Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zurich and St. Moritz

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Moritz: $3,626 a month against $4,270 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
174

Cost of Living Index in St. Moritz
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St. Moritz Living Index

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Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,270

/mo nomad

St. Moritz

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zurich and in St. Moritz

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,270 in Zurich versus $3,626 in St. Moritz.

Zurich $4,270
St. Moritz $3,626

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,666 in Zurich versus $6,508 in St. Moritz.

Zurich $6,666
St. Moritz $6,508

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,061 in Zurich versus $9,390 in St. Moritz.

Zurich $9,061
St. Moritz $9,390

Living in Zurich is roughly 18% more expensive than in St. Moritz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Zurich 214% above, St. Moritz 166% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$33.89 CHF 27.95

$34.20 CHF 28.21

-0.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$146 CHF 120

$143 CHF 118

1.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.10 CHF 14.93

$14.40 CHF 11.88

25.69%

Cappuccino

$6.88 CHF 5.68

$5.90 CHF 4.87

16.61%

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

$5.73 CHF 4.73

$5.54 CHF 4.57

3.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 CHF 4.33

$4.60 CHF 3.80

14.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.61 CHF 7.92

$9.90 CHF 8.16

-2.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.37 CHF 6.90

$6.03 CHF 4.97

38.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 CHF 1.74

$1.81 CHF 1.49

16.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.95 CHF 3.26

$3.96 CHF 3.27

-0.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 CHF 3.14

$3.60 CHF 2.97

5.83%

Eggs

$8.40 CHF 6.93

$7.67 CHF 6.32

9.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.05 CHF 22.31

$27.09 CHF 22.35

-0.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.85 CHF 23.80

$28.89 CHF 23.83

-0.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$59.4 CHF 49.00

$60.5 CHF 49.92

-1.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 CHF 3.40

$4.09 CHF 3.37

0.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 CHF 2.36

$2.75 CHF 2.27

4.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 CHF 2.89

$3.60 CHF 2.97

-2.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 CHF 3.76

$4.59 CHF 3.79

-0.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 CHF 2.10

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 CHF 1.91

$2.34 CHF 1.93

-1.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CHF 2.03

$2.49 CHF 2.05

-0.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CHF 1.07

$1.25 CHF 1.03

3.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.04 CHF 9.11

$10.77 CHF 8.89

2.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 CHF 11.55

$13.92 CHF 11.48

0.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 CHF 2.38

$2.88 CHF 2.37

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CHF 2.62

$3.21 CHF 2.65

-0.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.44 CHF 4.49

$3.92 CHF 3.24

38.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.3

$92.6 CHF 76.4

12.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 CHF 6.71

$8.08 CHF 6.67

0.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.56 CHF 3.76

$4.54 CHF 3.75

0.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$89.8 CHF 74.1

$87.8 CHF 72.4

2.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 CHF 1.91

$2.14 CHF 1.76

8.41%

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

$38.9K CHF 32.1K

$38.6K CHF 31.8K

0.68%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.2K

$39.6K CHF 32.7K

-1.52%

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

$282 CHF 233

$96.8 CHF 79.9

191.52%

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

$39.00 CHF 32.17

$39.12 CHF 32.27

-0.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.0 CHF 45.40

$54.8 CHF 45.17

0.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.6 CHF 69.8

$73.0 CHF 60.2

15.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$61.7 CHF 50.9

Cinema Ticket

$24.31 CHF 20.06

$18.96 CHF 15.64

28.22%

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

$3,444 CHF 2,841

$3,402 CHF 2,807

1.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.6K CHF 34.3K

$41.2K CHF 34.0K

0.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$138 CHF 114

$140 CHF 115

-1.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 CHF 45.39

$55.1 CHF 45.43

-0.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 131

$161 CHF 133

-0.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$249 CHF 206

$249 CHF 205

0.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,878 CHF 2,374

$1,794 CHF 1,480

60.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,143 CHF 1,767

$1,753 CHF 1,446

22.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,559 CHF 4,585

$5,403 CHF 4,457

2.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,003 CHF 3,302

$4,730 CHF 3,902

-15.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$28.2K CHF 23.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.9K CHF 13.9K

$12.3K CHF 10.1K

37.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,230 CHF 6,789

$4,889 CHF 4,033

68.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.09

1.8

16.11%

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

Last update for Zurich: October 25, 2026

Last update for St. Moritz: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zurich

$2.1K 50.2%

St. Moritz

$1.8K 48.3% 18.2% $390

Groceries & Markets

Zurich

$674 15.8%

St. Moritz

$670 18.5% 0.6% $3.8

Eating Out

Zurich

$517 12.1%

St. Moritz

$490 13.5% 5.2% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zurich

$376 8.8%

St. Moritz

$191 5.3% 49.3% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Zurich

$270 6.3%

St. Moritz

$272 7.5% 0.6% $1.5

Getting Around

Zurich

$157 3.7%

St. Moritz

$139 3.8% 11.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Zurich

$133 3.1%

St. Moritz

$111 3.1% 16.8% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,878 in Zurich and $1,794 in St. Moritz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zurich pays 68% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $146 in Zurich vs $143 in St. Moritz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $674 vs $670 per month, with St. Moritz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Zurich

🇨🇭 St. Moritz

🕒 Local time

01:55 1:55 AM

Same time as Zurich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

443,037

5,000

💱 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

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Zurich vs St. Moritz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $4,270 in Zurich and $3,626 in St. Moritz, so St. Moritz is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 68% 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 $1,794 in St. Moritz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,444 in Zurich versus $3,402 in St. Moritz. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $4,270 per month in Zurich versus $3,626 in St. Moritz – St. Moritz is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. St. Moritz 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 – St. Moritz wins on affordability, Zurich on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.