Cost of living comparison

compared to

Switzerland vs. Canada Cost of Living Summary

Switzerland is 63.0% more expensive than Canada overall.

Restaurants
pay 93.9% more in Switzerland
Groceries
pay 26.7% more in Switzerland
Transportation
pay 81.5% more in Switzerland
Housing
pay 48.9% more in Switzerland
Childcare
pay 3.0 times more in Switzerland
Entertainment and Sports
pay 75.2% more in Switzerland
Clothing
pay 95.3% more in Switzerland

The cost of childcare, clothing, restaurants, transportation, entertainment and sports, and housing in Switzerland are more expensive than in Canada. Notably, childcare, clothing, and restaurants are significantly more expensive in Switzerland.

Share
Planning a move to Switzerland? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes →

Switzerland vs. Canada Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Switzerland instead of Canada, you would:

pay 93.9% more for restaurants

 
Canada
Switzerland
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $17.02
CA$23.79
$30.33
CHF24.99
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
 $10.30
CA$14.40
$18.14
CHF14.94
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.01
CA$2.81
$5.29
CHF4.35
Improve prices ·

pay 26.7% more for groceries

 
Canada
Switzerland
Bread
1 loaf
 $2.51
CA$3.51
$3.50
CHF2.89
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.21
CA$7.28
$12.96
CHF10.68
Milk (1 gallon) $8.08
CA$11.29
$8.10
CHF6.68
Improve prices ·

pay 81.5% more for transportation

 
Canada
Switzerland
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.47
CA$6.25
$8.57
CHF7.06
Monthly public transit pass $65.05
CA$90.92
$118.70
CHF97.79
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $27,172.47
CA$37,977.60
$40,149.55
CHF33,076.84
Improve prices ·

pay 48.9% more for housing

 
Canada
Switzerland
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
 $57.08
CA$79.77
$58.17
CHF47.92
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,206.12
CA$1,685.74
$1,813.65
CHF1,494.16
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,084.12
CA$1,515.22
$1,535.97
CHF1,265.39
Improve prices ·

pay 3.0 times more for childcare

 
Canada
Switzerland
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $708.00
CA$989.54
$2,648.71
CHF2,182.11
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $14,065.57
CA$19,658.74
$33,203.62
CHF27,354.51
Improve prices ·

pay 75.2% more for entertainment and sports

 
Canada
Switzerland
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.10
CA$7.13
$8.68
CHF7.15
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.67
CA$5.13
$5.95
CHF4.90
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
 $13.41
CA$18.74
$10.85
CHF8.94
Improve prices ·

pay 95.3% more for clothing

 
Canada
Switzerland
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
 $53.28
CA$74.47
$135.00
CHF111.22
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
 $40.15
CA$56.11
$65.94
CHF54.32
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
 $86.30
CA$120.62
$152.86
CHF125.93
Improve prices ·

We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this

Change currency:

Compare further: Canada vs. Switzerland

Salary Calculator · Free tool
What salary would you need in Switzerland?
→
Quality of Life Comparison · 17 statistics
Make 2.1 times more money in Switzerland
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Canada is about 242 times bigger than Switzerland.
→
Moving from Canada to Switzerland · OECD 2023
727 people moved from Canada to Switzerland.
→
City Size Comparison · See true size
Compare the size of Toronto vs Zurich
→
Share this

Compare by city

For example, try comparing the cost of living in Ottawa vs. Bern

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more
Add prices for Switzerland

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Switzerland or Canada. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.