Cost of living comparison

Minnesota, USA

compared to

Switzerland

Switzerland vs. Minnesota Cost of Living Summary

Switzerland is 51.4% more expensive than Minnesota.

Restaurants: pay 71.3% more in Switzerland
Groceries: pay 19.4% more in Switzerland
Transportation: pay 75.1% more in Switzerland
Housing: pay 45.9% more in Switzerland
Childcare: pay 89.4% more in Switzerland
Entertainment and Sports: pay 44.8% more in Switzerland
Clothing: pay 97.2% more in Switzerland

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

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Switzerland vs. Minnesota Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 71.3% more for restaurants

	Minnesota	Switzerland
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$18.95	$30.33 CHF25.05	+60.1%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$11.15	$18.14 CHF14.98	+62.7%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$2.61	$5.29 CHF4.37	+102.5%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$2.03	$4.78 CHF3.95	+136.0%
Average			+71.3%

Minnesota vs. Switzerland - Cost of restaurants

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pay 19.4% more for groceries

	Minnesota	Switzerland
Bread 1 loaf	$3.16	$3.50 CHF2.89	+10.8%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$5.06	$12.96 CHF10.70	+156.4%
Milk (1 gallon)	$3.46	$8.10 CHF6.69	+134.5%
Eggs 1 dozen	$3.53	$7.57 CHF6.25	+114.5%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$5.11	$12.18 CHF10.06	+138.6%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.47	$1.60 CHF1.32	-35.4%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.70	$0.91 CHF0.75	+29.5%
Oranges (1 lb)	$2.22	$1.25 CHF1.03	-43.7%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.91	$2.25 CHF1.85	+17.6%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.43	$0.85 CHF0.70	-40.5%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.51	$0.94 CHF0.78	-37.6%
Average			+19.4%

Minnesota vs. Switzerland - Cost of groceries

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pay 75.1% more for transportation

	Minnesota	Switzerland
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$3.59	$8.57 CHF7.08	+138.6%
Monthly public transit pass	$81.54	$118.70 CHF98.04	+45.6%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$33,254.22	$40,149.55 CHF33,160.79	+20.7%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$14.67	$42.12 CHF34.79	+187.1%
Average			+75.1%

Minnesota vs. Switzerland - Cost of transportation

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pay 45.9% more for housing

	Minnesota	Switzerland
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$65.49	$58.17 CHF48.05	-11.2%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,239.20	$1,813.65 CHF1,497.95	+46.4%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$979.66	$1,535.97 CHF1,268.60	+56.8%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$146.33	$206.49 CHF170.54	+41.1%
Average			+45.9%

Minnesota vs. Switzerland - Cost of housing

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pay 89.4% more for childcare

	Minnesota	Switzerland
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$1,233.72	$2,648.71 CHF2,187.65	+114.7%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$19,863.23	$33,203.62 CHF27,423.94	+67.2%
Average			+89.4%

Minnesota vs. Switzerland - Cost of childcare

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pay 44.8% more for entertainment and sports

	Minnesota	Switzerland
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$5.65	$8.68 CHF7.17	+53.6%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$5.37	$5.95 CHF4.92	+10.8%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$11.34	$10.85 CHF8.96	-4.4%
Monthly membership at local gym	$54.26	$93.96 CHF77.60	+73.2%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$13.47	$22.75 CHF18.79	+68.9%
Average			+44.8%

Minnesota vs. Switzerland - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 97.2% more for clothing

	Minnesota	Switzerland
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$53.46	$135.00 CHF111.50	+152.5%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$44.59	$65.94 CHF54.46	+47.9%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$82.69	$152.86 CHF126.25	+84.9%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$89.81	$196.87 CHF162.60	+119.2%
Average			+97.2%

Minnesota vs. Switzerland - Cost of clothing

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

Compare further: Minnesota vs. Switzerland

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Size Comparison · See true size

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Moving from Minnesota to Switzerland · Cost, visas & climate

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City Size Comparison · See true size

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