Cost of living comparison
compared to
Switzerland vs. California Cost of Living Summary
Switzerland is 47.5% more expensive than California.
- Restaurants
-
pay 77.1% more in Switzerland
- Groceries
-
pay 27.7% more in Switzerland
- Transportation
-
pay 77.8% more in Switzerland
- Housing
-
pay 11.5% less in Switzerland
- Childcare
-
pay 37.7% more in Switzerland
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 28.2% more in Switzerland
- Clothing
-
pay 95.3% more in Switzerland
The cost of clothing, transportation, restaurants, childcare, entertainment and sports, and groceries in Switzerland are more expensive than in California. Notably, clothing, transportation, and restaurants are significantly more expensive in Switzerland.
Switzerland vs. California Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Switzerland instead of California, you would:
pay 77.1% more for restaurants
|
California
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.84
|
$32.37
CHF26.02
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.33
|
$18.82
CHF15.13
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.79
|
$5.26
CHF4.23
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.17
|
$4.76
CHF3.83
|
|
California vs. Switzerland - Cost of restaurants
pay 27.7% more for groceries
|
California
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.20
|
$3.73
CHF2.99
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.77
|
$14.66
CHF11.79
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.73
|
$8.19
CHF6.59
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.14
|
$7.43
CHF5.97
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.05
|
$14.43
CHF11.60
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.30
|
$1.69
CHF1.36
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
$1.10
CHF0.89
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$1.35
CHF1.08
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$2.94
CHF2.36
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.50
|
$1.16
CHF0.94
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.41
|
$1.10
CHF0.88
|
|
California vs. Switzerland - Cost of groceries
pay 77.8% more for transportation
|
California
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.72
|
$8.41
CHF6.76
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$63.04
|
$119.36
CHF95.96
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,529.84
|
$40,637.10
CHF32,669.26
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$21.43
|
$45.06
CHF36.22
|
|
California vs. Switzerland - Cost of transportation
pay 11.5% less for housing
|
California
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$67.96
|
$59.20
CHF47.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,385.40
|
$1,797.02
CHF1,444.67
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,043.56
|
$1,562.03
CHF1,255.75
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.94
|
$197.97
CHF159.15
|
|
California vs. Switzerland - Cost of housing
pay 37.7% more for childcare
|
California
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,633.13
|
$2,700.86
CHF2,171.30
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,339.97
|
$33,359.10
CHF26,818.28
|
|
California vs. Switzerland - Cost of childcare
pay 28.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
California
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.31
|
$8.73
CHF7.01
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.58
|
$6.04
CHF4.86
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.92
|
$11.28
CHF9.07
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$68.02
|
$101.44
CHF81.55
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.99
|
$24.10
CHF19.37
|
|
California vs. Switzerland - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 95.3% more for clothing
|
California
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$56.47
|
$142.30
CHF114.40
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.47
|
$70.55
CHF56.71
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.50
|
$162.86
CHF130.93
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$119.94
|
$202.63
CHF162.90
|
|
California 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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