Cost of living comparison

 Germany
compared to
 Switzerland
Switzerland vs. Germany Cost of Living Summary

Switzerland is 97.0% more expensive than Germany overall.

Restaurants
pay 75.4% more in Switzerland
Groceries
pay 64.5% more in Switzerland
Transportation
pay 59.2% more in Switzerland
Housing
pay 55.0% more in Switzerland
Childcare
pay 4.1 times more in Switzerland
Entertainment and Sports
pay 71.8% more in Switzerland
Clothing
pay 47.7% more in Switzerland

The cost of childcare, restaurants, entertainment and sports, groceries, transportation, and housing in Switzerland are more expensive than in Germany. Notably, childcare and restaurants are significantly more expensive in Switzerland.

Switzerland vs. Germany Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Switzerland instead of Germany, you would:

pay 75.4% more for restaurants

 
Germany
Switzerland
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $14.04
€12.97
$27.66
CHF24.37
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.20
€9.41
$16.97
CHF14.94
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.80
€2.59
$4.67
CHF4.12

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pay 64.5% more for groceries

 
Germany
Switzerland
Bread
1 loaf
$2.03
€1.87
$3.64
CHF3.21
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.71
€6.19
$13.22
CHF11.64
Milk (1 gallon) $4.38
€4.04
$7.31
CHF6.44

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pay 59.2% more for transportation

 
Germany
Switzerland
Gasoline (1 gallon) $7.07
€6.53
$7.83
CHF6.90
Monthly public transit pass $52.96
€48.89
$114.11
CHF100.52
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $28,807.86
€26,595.16
$36,806.66
CHF32,421.00

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pay 55.0% more for housing

 
Germany
Switzerland
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$48.22
€44.52
$53.46
CHF47.09
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $790.39
€729.68
$1,622.75
CHF1,429.39
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $625.27
€577.25
$1,411.84
CHF1,243.61

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pay 4.1 times more for childcare

 
Germany
Switzerland
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $458.39
€423.18
$2,587.05
CHF2,278.79
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $12,308.95
€11,363.51
$30,321.56
CHF26,708.63

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pay 71.8% more for entertainment and sports

 
Germany
Switzerland
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $4.42
€4.08
$7.82
CHF6.89
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.49
€3.22
$5.42
CHF4.77
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$8.74
€8.06
$10.09
CHF8.89

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pay 47.7% more for clothing

 
Germany
Switzerland
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$82.34
€76.01
$121.70
CHF107.20
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$40.78
€37.65
$61.65
CHF54.31
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$91.59
€84.56
$136.06
CHF119.85

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: March 2025
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