Germany vs Switzerland - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Germany Switzerland
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1601
$2846
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$3915
$7289
🏠 One person rent
$853
$1596
🏘️ Family rent
$1596
$2929
🍽️ Food expenses
$501
$872
🚐 Transport expenses
$111
$130
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2931
$6611
💸 GDP per capita
$54343
$99565
😃 Human freedom index
8.67
9.14
❤️ Life expectancy
80.7
83.5
👮 Corruption perceptions index
75
81
🌐 English speaking %
56.3%
61.3%
🎓 Higher education
94
99
😀 Quality of life
91
100
🏙️ Population
84.4M
8.9M

The average cost of living in Germany ($1601) is 44% less expensive than in Switzerland ($2846). Germany ranked 23rd vs 4th for Switzerland in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 1.8 months in Germany compared to 2.3 months in Switzerland. Ranked 12th and 1st best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Germany vs Switzerland infographic

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Prices in Germany vs Switzerland

We calculate prices for Germany and Switzerland as a population-weighted mean of 662 and 50 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

Germany Switzerland
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$14.3
$26.8
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$65.3
$114
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$10.6
$16.9
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$4.51
$8.13
 Cappuccino
$3.56
$5.71
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.89
$4.86
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$774
$1637
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$593
$1333
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1561
$3162
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1204
$2517
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$179
$150
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$276
$231
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$44.3
$52.3
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
3.94%
2.41%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5339
$15526
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4073
$8758
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$3.24
$4.02
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$53.4
$91.5
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$23.5
$39.9
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.82
$2.01
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.15
$1.96
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.98
$3.22
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.95
$3.72
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.43
$7.03
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$13.2
$24.1
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$13
$25.5
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$18.1
$42.9
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.79
$3.52
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.61
$2.19
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.13
$2.72
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.26
$5.41
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.54
$2.53
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.56
$2.24
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.58
$0.8
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.97
$3.07
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$5.98
$12.9
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.98
$2.29
🚬 Cigarette pack
$8.54
$9.9
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$9.5
$18.3
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$2.71
$5.34
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.59
$4.03
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.72
$4.07
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$36.3
$83.6
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$12.9
$21.2
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$63.7
$134
💇 Haircut, simple
$17
$44.7
👖 Brand Jeans
$85.9
$117
👟 Brand Sneakers
$94
$139
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$445
$2492
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$13707
$28537

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Germany vs Switzerland

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Germany

City Cost of living Population
Berlin
$2027
3.78M
Hamburg City
$2007
1.91M
Munich
$2201
1.51M
Cologne
$1744
1.09M
Frankfurt
$1989
776K
Stuttgart
$1957
633K
Dusseldorf
$1772
631K
Bremen City
$1556
577K
Essen
$1443
587K
Nuremberg
$1672
526K
Leipzig
$1516
620K
Dresden
$1402
566K
Dortmund
$1585
595K
Hanover
$1726
548K
Mannheim
$1617
317K
Wuppertal
$1233
359K
Duisburg
$1314
504K
Bielefeld
$1451
338K
Wiesbaden
$1879
286K
Munster
$1737
323K
Bochum
$1486
366K
Augsburg
$1728
303K
Karlsruhe
$1780
310K
Bonn
$1677
336K
Braunschweig
$1371
252K
Freiburg im Breisgau
$1245
237K
Aachen
$1477
253K
Monchengladbach
$1511
269K
Chemnitz
$1187
251K
Mainz
$1666
223K

In Switzerland

City Cost of living Population
Zurich
$3296
449K
Geneva
$3195
204K
Basel
$2643
174K
Lausanne
$2732
141K
Bern
$2381
135K
Winterthur
$3032
110K
Lucerne
$2931
81.7K
St. Gallen
$2464
75.8K
Biel/Bienne
$2331
55.2K
Lugano
$2507
63.2K
Koniz
$2457
41.8K
Thun
$2481
43.7K
Zug
$3426
31.5K
Altstetten
$3037
36.3K
Schaffhausen
$2419
36.6K
Uster
$2974
36.8K
Vernier
$3017
34.8K
Bellinzona
$2853
43.8K
Chur
$2344
35.4K
Fribourg
$2470
38.4K
Lancy
$2970
31.9K
Neuchatel
$2308
33.5K
Dubendorf
$2988
28K
Sion
$1950
34.7K
Montreux
$3088
26K
Emmen
$2897
29.3K
La Chaux-de-Fonds
$2287
39K
Riehen
$3233
21.9K
Rapperswil-Jona
$2861
27K
Kriens
$2891
27K