Germany vs Switzerland - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Germany Switzerland
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1581
$2896
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$3855
$7451
🏠 One person rent
$848
$1625
🏘️ Family rent
$1584
$3010
🍽️ Food expenses
$488
$885
🚐 Transport expenses
$112
$131
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2943
$6356
💸 GDP per capita
$48718
$93260
😃 Human freedom index
8.37
9.01
❤️ Life expectancy
80.9
83.9
👮 Corruption perceptions index
78
82
🌐 English speaking %
56.3%
61.3%
🎓 Higher education
94
99
😀 Quality of life
92
100
🏙️ Population
83.1M
8.74M

The average cost of living in Germany ($1581) is 45% less expensive than in Switzerland ($2896). Germany ranked 27th 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 1.9 months in Germany compared to 2.2 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
$13.2
$25.6
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$63.3
$115
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$10.1
$17
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$4.4
$7.9
 Cappuccino
$3.53
$5.56
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.81
$4.76
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$777
$1724
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$605
$1335
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1553
$3238
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1217
$2583
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$165
$158
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$254
$243
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$46.6
$53.9
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
3.94%
2.5%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5580
$13664
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4266
$9455
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$3.2
$4.09
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$55.9
$93.7
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$23.5
$39.3
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.89
$2.12
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.18
$1.92
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.03
$3.4
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.72
$3.07
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.58
$7.41
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$13
$24
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$15.3
$26.5
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$16.2
$48.3
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.56
$4.2
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.5
$2.81
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.28
$3.37
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.03
$4.54
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.69
$2.74
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.95
$2.66
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.5
$0.97
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.01
$3.06
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$5.74
$14.7
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.01
$2.37
🚬 Cigarette pack
$8.61
$9.91
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$9.49
$17.6
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$2.7
$5.61
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.69
$4.02
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.71
$4.04
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$36
$86.7
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$12.5
$21
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$62.1
$146
💇 Haircut, simple
$16.8
$41.9
👖 Brand Jeans
$86.2
$129
👟 Brand Sneakers
$92.1
$143
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$455
$2580
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$12634
$28469

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
$2013
3.68M
Hamburg City
$1909
1.85M
Munich
$2188
1.49M
Cologne
$1752
1.07M
Frankfurt
$1902
759K
Stuttgart
$1753
626K
Dusseldorf
$1776
619K
Essen
$1519
579K
Bremen City
$1716
563K
Dresden
$1406
555K
Dortmund
$1401
587K
Hanover
$1744
553K
Nuremberg
$1757
511K
Leipzig
$1371
625K
Duisburg
$1395
495K
Karlsruhe
$1805
307K
Mannheim
$1512
312K
Wuppertal
$1124
355K
Bochum
$1471
363K
Bonn
$1593
332K
Braunschweig
$1391
249K
Augsburg
$1751
296K
Bielefeld
$1422
334K
Halle
$1242
238K
Wiesbaden
$1713
279K
Aachen
$1502
249K
Munster
$1688
318K
Monchengladbach
$1476
261K
Freiburg im Breisgau
$1275
232K
Magdeburg
$1297
236K

In Switzerland

City Cost of living Population
Zurich
$3380
443K
Basel
$2820
178K
Geneva
$3266
202K
Bern
$2569
134K
Lausanne
$2706
139K
Winterthur
$3178
110K
Lucerne
$2925
81.7K
St. Gallen
$2322
75.8K
Biel/Bienne
$2400
55.2K
Lugano
$2555
63.2K
Koniz
$2597
41.8K
Thun
$2527
43.7K
Zug
$3444
30.5K
Vernier
$3031
34.8K
Uster
$3059
36.8K
Altstetten
$3073
35.6K
Bellinzona
$2918
43.8K
Neuchatel
$2248
33.5K
Schaffhausen
$2354
36.6K
Dubendorf
$3200
28K
Lancy
$3018
31.9K
Yverdon-les-Bains
$2826
30.2K
Chur
$2193
35K
Sion
$1952
34.7K
Fribourg
$2368
38.4K
La Chaux-de-Fonds
$2347
39K
Montreux
$2693
26K
Rapperswil-Jona
$2916
27K
Emmen
$2882
29.3K
Frauenfeld
$2436
25.4K