Cost of Living in Basel

Summary of cost of living in Basel, Switzerland:

Restaurants
Edit Range
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 25.00 Fr. 20.00-40.00
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 120.00 Fr. 80.00-167.31
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 15.00 Fr. 15.00-18.00
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 8.00 Fr. 4.40-9.30
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 6.20 Fr. 5.50-8.00
Cappuccino (regular) 5.35 Fr. 3.50-8.00
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 4.46 Fr. 3.00-6.00
Water (12 oz small bottle) 4.20 Fr. 3.00-5.00
Markets
Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 6.71 Fr. 4.54-7.76
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 2.99 Fr. 1.81-3.63
Rice (white), (1 lb) 1.88 Fr. 0.91-2.27
Eggs (regular) (12) 6.44 Fr. 4.20-8.40
Local Cheese (1 lb) 10.99 Fr. 7.89-15.88
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 13.43 Fr. 7.48-18.14
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 16.53 Fr. 13.61-22.68
Apples (1 lb) 1.44 Fr. 0.91-1.81
Banana (1 lb) 0.93 Fr. 0.64-1.36
Oranges (1 lb) 1.37 Fr. 0.59-2.27
Tomato (1 lb) 2.59 Fr. 1.36-3.58
Potato (1 lb) 1.13 Fr. 0.45-1.81
Onion (1 lb) 1.05 Fr. 0.88-1.36
Lettuce (1 head) 2.04 Fr. 2.00-2.10
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 1.10 Fr. 0.30-2.00
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 12.00 Fr. 9.00-15.00
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1.93 Fr. 1.80-2.00
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 2.26 Fr. 1.50-4.00
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 9.00 Fr. 8.50-10.00
Transportation
Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 3.80 Fr. 3.00-4.50
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 86.00 Fr. 80.00-90.00
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 6.50 Fr. 6.00-6.50
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 6.12 Fr. 6.12-6.60
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 70.20 Fr. 70.20-70.20
Gasoline (1 gallon) 6.80 Fr. 6.66-7.02
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 32,800.00 Fr. 32,800.00-32,800.00
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 36,666.67 Fr. 30,000.00-40,000.00
Utilities (Monthly)
Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 200.18 Fr. 150.00-300.00
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 47.12 Fr. 25.00-75.00
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 50.69 Fr. 30.00-80.00
Sports And Leisure
Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 72.14 Fr. 45.00-110.00
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 31.25 Fr. 15.00-40.00
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 18.00 Fr. 15.00-24.00
Childcare
Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 2,350.00 Fr. 2,000.00-2,700.00
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 28,000.00 Fr. 25,000.00-36,000.00
Clothing And Shoes
Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 102.50 Fr. 70.00-130.00
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 64.83 Fr. 40.00-90.00
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 137.14 Fr. 60.00-200.00
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 161.67 Fr. 100.00-200.00
Rent Per Month
Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,631.67 Fr. 1,400.00-2,500.00
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,189.29 Fr. 1,000.00-1,500.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 3,031.25 Fr. 2,700.00-4,000.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,266.32 Fr. 1,950.00-3,000.00
Buy Apartment Price
Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 1,037.02 Fr. 854.70-1,393.53
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 987.55 Fr. 803.60-1,393.53
Salaries And Financing
Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 6,431.92 Fr.
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 2.50 2.50-3.00

Prices in Basel

This city had 890 entries in the past 12 months by 96 different contributors.
Last update: December 2024
Distribution of Expenses Using Our Statistical Model:
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9 Comments so far
Sigrid on Jun 21, 2024:
Healthcare premiums in Switzerland went up, around $400/month $5000/year, and get get only partial coverage.

In most EU countries you pay only $150/month $1800/year, and get full coverage.
Danya on Apr 22, 2024:
Basel is the cheapest city in the world on par with the city of Zurich (Switzerland) when comparing prices/salaries, it has very high purchasing power so you can earn a lot of money/put a lot of money away from your net average salary after all monthly expenses
Karl H. on Apr 12, 2024:
@Anonymous

No, it's not true.

Basel is actually much more expensive than Numbeo suggests.

You also pay more income tax in Basel and Zurich than in Luxembourg.
Anonymous on Apr 12, 2024:
What do you think of this ranking of cities by purchasing power from Numbeo? Are there valid data?
In the 1st place among the world are Basel Switzerland, this means that there you can save the most money from one average net salary after all monthly expenses, do you think this is true?
Anonymous on Sep 27, 2023:
Cost of living for one person (single, healthy):

Apartment: 1620 (55m2) in the convenient location
Utilities: 100 - 150 (depending on the month)
Internet: 55
Cell phone: 25
Health insurance (the cheapest): 342 (this year increased to 390)
Groceries: on average 400

Each year you need to pay the tax for TV/radio, which is around 300 CHF
Dentists, doctors, and pharmacies are extremely expensive.

You can survive on a salary of 6100 - 6500 (gross) but will not live comfortably.
Hey hey on Apr 14, 2023:
Hello everyone, i was looking through the comments and thought I'd add my experience.
We live in Basel for a year, just out of the city. We are a family of 4, a toddler and a baby.

Small apartment 1200+300 utilities

Health insurance 1150
No car
No eating out at restaurants
2 phone plans without internet 18
Careful shopping food 500
Minimum clothes shopping 30-50
Bus/Tram pass 160
Other unexpected costs or gifts 300

In total: 3,678CHF.
This was possible because it was necessary and definitely not comfortable for a longer period of time. So my conclusion is that a family of 4 can live in Basel for 5000-6000CHF and do well.
tokk tokk on Jan 21, 2023:
Hello guys,

I am planning to move from Germany to Basel-Stadt (1 Person, 35 Jahre Alt, no Auto), and i am trying to figure out the costs before i move there and see if it makes sens moving or not. Please have a look at the list above and feel free to add something i am missing, or if my data are wrong. Many thanks in advance.

Wohnung (1 Person, 40m2-50m2, not in center but not far from center) - 1300 CHF
Handy - 50 CHF
Fitness Studio - 100 CHF
SFR tax - 35 CHF
Internet - 60 CHF
Food - 600 CHF
Health Insurance - 300 CHF
Other unknown costs - 200 CHF

That would make a total of 2,755.00 CHF per month.

Thanks in advance
Anonymous on Dec 08, 2022:
+ health nsuranse up to 500 and not covers all, some pills, car insuranse and taxes, dentist: dental bridge 4800Fr, hairdresser, vacation,new mobile every 2 years, and mobile communication services 70Fr month, presents for birthdays , etc etc. Summary it adds minimum +1500Fr for 1 person in family. 4 persons needs at least 10000Fr for month, better 13000, without visiting an expensive restaurants.
Anonymous on Dec 10, 2020:
5366 CHF Monthly wage is quite high, If I was working fulltime as a student at a coffeeshop I might half or 3/4 of that.
Insurance costs are quite high in switzerland too. Vary between 250 - 550 chf a month.

Average minimum wage is 19 - 25 CHF (I get that as a student working as a waiter).