Cost of living comparison
compared to
Switzerland vs. Basel Cost of Living Summary
Switzerland is 4.0% cheaper than Basel.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.3% less in Switzerland
- Groceries
-
pay 11.1% less in Switzerland
- Transportation
-
pay 2.0% more in Switzerland
- Housing
-
pay 4.9% less in Switzerland
- Childcare
-
pay 1.8% more in Switzerland
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 4.5% less in Switzerland
- Clothing
-
pay 6.7% less in Switzerland
The cost of transportation and childcare in Switzerland are more expensive than in Basel. Expenses including groceries, clothing, housing, entertainment and sports, and restaurants are lower in Switzerland.
Switzerland vs. Basel Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Switzerland instead of Basel, you would:
pay 4.3% less for restaurants
|
Basel
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$31.28
CHF25.11
|
$32.37
CHF25.99
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$18.77
CHF15.07
|
$18.82
CHF15.11
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$5.84
CHF4.68
|
$5.26
CHF4.23
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$5.36
CHF4.30
|
$4.76
CHF3.82
|
|
Basel vs. Switzerland - Cost of restaurants
pay 11.1% less for groceries
|
Basel
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.85
CHF3.09
|
$3.73
CHF2.99
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$14.39
CHF11.55
|
$14.66
CHF11.77
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.54
CHF6.85
|
$8.19
CHF6.58
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$8.19
CHF6.58
|
$7.43
CHF5.96
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$16.89
CHF13.56
|
$14.43
CHF11.59
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.77
CHF1.42
|
$1.69
CHF1.36
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.22
CHF0.98
|
$1.10
CHF0.89
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.90
CHF1.53
|
$1.35
CHF1.08
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.32
CHF2.67
|
$2.94
CHF2.36
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.48
CHF1.18
|
$1.16
CHF0.93
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.34
CHF1.07
|
$1.10
CHF0.88
|
|
Basel vs. Switzerland - Cost of groceries
pay 2.0% more for transportation
|
Basel
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$8.38
CHF6.72
|
$8.41
CHF6.75
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$107.61
CHF86.39
|
$119.36
CHF95.82
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$41,041.86
CHF32,947.46
|
$40,637.10
CHF32,622.53
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$46.17
CHF37.07
|
$45.06
CHF36.17
|
|
Basel vs. Switzerland - Cost of transportation
pay 4.9% less for housing
|
Basel
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$59.97
CHF48.14
|
$59.20
CHF47.52
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,066.08
CHF1,658.60
|
$1,797.02
CHF1,442.60
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,496.32
CHF1,201.21
|
$1,562.03
CHF1,253.96
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$219.01
CHF175.81
|
$197.97
CHF158.93
|
|
Basel vs. Switzerland - Cost of housing
pay 1.8% more for childcare
|
Basel
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,492.13
CHF2,000.62
|
$2,700.86
CHF2,168.19
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$35,035.74
CHF28,125.88
|
$33,359.10
CHF26,779.92
|
|
Basel vs. Switzerland - Cost of childcare
pay 4.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
Basel
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$10.01
CHF8.04
|
$8.73
CHF7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.60
CHF5.30
|
$6.04
CHF4.85
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.89
CHF9.54
|
$11.28
CHF9.06
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$94.49
CHF75.85
|
$101.44
CHF81.43
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$25.03
CHF20.09
|
$24.10
CHF19.35
|
|
Basel vs. Switzerland - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 6.7% less for clothing
|
Basel
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$143.69
CHF115.35
|
$142.30
CHF114.24
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$89.47
CHF71.82
|
$70.55
CHF56.63
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$177.52
CHF142.51
|
$162.86
CHF130.74
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$195.20
CHF156.70
|
$202.63
CHF162.67
|
|
Basel vs. Switzerland - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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