Cost of living comparison
compared to
District of Columbia vs. Switzerland Cost of Living Summary
District of Columbia is 12.8% cheaper than Switzerland overall.
- Restaurants
- pay 34.9% less in District of Columbia
- Groceries
- pay 2.5% more in District of Columbia
- Transportation
- pay 42.0% less in District of Columbia
- Housing
- pay 16.9% more in District of Columbia
- Childcare
- pay 9.2% more in District of Columbia
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 4.2% less in District of Columbia
- Clothing
- pay 37.1% less in District of Columbia
District of Columbia vs. Switzerland Cost Breakdown
If you lived in District of Columbia instead of Switzerland, you would:
pay 34.9% less for restaurants
Switzerland | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $32.37 CHF26.21 | $25.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $18.82 CHF15.23 | $12.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $5.26 CHF4.26 | $3.20 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $4.76 CHF3.85 | $2.79 | |
Switzerland vs. District of Columbia - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.5% more for groceries
Switzerland | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $3.73 CHF3.02 | $4.43 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $14.66 CHF11.87 | $8.04 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $8.19 CHF6.63 | $4.19 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $7.43 CHF6.01 | $4.55 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $14.43 CHF11.68 | $7.74 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.69 CHF1.37 | $2.95 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.10 CHF0.89 | $0.92 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.35 CHF1.09 | $2.20 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.94 CHF2.38 | $3.00 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.16 CHF0.94 | $1.35 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.10 CHF0.89 | $1.64 | |
Switzerland vs. District of Columbia - Cost of groceries
pay 42.0% less for transportation
Switzerland | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $8.41 CHF6.81 | $3.53 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $119.36 CHF96.63 | $77.50 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $40,637.10 CHF32,898.17 | $35,699.74 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $45.06 CHF36.48 | $16.73 | |
Switzerland vs. District of Columbia - Cost of transportation
pay 16.9% more for housing
Switzerland | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $59.20 CHF47.92 | $69.41 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,797.02 CHF1,454.79 | $2,568.48 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,562.03 CHF1,264.55 | $2,088.16 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $197.97 CHF160.27 | $146.54 | |
Switzerland vs. District of Columbia - Cost of housing
pay 9.2% more for childcare
Switzerland | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $2,700.86 CHF2,186.51 | $2,650.00 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $33,359.10 CHF27,006.20 | $40,166.67 | |
Switzerland vs. District of Columbia - Cost of childcare
pay 4.2% less for entertainment and sports
Switzerland | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $8.73 CHF7.06 | $8.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $6.04 CHF4.89 | $6.07 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $11.28 CHF9.13 | $13.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $101.44 CHF82.12 | $103.76 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $24.10 CHF19.51 | $16.75 | |
Switzerland vs. District of Columbia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 37.1% less for clothing
Switzerland | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $142.30 CHF115.20 | $76.00 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $70.55 CHF57.11 | $48.40 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $162.86 CHF131.85 | $104.31 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $202.63 CHF164.04 | $133.22 | |
Switzerland vs. District of Columbia - 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: June 2026
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Compare further: Switzerland vs. District of Columbia
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the cost of living in Switzerland vs. United States. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Switzerland and United States.
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