Cost of Living in Zurich

Summary of cost of living in Zurich, Switzerland:

Restaurants
Edit Range
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 25.00 Fr. 17.00-35.00
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 120.00 Fr. 80.00-180.00
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 16.50 Fr. 15.00-20.00
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 8.00 Fr. 5.00-9.00
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 7.00 Fr. 6.00-10.00
Cappuccino (regular) 5.49 Fr. 4.00-6.50
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 4.72 Fr. 4.00-5.50
Water (12 oz small bottle) 4.28 Fr. 3.50-5.00
Markets
Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 6.66 Fr. 4.92-7.57
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 2.99 Fr. 1.45-4.54
Rice (white), (1 lb) 1.66 Fr. 0.68-2.25
Eggs (regular) (12) 6.14 Fr. 3.84-9.84
Local Cheese (1 lb) 10.68 Fr. 5.44-22.68
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 11.43 Fr. 5.44-15.88
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 18.97 Fr. 11.34-27.22
Apples (1 lb) 1.43 Fr. 0.73-2.27
Banana (1 lb) 1.00 Fr. 0.68-1.59
Oranges (1 lb) 1.21 Fr. 0.68-2.27
Tomato (1 lb) 2.20 Fr. 0.91-3.58
Potato (1 lb) 1.02 Fr. 0.68-1.59
Onion (1 lb) 0.98 Fr. 0.82-1.59
Lettuce (1 head) 1.95 Fr. 1.20-2.95
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 1.01 Fr. 0.60-2.00
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 12.00 Fr. 8.00-20.00
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 2.07 Fr. 1.45-3.00
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 2.52 Fr. 1.50-4.00
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 9.00 Fr. 8.40-10.00
Transportation
Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 4.40 Fr. 3.20-6.00
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 87.00 Fr. 80.00-191.25
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 7.00 Fr. 4.00-9.50
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 6.12 Fr. 4.18-8.05
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 73.80 Fr. 35.40-80.00
Gasoline (1 gallon) 7.06 Fr. 6.66-7.57
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) 32,898.75 Fr. 29,000.00-36,590.00
Utilities (Monthly)
Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 216.82 Fr. 150.00-320.00
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 33.11 Fr. 20.00-50.00
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 47.79 Fr. 35.90-70.00
Sports And Leisure
Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 72.09 Fr. 49.00-100.00
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 40.89 Fr. 30.00-50.00
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 20.00 Fr. 18.00-22.00
Childcare
Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 2,841.68 Fr. 2,500.00-3,400.00
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 32,975.00 Fr. 29,000.00-38,500.00
Clothing And Shoes
Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 106.12 Fr. 65.00-140.00
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 60.54 Fr. 39.00-90.00
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 116.21 Fr. 75.00-155.00
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 182.52 Fr. 100.00-300.00
Rent Per Month
Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 2,313.35 Fr. 1,750.00-3,050.00
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,822.29 Fr. 1,500.00-2,500.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 4,102.76 Fr. 3,000.00-5,400.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 3,061.67 Fr. 2,200.00-4,000.00
Buy Apartment Price
Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 2,089.43 Fr. 1,486.44-2,601.26
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 1,431.03 Fr. 1,114.83-1,858.05
Salaries And Financing
Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 6,622.99 Fr.
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 2.40 1.48-3.60

Prices in Zurich

This city had 2380 entries in the past 12 months by 315 different contributors.
Last update: December 2024
Distribution of Expenses Using Our Statistical Model:
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16 Comments so far
Anonymous on Dec 05, 2024:
Oslo is one of the world's most dangerous cities, according to the Zimbabwe Times, it is the third most dangerous city in the world after Stockholm and Mogadishu, the two largest cities in Somalia. I was riding the metro and accidentally exited at the wrong stop and ended up in a neighborhood called Stovner. It looked exactly like a Brazillian favela, with slums stacked on top of eachother, this area was more dangerous than Sao Paolo or Caracas, those places were paradise compared to Oslo. Anyways I got off the station and a Swedish man named Ahmad Farshid Bin Tlariq al Muqtadeen din Rashidi approached me as well as a Pakistani man named Salman Falmanrashidiqqi Siddiqui. They told me to convert to Islam. I was scared so I tried to cooperate, I asked them how, they told me it costs 5 million krone for infidels to visit the local mosque. After that I realize it was a scam. As I left the mosque, an SAS plane crashed into me and it made me fly all the way to Paris? And guess who else was in Paris?

Anyways in conclusion, Oslo is a very deadly city, if you care about your personal safety DO NOT VISIT!!!!!
on Oct 27, 2024:
Omg, i did not know that the situation in Swiss land is so dire, super expensive health insurance, 7000 CHF per year and partial coverage only. Not so good quality health care and long waiting times, it is like hell.
David Grunberg on Jun 22, 2024:
We pay $600 a month for health insurance each, around $15000 a year, plus extras.

Waiting lists are very long, and then not even everything is covered.

In this foggy overcast climate we're sick more often than in Portugal, where we lived
before and got good care for only $97 a month each.

Have we made the wrong decision leaving Lisbon ?
Lauren on Jun 03, 2024:
In real life, prices in Switzerland are much higher than mentioned here.

I found out the hard way...
Helmut on May 25, 2024:
Switzerland is NOT the richest country at all, check for yourself :

https://gfmag.com/data/richest-countries-in-the-world/
Karl on Apr 24, 2024:
Zurich, Basel, Bern is only cheap when you make over $120.000 a year.

Prices in Switzerland are on average double that of countries like Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Luxembourg.
Danya on Apr 22, 2024:
Zurich is the cheapest city in the world on par with the city of Basel (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
Solarriors on Mar 28, 2024:
The expense are grossly inflated. It indicates what I would call a boomer attitude, buying premium groceries and going out for restaurants, exhibitions, multiple times a week, always using expensive convenience options (taxis, cleaning maids, fiduciary), magazines/clubs/entertainement subscriptions, etc. instead of the more normal, regular, humble life that 75% of swiss have that doesn't have all of this.
I kept my student lifestyle that was very quality aware, yet budget conscious. I looked to have all my needs filled and have comprehensive QoL features (unlimited data/calls, Public Transport Pass, optic fiber internet, lots of vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, cheese, meats, etc), a bike, going out with friends and having decent clothing, performant electric devices and appliances. It costs half of what it is.
Dave on Nov 30, 2023:
Interesting. Not easy to build such statistics.
Reveals some about my Zurich and... a lot on the average US consumer: beer seems to be soooo important.... Chocolate,sugar, flour, oil do not at all ? Does the US consumer never goes to the doctor, the dentist, or has a plumber or electrician expense ?
In Switzerland, dental expenses, correction glasses, are not covered by state welfare like in France or Germany. And they cost a fortune. A visit to the doctor costs never less than 200 CHF. 20 mn by the specialist cost you easily 400. Don't even mention roentgen. Actually, healthcare is the second burden of swiss families after housing.
A plumber or electrician visit for a minor repair will cost you at least 100 CHF per hour, plus parts. You easily end up with 500 CHF for 2 guys replacing a defect tap or repairing a defect electric installation.
You do not want to know what a flat move costs..
Now a detail on "market". Your prices correspond to standard food. If you purchase organic (a lot of swiss people do then you pay between 30% more (dairy products) and 400% more (yes, that much). Organic apples are NEVER under 6,20. In summer, you only find swiss tomatoes. They cost at least 8, often more... but they have no taste. So people rather purchase cherry tomatoes which easily cost.... 30. Or 45 when they are "prime quality" and "organic". That's real Switzerland.
Werner A. on Sep 29, 2023:
Switzerland is not about spending your money, but about wasting your money. It's just not worth it, for what you get.
Anonymous on Nov 11, 2022:
As usual swiss visiting ie working in the u s complaining about their accounts being seized in Switzerland for not following the rules in the u s concerning taxation.FBAR IRS leaves no stone unturned that's a given.I seriously doubt the IRS is finished with you yet since you tried to defraud the u s. Enjoy your freedom for the moment extradition is the next step it happens often rest assured.
Anonymous on Nov 01, 2022:
No foreigners are ever appreciated or needed in the USA.It was your choice not the USA who asked you to move there in the first place.You should've stayed in your motherland as you call it since you didn't report over $10,000 USD in your bank accounts in Switzerland.You're lucky the U S government didn't throw you in prison for 5 years and fine you $250,000 usd.
You paying taxes working in the USA is something everyone does.Consider it a payment just to live in the richest place in the world and the most powerful too.
brandmarkt on Oct 28, 2022:
Brandmarkt.store ist ein Multimarkengeschäft in St. Gallen mit einer erstaunlichen Kollektion an Damenmode, die zu jedem Stil und Budget passt.
Anonymous on Aug 31, 2022:
Instead of appreciating foreigner who worked and contributed in US and holds merely either US permanent resident visa(green card) or US work visa before but they are not a US citizen and still hold the citizenship from their motherland.

Now the zombielike US thief government is brazenly punishing and scamming all of the aforementioned foreigner in their own motherland outrageously for not declaring/reporting their own bank accounts from their motherland with the least punishment of whopping 10,000 US dollar for each of their motherland bank account to the extent of confiscating half of their life savings outrageously and inhumanely.

Even worse, instead of standing with their people, their respective inhumane government from their own motherland supports the zombielike US thief government to not only freeze their own bank accounts but also rob ten of thousand of US dollar from their accounts outrageously in their own motherland.

The greatest tragedy for the humankind is happening now under the manipulation of the US thief government, thanks for all of the hypocrite countries who made it happen now by supporting the US thief government against their own blood brother and blood sister and bringing the worse future without justice for their respective future descendants.

The wealth of the people is as much as the same as the wealth of the country but allowing the zombielike US thief government to rob the wealth of your people is the greatest treason against the holy blood of your own that you share with your people.

The greatest injustice inflicted to the aforementioned foreigner by the zombielike US thief government is unforgivable until the day the US thief government is toppled.

It's time for all countries to be united to protect the interest of the citizen of their own respective country by destroying the zombielike US thief government by banning the most untrustworthy US dollar which is good for nothing but dragging the rest of the world for getting worse and worse with the most untrustworthy US dollar printer which overprints the most untrustworthy US dollar paper without any accountability to the extent of creating the most unsustainable debt of over 30 trillions US dollar for the most immoral US thief government until so far.
Anonymous on Dec 14, 2020:
Save your money and move onward through the fog,Zurich is a mess avoid it.
Geller on Sep 30, 2020:
how much is the rent for an apartment in the centre? (minimum of 90 square meters). Is 16K CHF enough to live there with high quality life? how much I can save from this?