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. 75.00-150.00
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 15.00 Fr. 15.00-16.00
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 8.00 Fr. 5.00-9.00
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 6.00 Fr. 5.00-8.00
Cappuccino (regular) 5.19 Fr. 3.90-7.00
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 4.12 Fr. 3.00-5.00
Water (12 oz small bottle) 3.79 Fr. 3.00-5.00
Markets
Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 6.37 Fr. 4.73-7.95
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 2.73 Fr. 1.81-3.63
Rice (white), (1 lb) 1.28 Fr. 0.91-1.81
Eggs (regular) (12) 6.29 Fr. 3.60-8.00
Local Cheese (1 lb) 13.12 Fr. 7.71-27.22
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 13.34 Fr. 6.80-18.14
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 22.40 Fr. 15.00-36.29
Apples (1 lb) 1.74 Fr. 1.27-2.27
Banana (1 lb) 1.23 Fr. 0.68-2.27
Oranges (1 lb) 1.77 Fr. 0.59-2.27
Tomato (1 lb) 1.78 Fr. 1.13-2.27
Potato (1 lb) 1.38 Fr. 0.45-1.81
Onion (1 lb) 1.15 Fr. 0.79-1.36
Lettuce (1 head) 2.17 Fr. 2.00-3.00
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 1.50 Fr. 0.30-2.00
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 12.00 Fr. 8.50-15.00
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1.92 Fr. 1.50-3.00
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 2.54 Fr. 1.55-4.00
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 9.00 Fr. 8.00-9.80
Transportation
Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 3.80 Fr. 2.60-4.60
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 80.00 Fr. 80.00-90.00
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 6.00 Fr. 5.00-10.00
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 5.71 Fr. 4.83-6.12
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 70.20 Fr. 50.00-70.20
Gasoline (1 gallon) 7.16 Fr. 6.66-7.76
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 32,800.00 Fr. 30,000.00-32,800.00
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 33,333.33 Fr. 30,000.00-40,000.00
Utilities (Monthly)
Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 224.09 Fr. 121.43-306.00
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 54.88 Fr. 25.00-69.00
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 42.88 Fr. 29.00-80.00
Sports And Leisure
Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 70.15 Fr. 45.00-100.00
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 30.00 Fr. 15.00-40.00
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 18.00 Fr. 15.00-25.00
Childcare
Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 2,475.00 Fr. 2,200.00-2,900.00
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) 105.62 Fr. 70.00-150.00
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 52.38 Fr. 30.00-80.00
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 141.25 Fr. 60.00-200.00
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 164.29 Fr. 75.00-300.00
Rent Per Month
Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,777.50 Fr. 1,300.00-2,500.00
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,316.67 Fr. 1,000.00-2,000.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 3,212.50 Fr. 2,500.00-4,500.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,501.00 Fr. 2,000.00-4,000.00
Buy Apartment Price
Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 1,096.25 Fr. 836.12-2,322.56
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 1,077.67 Fr. 687.48-1,672.24
Salaries And Financing
Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 6,607.68 Fr.
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 2.65 2.50-3.20

Prices in Basel

This city had 430 entries in the past 12 months by 65 different contributors.
Last update: March 2024
Distribution of Expenses Using Our Statistical Model:
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5 Comments so far
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).