Cost of living comparison
compared to
Zurich vs. Geneva Cost of Living Summary
Zurich is 3.3% more expensive than Geneva.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.4% more in Zurich
- Groceries
-
pay 1.1% less in Zurich
- Transportation
-
pay 2.2% more in Zurich
- Housing
-
pay 1.6% more in Zurich
- Childcare
-
pay 16.2% more in Zurich
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 10.1% more in Zurich
- Clothing
-
pay 10.2% less in Zurich
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, restaurants, transportation, and housing in Zurich are more expensive than in Geneva. Expenses including clothing and groceries are lower in Zurich.
Zurich vs. Geneva Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Zurich instead of Geneva, you would:
pay 4.4% more for restaurants
|
Geneva
|
Zurich
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$37.54
CHF30.13
|
$31.30
CHF25.12
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$18.77
CHF15.07
|
$21.28
CHF17.08
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$5.40
CHF4.34
|
$6.01
CHF4.83
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$4.78
CHF3.84
|
$5.24
CHF4.20
|
|
Geneva vs. Zurich - Cost of restaurants
pay 1.1% less for groceries
|
Geneva
|
Zurich
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.92
CHF3.15
|
$3.30
CHF2.65
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$13.59
CHF10.91
|
$14.81
CHF11.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.69
CHF6.97
|
$8.35
CHF6.71
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$7.79
CHF6.25
|
$7.29
CHF5.85
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$15.46
CHF12.41
|
$14.64
CHF11.75
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.62
CHF1.30
|
$1.87
CHF1.50
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.14
CHF0.92
|
$1.34
CHF1.08
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.41
CHF1.13
|
$1.46
CHF1.18
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.98
CHF2.40
|
$2.46
CHF1.98
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.23
CHF0.99
|
$1.22
CHF0.98
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.13
CHF0.90
|
$1.04
CHF0.83
|
|
Geneva vs. Zurich - Cost of groceries
pay 2.2% more for transportation
|
Geneva
|
Zurich
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$8.61
CHF6.91
|
$8.63
CHF6.93
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$87.59
CHF70.31
|
$108.91
CHF87.43
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$41,166.99
CHF33,047.91
|
$41,061.59
CHF32,963.30
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$39.80
CHF31.95
|
$33.55
CHF26.93
|
|
Geneva vs. Zurich - Cost of transportation
pay 1.6% more for housing
|
Geneva
|
Zurich
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$63.30
CHF50.82
|
$59.74
CHF47.96
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,499.71
CHF2,006.71
|
$2,666.50
CHF2,140.60
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,098.75
CHF1,684.83
|
$2,285.53
CHF1,834.77
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$208.38
CHF167.28
|
$200.77
CHF161.17
|
|
Geneva vs. Zurich - Cost of housing
pay 16.2% more for childcare
|
Geneva
|
Zurich
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$3,503.57
CHF2,812.59
|
$3,558.15
CHF2,856.40
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$33,834.51
CHF27,161.57
|
$44,295.61
CHF35,559.50
|
|
Geneva vs. Zurich - Cost of childcare
pay 10.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
Geneva
|
Zurich
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$10.01
CHF8.04
|
$10.02
CHF8.04
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.02
CHF4.83
|
$6.91
CHF5.55
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.26
CHF9.04
|
$11.27
CHF9.04
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$84.08
CHF67.50
|
$88.77
CHF71.27
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$25.03
CHF20.09
|
$25.04
CHF20.10
|
|
Geneva vs. Zurich - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 10.2% less for clothing
|
Geneva
|
Zurich
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$141.88
CHF113.90
|
$137.88
CHF110.68
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$81.50
CHF65.42
|
$59.35
CHF47.64
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$170.05
CHF136.51
|
$159.90
CHF128.36
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$221.63
CHF177.92
|
$210.59
CHF169.05
|
|
Geneva vs. Zurich - 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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