Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zurich and Staefa

For one person, living is cheaper in Staefa: $3,475 a month against $4,270 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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
166

Cost of Living Index in Staefa
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Staefa Living Index

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Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,270

/mo nomad

Staefa

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,475

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zurich and in Staefa

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

A single person spends $4,270 per month in Zurich vs $3,475 in Staefa, rent included.

Zurich $4,270
Staefa $3,475

A couple spends around $6,666 per month in Zurich vs $5,304 in Staefa, rent included.

Zurich $6,666
Staefa $5,304

A family of three spends $9,061 per month in Zurich vs $7,132 in Staefa, rent included.

Zurich $9,061
Staefa $7,132

Zurich costs about 23% more than Staefa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Zurich and Staefa sit above the global median – Zurich by 214%, Staefa by 155%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$33.89 CHF 28.09

$33.44 CHF 27.72

1.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$146 CHF 121

$122 CHF 101

19.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.10 CHF 15.00

$16.20 CHF 13.43

11.73%

Cappuccino

$6.88 CHF 5.70

$6.25 CHF 5.18

10.08%

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

$5.73 CHF 4.75

$5.69 CHF 4.71

0.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 CHF 4.35

$5.10 CHF 4.23

2.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.61 CHF 7.96

$8.37 CHF 6.94

14.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.37 CHF 6.94

$8.60 CHF 7.13

-2.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 CHF 1.75

$2.16 CHF 1.79

-2.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.95 CHF 3.27

$3.28 CHF 2.72

20.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 CHF 3.15

$3.89 CHF 3.22

-2.06%

Eggs

$8.40 CHF 6.96

$8.36 CHF 6.93

0.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.05 CHF 22.42

$26.66 CHF 22.10

1.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.85 CHF 23.91

$26.56 CHF 22.02

8.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$59.4 CHF 49.23

$55.3 CHF 45.82

7.45%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 CHF 3.42

$3.49 CHF 2.89

18.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 CHF 2.37

$2.78 CHF 2.31

2.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 CHF 2.90

$3.58 CHF 2.97

-2.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 CHF 3.78

$4.52 CHF 3.75

0.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 CHF 2.11

$2.47 CHF 2.05

3.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 CHF 1.92

$2.19 CHF 1.81

5.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CHF 2.04

$2.45 CHF 2.03

0.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CHF 1.07

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.04 CHF 9.15

$10.68 CHF 8.85

3.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 CHF 11.60

$14.15 CHF 11.73

-1.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 CHF 2.39

$2.75 CHF 2.28

4.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CHF 2.63

$3.21 CHF 2.66

-0.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.44 CHF 4.51

$4.36 CHF 3.61

24.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.7

$101 CHF 83.5

3.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 CHF 6.74

$7.54 CHF 6.25

7.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.56 CHF 3.78

$4.69 CHF 3.89

-2.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$89.8 CHF 74.5

$86.9 CHF 72.1

3.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 CHF 1.92

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

$38.9K CHF 32.2K

$39.2K CHF 32.5K

-0.81%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.3K

$38.5K CHF 32.0K

1.18%

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

$282 CHF 234

$232 CHF 192

21.53%

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

$39.00 CHF 32.33

$32.86 CHF 27.24

18.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.0 CHF 45.62

$55.5 CHF 46.04

-0.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.6 CHF 70.1

$91.1 CHF 75.5

-7.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$61.7 CHF 51.1

$46.55 CHF 38.59

32.52%

Cinema Ticket

$24.31 CHF 20.15

$21.56 CHF 17.87

12.76%

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

$3,444 CHF 2,855

$2,904 CHF 2,407

18.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.6K CHF 34.5K

$42.2K CHF 35.0K

-1.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$138 CHF 114

$139 CHF 115

-0.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 CHF 45.60

$58.4 CHF 48.38

-5.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$145 CHF 120

9.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$249 CHF 207

$170 CHF 141

46.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,878 CHF 2,385

$1,760 CHF 1,459

63.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,143 CHF 1,776

$1,509 CHF 1,251

41.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,559 CHF 4,608

$2,982 CHF 2,472

86.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,003 CHF 3,318

$2,507 CHF 2,078

59.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$28.2K CHF 23.3K

$16.4K CHF 13.6K

72.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.9K CHF 14.0K

$12.2K CHF 10.1K

38.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,230 CHF 6,821

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.09

1.72

21.51%

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

Last update for Zurich: October 25, 2026

Last update for Staefa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zurich

$2.1K 50.2%

Staefa

$1.5K 43.4% 29.6% $634

Groceries & Markets

Zurich

$674 15.8%

Staefa

$639 18.4% 5.3% $35

Eating Out

Zurich

$517 12.1%

Staefa

$493 14.2% 4.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zurich

$376 8.8%

Staefa

$321 9.2% 14.8% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Zurich

$270 6.3%

Staefa

$230 6.6% 14.8% $40

Getting Around

Zurich

$157 3.7%

Staefa

$149 4.3% 5.1% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Zurich

$133 3.1%

Staefa

$134 3.9% 0.8% $1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,878 in Zurich versus $1,760 in Staefa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $146 in Zurich versus $122 in Staefa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $674 vs $639 – making Staefa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Zurich

🇨🇭 Staefa

🕒 Local time

19:39 7:39 PM

Same time as Zurich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

443,037

11,567

💱 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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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 Staefa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zurich costs about 23% more than Staefa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,406 per month in Zurich and $5,213 in Staefa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Staefa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,760 there versus $2,878 in Zurich.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $146 in Zurich and $122 in Staefa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,270 in Zurich and $3,475 in Staefa. That’s a gap of about 23%.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,270 in Zurich and $3,475 in Staefa. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Staefa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

For expats, Staefa is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 23% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.