35
17.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.31 CHF 3.51
$4.3 CHF 3.5
0.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$86.6 CHF 70.5
$79 CHF 64.2
9.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.3 CHF 1.87
$2.2 CHF 1.79
4.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$41.1K CHF 33.4K
$39.8K CHF 32.4K
3.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.1K CHF 31.8K
$40.8K CHF 33.2K
-4.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zurich
St. Gallen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$252 CHF 205
$326 CHF 265
-22.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.49 CHF 28.86
$59.5 CHF 48.4
-40.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.3 CHF 48.22
$53.7 CHF 43.66
10.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Zurich
St. Gallen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$90.9 CHF 73.9
$80.6 CHF 65.6
12.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$48.78 CHF 39.66
$99.9 CHF 81.2
-51.18%
Cinema Ticket
$24.62 CHF 20.02
$30.32 CHF 24.65
-18.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Zurich
St. Gallen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,449 CHF 2,805
$2,853 CHF 2,320
20.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$38.8K CHF 31.5K
$35.1K CHF 28.6K
10.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Zurich
St. Gallen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$141 CHF 115
$150 CHF 122
-6.08%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$62.5 CHF 50.8
$66.3 CHF 53.9
-5.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$146 CHF 119
$154 CHF 125
-5.04%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$203 CHF 165
$230 CHF 187
-11.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Zurich
St. Gallen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,702 CHF 2,197
$1,787 CHF 1,453
51.23%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,202 CHF 1,790
$1,531 CHF 1,245
43.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,024 CHF 4,085
$2,802 CHF 2,278
79.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,748 CHF 3,047
$2,321 CHF 1,887
61.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$25K CHF 20.3K
$11.2K CHF 9,136
122.37%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$18.2K CHF 14.8K
$8,825 CHF 7,176
106.35%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Zurich
St. Gallen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$8,341 CHF 6,782
$7,086 CHF 5,762
17.71%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.09
2.5
-16.40%

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

Last update for Zurich: November 5, 2025

Last update for St. Gallen: November 4, 2025

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