Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zurich and Vaduz

For one person, living is cheaper in Vaduz: $3,175 a month against $4,451 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

217

Cost of Living Index in Zurich
Learn more

Zurich Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Vaduz
Learn more

Vaduz Living Index

Jump to prices

Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,451

/mo nomad

Vaduz

🇱🇮 Liechtenstein

$3,175

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zurich and in Vaduz

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

A single person spends $4,451 per month in Zurich vs $3,175 in Vaduz, rent included.

Zurich $4,451
Vaduz $3,175

A couple spends around $6,817 per month in Zurich vs $5,202 in Vaduz, rent included.

Zurich $6,817
Vaduz $5,202

A family of three spends $9,184 per month in Zurich vs $7,230 in Vaduz, rent included.

Zurich $9,184
Vaduz $7,230

Zurich costs about 40% more than Vaduz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Zurich and Vaduz sit above the global median – Zurich by 230%, Vaduz by 135%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$34.71 CHF 28.59

$35.48 CHF 29.22

-2.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$144 CHF 119

$147 CHF 121

-1.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.69 CHF 14.57

$18.08 CHF 14.89

-2.16%

Cappuccino

$6.91 CHF 5.69

$6.34 CHF 5.22

8.99%

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

$5.86 CHF 4.83

$4.28 CHF 3.52

36.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.15 CHF 4.24

$4.12 CHF 3.39

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.70 CHF 7.99

$7.13 CHF 5.87

36.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.28 CHF 6.82

$6.05 CHF 4.98

36.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 CHF 1.81

$2.78 CHF 2.29

-20.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 CHF 3.11

$3.53 CHF 2.91

7.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 CHF 3.03

$2.97 CHF 2.45

23.91%

Eggs

$8.54 CHF 7.03

$10.54 CHF 8.68

-18.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.22 CHF 22.42

$27.27 CHF 22.46

-0.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.67 CHF 22.79

$23.86 CHF 19.65

15.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$61.7 CHF 50.8

$53.6 CHF 44.10

15.16%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 CHF 3.41

$3.62 CHF 2.98

14.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 CHF 2.21

$3.87 CHF 3.19

-30.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.54 CHF 2.91

$4.12 CHF 3.40

-14.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.45 CHF 3.67

$2.73 CHF 2.25

63.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 CHF 2.09

$2.78 CHF 2.29

-8.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$2.13 CHF 1.75

3.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 CHF 2.07

$2.14 CHF 1.76

17.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 CHF 1.02

$1.88 CHF 1.55

-34.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.62 CHF 8.75

$12.69 CHF 10.45

-16.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 CHF 11.39

$18.28 CHF 15.06

-24.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 CHF 2.19

$2.69 CHF 2.22

-1.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CHF 2.62

$3.00 CHF 2.47

6.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.39 CHF 4.44

$2.61 CHF 2.15

106.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 CHF 87.2

$122 CHF 100

-13.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.93 CHF 6.54

$1.93 CHF 1.59

310.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.50 CHF 3.71

$5.89 CHF 4.85

-23.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$89.4 CHF 73.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 CHF 1.87

$2.35 CHF 1.93

-2.98%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

$36.6K CHF 30.1K

6.67%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

1.43%

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

$276 CHF 227

$239 CHF 197

15.67%

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

$36.80 CHF 30.31

$39.54 CHF 32.57

-6.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 CHF 46.10

$66.0 CHF 54.3

-15.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.3 CHF 75.2

$81.4 CHF 67.1

12.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$60.0 CHF 49.43

$18.30 CHF 15.08

227.92%

Cinema Ticket

$24.81 CHF 20.43

$24.10 CHF 19.85

2.95%

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

$3,505 CHF 2,887

$364 CHF 300

861.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

$16.5K CHF 13.6K

151.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$139 CHF 115

$138 CHF 113

1.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.3 CHF 48.04

$47.65 CHF 39.25

22.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$166 CHF 137

$170 CHF 140

-1.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$260 CHF 214

$219 CHF 180

18.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,916 CHF 2,402

$1,338 CHF 1,102

117.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 CHF 1,901

$1,133 CHF 933

103.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,918 CHF 4,874

$2,876 CHF 2,369

105.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,092 CHF 3,370

$2,361 CHF 1,944

73.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$26.8K CHF 22.1K

$16.6K CHF 13.7K

61.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.2K CHF 13.4K

$6,811 CHF 5,609

138.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,928 CHF 6,529

$9,205 CHF 7,582

-13.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.07

7.25

-71.45%

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

Last update for Zurich: October 11, 2026

Last update for Vaduz: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zurich

$2.3K 51.9%

Vaduz

$1.1K 35.7% 50.9% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Zurich

$671 15.1%

Vaduz

$650 20.5% 3.1% $21

Eating Out

Zurich

$523 11.7%

Vaduz

$495 15.6% 5.2% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zurich

$369 8.3%

Vaduz

$344 10.8% 6.7% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Zurich

$281 6.3%

Vaduz

$258 8.1% 8% $22

Getting Around

Zurich

$158 3.6%

Vaduz

$164 5.2% 3.6% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Zurich

$141 3.2%

Vaduz

$130 4.1% 8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,916 in Zurich versus $1,338 in Vaduz. 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 16% higher in Vaduz, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $144 in Zurich versus $146 in Vaduz. Groceries tell a different story – $671 in Zurich vs $650 in Vaduz – so Vaduz wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Zurich

🇱🇮 Vaduz

🕒 Local time

09:27 9:27 AM

Same time as Zurich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

443,037

5,800 Capital

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zurich Vaduz 79 km

From you

Zurich
Vaduz

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 Vaduz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,451 in Zurich, $3,175 in Vaduz – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,676 per month in Zurich and $4,762 in Vaduz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vaduz, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $3,505 per month in Zurich and $364 in Vaduz. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Zurich, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,451 in Zurich and $3,175 in Vaduz. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Zurich has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $3,175 in Vaduz to $4,451 in Zurich. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

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