Cost of Living in Bern

Summary of cost of living in Bern, Switzerland:

  • The estimated monthly costs for a family of four are 9,027.9C$ (5,129.6Fr.), excluding rent (using our estimator).
  • The estimated monthly costs for a single person are 2,466.2C$ (1,401.3Fr.), excluding rent.
  • Bern is 90.9% more expensive than Montreal (excluding rent, see our cost of living index).
  • Rent in Bern is, on average, 73.0% higher than in Montreal.
Restaurants
Edit Range
Meal at an Inexpensive Restaurant 23.56 Fr. 15.00-40.00
Meal for Two at a Mid-Range Restaurant (Three Courses, Without Drinks) 100.00 Fr. 70.00-145.00
Combo Meal at McDonald's (or Equivalent Fast-Food Meal) 16.00 Fr. 13.00-20.00
Domestic Draft Beer (0.5 Liter) 7.25 Fr. 4.80-8.00
Imported Beer (0.33 Liter Bottle) 5.00 Fr. 2.78-7.00
Cappuccino (Regular Size) 4.94 Fr. 3.00-7.00
Soft Drink (Coca-Cola or Pepsi, 0.33 Liter Bottle) 4.14 Fr. 3.00-5.00
Bottled Water (0.33 Liter) 3.93 Fr. 2.00-5.00
Markets
Edit
Milk (Regular, 1 Liter) 1.82 Fr. 1.50-1.95
Fresh White Bread (500 g Loaf) 2.98 Fr. 1.20-4.59
White Rice (1 kg) 3.37 Fr. 1.35-4.95
Eggs (12, Large Size) 5.98 Fr. 3.36-9.60
Local Cheese (1 kg) 23.30 Fr. 17.00-50.00
Chicken Fillets (1 kg) 27.22 Fr. 15.00-33.00
Beef Round or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat (1 kg) 32.74 Fr. 18.00-34.50
Apples (1 kg) 3.04 Fr. 2.00-4.00
Bananas (1 kg) 1.82 Fr. 1.30-3.99
Oranges (1 kg) 2.53 Fr. 1.50-4.00
Tomatoes (1 kg) 5.98 Fr. 3.00-7.90
Potatoes (1 kg) 1.83 Fr. 1.20-3.00
Onions (1 kg) 1.85 Fr. 1.50-2.00
Lettuce (1 Head) 2.07 Fr. 1.20-2.10
Bottled Water (1.5 Liter) 0.87 Fr. 0.45-1.65
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 10.00 Fr. 8.50-12.00
Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter Bottle) 1.38 Fr. 0.60-2.00
Imported Beer (0.33 Liter Bottle) 1.87 Fr. 1.00-2.00
Cigarettes (Pack of 20, Marlboro) 9.40 Fr. 9.00-11.00
Transportation
Edit
One-Way Ticket (Local Transport) 3.65 Fr. 2.80-5.20
Monthly Public Transport Pass (Regular Price) 80.00 Fr. 79.00-82.00
Taxi Start (Standard Tariff) 6.50 Fr. 6.00-15.00
Taxi 1 km (Standard Tariff) 5.70 Fr. 3.80-6.00
Taxi 1 Hour Waiting (Standard Tariff) 75.00 Fr. 70.00-80.00
Gasoline (1 Liter) 1.76 Fr. 1.74-1.98
Volkswagen Golf 1.5 (or Equivalent New Compact Car) 32,800.00 Fr. 32,800.00-35,500.00
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6 (or Equivalent New Mid-size Car) 32,500.00 Fr. 32,500.00-32,500.00
Utilities (Monthly)
Edit
Basic Utilities for 85 m2 Apartment (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) 245.10 Fr. 100.00-435.62
Mobile Phone Plan (Monthly, with Calls and 10GB+ Data) 25.00 Fr. 14.90-60.00
Broadband Internet (Unlimited Data, 60 Mbps or Higher) 52.57 Fr. 39.00-100.00
Sports And Leisure
Edit
Monthly Fitness Club Membership 65.25 Fr. 45.00-100.00
Tennis Court Rental (1 Hour, Weekend) 40.00 Fr. 30.00-45.00
Cinema Ticket (International Release) 22.00 Fr. 19.00-25.00
Childcare
Edit
Private Full-Day Preschool or Kindergarten, Monthly Fee per Child 2,733.33 Fr. 2,500.00-2,900.00
International Primary School, Annual Tuition per Child 32,666.67 Fr. 30,000.00-38,000.00
Clothing And Shoes
Edit
Jeans (Levi's 501 or Similar) 124.60 Fr. 90.00-160.00
Summer Dress in a Chain Store (e.g. Zara or H&M) 56.67 Fr. 35.00-90.00
Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 133.50 Fr. 80.00-200.00
Men's Leather Business Shoes 169.71 Fr. 90.00-300.00
Rent Per Month
Edit
1 Bedroom Apartment in City Centre 1,528.78 Fr. 980.00-2,300.00
1 Bedroom Apartment Outside of City Centre 1,273.33 Fr. 990.00-1,650.00
3 Bedroom Apartment in City Centre 2,933.00 Fr. 2,000.00-4,500.00
3 Bedroom Apartment Outside of City Centre 2,066.67 Fr. 1,700.00-2,500.00
Buy Apartment Price
Edit
Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment in City Centre 17,652.00 Fr. 11,760.00-23,650.00
Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 14,240.00 Fr. 9,000.00-19,800.00
Salaries And Financing
Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 6,020.29 Fr.
Annual Mortgage Interest Rate (20-Year Fixed, in %) 2.55 1.50-4.50

Prices in Bern

This city had 515 entries in the past 12 months by 73 different contributors.
Last update: 17 October 2025
Sources and References
Distribution of Expenses Using Our Statistical Model:
  
  
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4 Comments so far
Gwenn on Oct 18, 2025:
Switzerland has a lower GDP than Luxembourg, Dubai, Ireland, Singapore...

Check it out here :

https://gfmag.com/data/richest-countries-in-the-world/
Fritz Roth on Sep 07, 2025:
@Samuel Werner

Those are only the cantonal taxes, there's another 8.5 % federal tax on top of those in Switzerland.
Samuel Werner on Sep 04, 2025:
These are the different tax rates for Swiss cities :

City - Individual Income Tax % - Corporate Tax %

Zug 10.4 11.8

Schwyz 12.0 13.4

Basel 23.7 13.0

Bern 23.8 20.5

Lausanne 24.0 13.8

Geneva 25.0 14.7

As you can see, Bern has the highest tax rates.

In Zug and Schwyz you pay the least amount of tax.
David Allahverdiyev on May 08, 2022:
I am worried about you from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. My purpose in writing to you was to offer the products of my poultry factory that meet the requirments of European standards for poultry products...
Price shedule together with the city of Bern. ( Excluding Swiss Customs duty and Tax duty )
Chicken Fillets(1kg) - 14.85Fr
Chicken broiler(1kg) - 10.27Fr

Mobile Phone Number- +99455 221 16 21
Mobile watsap Phone Number- +99451 522 07 22