Cost of living comparison
compared to
Zurich vs. Switzerland Cost of Living Summary
Zurich is 8.3% more expensive than Switzerland overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 8.5% more in Zurich
- Groceries
-
pay 1.3% more in Zurich
- Transportation
-
pay 7.7% less in Zurich
- Housing
-
pay 24.2% more in Zurich
- Childcare
-
pay 32.2% more in Zurich
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 4.1% more in Zurich
- Clothing
-
pay 4.2% less in Zurich
The cost of childcare, housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and groceries in Zurich are more expensive than in Switzerland. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in Zurich.
Zurich vs. Switzerland Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Zurich instead of Switzerland, you would:
pay 8.5% more for restaurants
|
Switzerland
|
Zurich
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$32.37
CHF25.99
|
$31.30
CHF25.12
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$18.82
CHF15.11
|
$21.28
CHF17.08
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$5.26
CHF4.23
|
$6.01
CHF4.83
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$4.76
CHF3.82
|
$5.24
CHF4.20
|
|
Switzerland vs. Zurich - Cost of restaurants
pay 1.3% more for groceries
|
Switzerland
|
Zurich
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.73
CHF2.99
|
$3.30
CHF2.65
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$14.66
CHF11.77
|
$14.81
CHF11.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.19
CHF6.58
|
$8.35
CHF6.71
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$7.43
CHF5.96
|
$7.29
CHF5.85
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$14.43
CHF11.59
|
$14.64
CHF11.75
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.69
CHF1.36
|
$1.87
CHF1.50
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.10
CHF0.89
|
$1.34
CHF1.08
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.35
CHF1.08
|
$1.46
CHF1.18
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.94
CHF2.36
|
$2.46
CHF1.98
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.16
CHF0.93
|
$1.22
CHF0.98
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.10
CHF0.88
|
$1.04
CHF0.83
|
|
Switzerland vs. Zurich - Cost of groceries
pay 7.7% less for transportation
|
Switzerland
|
Zurich
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$8.41
CHF6.75
|
$8.63
CHF6.93
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$119.36
CHF95.82
|
$108.91
CHF87.43
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$40,637.10
CHF32,622.53
|
$41,061.59
CHF32,963.30
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$45.06
CHF36.17
|
$33.55
CHF26.93
|
|
Switzerland vs. Zurich - Cost of transportation
pay 24.2% more for housing
|
Switzerland
|
Zurich
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$59.20
CHF47.52
|
$59.74
CHF47.96
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,797.02
CHF1,442.60
|
$2,666.50
CHF2,140.60
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,562.03
CHF1,253.96
|
$2,285.53
CHF1,834.77
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$197.97
CHF158.93
|
$200.77
CHF161.17
|
|
Switzerland vs. Zurich - Cost of housing
pay 32.2% more for childcare
|
Switzerland
|
Zurich
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,700.86
CHF2,168.19
|
$3,558.15
CHF2,856.40
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$33,359.10
CHF26,779.92
|
$44,295.61
CHF35,559.50
|
|
Switzerland vs. Zurich - Cost of childcare
pay 4.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
Switzerland
|
Zurich
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.73
CHF7.00
|
$10.02
CHF8.04
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.04
CHF4.85
|
$6.91
CHF5.55
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.28
CHF9.06
|
$11.27
CHF9.04
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$101.44
CHF81.43
|
$88.77
CHF71.27
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$24.10
CHF19.35
|
$25.04
CHF20.10
|
|
Switzerland vs. Zurich - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.2% less for clothing
|
Switzerland
|
Zurich
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$142.30
CHF114.24
|
$137.88
CHF110.68
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$70.55
CHF56.63
|
$59.35
CHF47.64
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$162.86
CHF130.74
|
$159.90
CHF128.36
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$202.63
CHF162.67
|
$210.59
CHF169.05
|
|
Switzerland 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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