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

😐 Solo nomad: Zurich is 3.6% more expensive than St. Gallen without rent, and 17.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Zurich is 1.3% more expensive than St. Gallen without rent, and 16% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Zurich
St. Gallen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$30.84 CHF 24.09
$30.40 CHF 23.74
1.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$150 CHF 117
$150 CHF 117
0.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$20.90 CHF 16.32
$18.21 CHF 14.23
14.77%
Cappuccino
$6.84 CHF 5.35
$6.48 CHF 5.06
5.56%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.08 CHF 4.75
$5.95 CHF 4.65
2.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.25 CHF 4.10
$5.30 CHF 4.14
-0.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$10.10 CHF 7.89
$7.69 CHF 6.01
31.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.57 CHF 6.69
$7.11 CHF 5.55
20.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Zurich
St. Gallen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.17 CHF 1.69
$2.28 CHF 1.78
-4.82%
White Bread (500g)
$3.36 CHF 2.63
$2.71 CHF 2.12
23.99%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.10 CHF 3.20
$3.71 CHF 2.90
10.51%
Eggs
$7.49 CHF 5.85
$8.31 CHF 6.49
-9.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$29.78 CHF 23.25
$27.13 CHF 21.19
9.77%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$34.08 CHF 26.62
$32.03 CHF 25.02
6.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$49.33 CHF 38.53
$40.95 CHF 31.98
20.46%
Apples (1kg)
$4.01 CHF 3.13
$3.25 CHF 2.54
23.38%
Banana (1kg)
$2.83 CHF 2.21
$1.89 CHF 1.47
49.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.98 CHF 2.33
$2.53 CHF 1.98
17.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.22 CHF 4.07
$7.08 CHF 5.53
-26.27%
Potato (1kg)
$2.88 CHF 2.25
$2.59 CHF 2.02
11.20%
Onion (1kg)
$2.28 CHF 1.78
$2.33 CHF 1.82
-2.15%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.58 CHF 2.02
$2.44 CHF 1.90
5.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.73 CHF 1.35
$1.14 CHF 0.89
51.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.16 CHF 8.72
$10.69 CHF 8.35
4.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.04 CHF 11.74
$11.76 CHF 9.18
27.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.65 CHF 2.07
$2.27 CHF 1.77
16.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.34 CHF 2.61
$2.33 CHF 1.82
43.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Zurich
St. Gallen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.82 CHF 3.77
$4.26 CHF 3.32
13.15%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$110 CHF 85.7
$80.0 CHF 62.5
37.14%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.64 CHF 5.96
$6.63 CHF 5.18
15.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.29 CHF 3.35
$4.13 CHF 3.23
3.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$87.2 CHF 68.1
$81.7 CHF 63.8
6.79%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.30 CHF 1.80
$2.21 CHF 1.72
4.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$41.1K CHF 32.1K
$40.0K CHF 31.3K
2.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.1K CHF 31.3K
$41.8K CHF 32.7K
-4.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zurich
St. Gallen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$253 CHF 197
$331 CHF 258
-23.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.27 CHF 28.33
$59.9 CHF 46.76
-39.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$58.4 CHF 45.59
$52.5 CHF 40.98
11.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Zurich
St. Gallen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$87.7 CHF 68.5
$83.0 CHF 64.8
5.75%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$50.1 CHF 39.13
$98.5 CHF 76.9
-49.11%
Cinema Ticket
$24.74 CHF 19.32
$30.50 CHF 23.82
-18.89%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Zurich
St. Gallen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,342 CHF 2,610
$2,842 CHF 2,220
17.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$38.6K CHF 30.1K
$35.0K CHF 27.3K
10.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Zurich
St. Gallen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$138 CHF 108
$148 CHF 116
-6.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$61.1 CHF 47.69
$65.3 CHF 51.0
-6.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$148 CHF 116
$159 CHF 124
-6.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$199 CHF 155
$231 CHF 180
-13.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Zurich
St. Gallen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,700 CHF 2,109
$1,810 CHF 1,414
49.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,181 CHF 1,703
$1,526 CHF 1,192
42.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,895 CHF 3,823
$2,773 CHF 2,166
76.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,804 CHF 2,971
$2,336 CHF 1,825
62.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$25.5K CHF 19.9K
$10.7K CHF 8,361
138.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$16.3K CHF 12.8K
$8,685 CHF 6,783
88.06%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Zurich
St. Gallen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$8,581 CHF 6,702
$7,096 CHF 5,542
20.93%
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: April 11, 2026

Last update for St. Gallen: April 13, 2026

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

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