Cost of living comparison

compared to

China vs. Switzerland Cost of Living Summary

China is 66.9% cheaper than Switzerland overall.

Restaurants: pay 85.5% less in China
Groceries: pay 58.4% less in China
Transportation: pay 65.6% less in China
Housing: pay 80.2% less in China
Childcare: pay 60.9% less in China
Entertainment and Sports: pay 64.5% less in China
Clothing: pay 53.2% less in China

Expenses including restaurants, housing, transportation, entertainment and sports, childcare, and groceries are lower in China.

China vs. Switzerland Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 85.5% less for restaurants

	Switzerland	China
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$27.66 CHF24.45	$2.85 CN¥20.69	-89.7%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$16.97 CHF15.00	$5.07 CN¥36.72	-70.1%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$4.67 CHF4.13	$0.49 CN¥3.55	-89.5%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$4.13 CHF3.65	$0.30 CN¥2.18	-92.7%
Average			-85.5%

Switzerland vs. China - Cost of restaurants

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 58.4% less for groceries

	Switzerland	China
Bread 1 loaf	$3.64 CHF3.22	$1.59 CN¥11.54	-56.3%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$13.22 CHF11.69	$5.85 CN¥42.41	-55.7%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.31 CHF6.46	$6.86 CN¥49.73	-6.2%
Eggs 1 dozen	$6.80 CHF6.01	$1.60 CN¥11.57	-76.5%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$12.89 CHF11.39	$1.54 CN¥11.17	-88.0%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.52 CHF1.34	$0.76 CN¥5.53	-49.7%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.03 CHF0.91	$0.57 CN¥4.15	-44.4%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.31 CHF1.16	$0.65 CN¥4.74	-50.2%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$2.85 CHF2.52	$0.52 CN¥3.80	-81.6%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.12 CHF0.99	$0.32 CN¥2.33	-71.2%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.07 CHF0.94	$0.40 CN¥2.90	-62.5%
Average			-58.4%

Switzerland vs. China - Cost of groceries

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 65.6% less for transportation

	Switzerland	China
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$7.83 CHF6.93	$4.44 CN¥32.22	-43.3%
Monthly public transit pass	$114.11 CHF100.87	$22.47 CN¥162.89	-80.3%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$36,806.66 CHF32,535.94	$19,071.53 CN¥138,254.31	-48.2%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$42.03 CHF37.16	$3.97 CN¥28.81	-90.5%
Average			-65.6%

Switzerland vs. China - Cost of transportation

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 80.2% less for housing

	Switzerland	China
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$53.46 CHF47.25	$11.70 CN¥84.78	-78.1%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,622.75 CHF1,434.46	$328.33 CN¥2,380.15	-79.8%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$1,411.84 CHF1,248.02	$205.78 CN¥1,491.75	-85.4%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$180.02 CHF159.13	$40.46 CN¥293.29	-77.5%
Average			-80.2%

Switzerland vs. China - Cost of housing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 60.9% less for childcare

	Switzerland	China
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$2,587.05 CHF2,286.87	$459.70 CN¥3,332.47	-82.2%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$30,321.56 CHF26,803.32	$18,318.08 CN¥132,792.34	-39.6%
Average			-60.9%

Switzerland vs. China - Cost of childcare

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 64.5% less for entertainment and sports

	Switzerland	China
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$7.82 CHF6.92	$1.09 CN¥7.91	-86.1%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$5.42 CHF4.79	$3.07 CN¥22.24	-43.4%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$10.09 CHF8.92	$3.23 CN¥23.44	-68.0%
Monthly membership at local gym	$88.49 CHF78.22	$41.41 CN¥300.18	-53.2%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$21.15 CHF18.69	$5.93 CN¥42.95	-72.0%
Average			-64.5%

Switzerland vs. China - Cost of entertainment and sports

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 53.2% less for clothing

	Switzerland	China
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$121.70 CHF107.58	$48.23 CN¥349.60	-60.4%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$61.65 CHF54.50	$31.67 CN¥229.59	-48.6%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$136.06 CHF120.27	$72.53 CN¥525.76	-46.7%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$176.75 CHF156.24	$75.53 CN¥547.57	-57.3%
Average			-53.2%

Switzerland vs. China - Cost of clothing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

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: March 2025

More cost comparisons

Switzerland vs.

Australia

Switzerland vs.

Greece

Switzerland vs.

Thailand

Switzerland vs.

Italy

Switzerland vs.

United States

Switzerland vs.

Ukraine

Switzerland vs.

Spain

Switzerland vs.

Canada

Share this

Compare by city

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

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

Add prices for China

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

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