🇨🇭 Switzerland · #1 of 538 cities · 2026

Cost of Living in Zurich

8.2% above the Switzerland average

Ranked #1 of 538 cities · More expensive than 99.8% of cities worldwide

Compared to Switzerland average

Rent Prices

Rent Prices in Zurich

Apartment City Centre Outside Centre You Save
1-Bedroom CHF 2,339/mo ≈ $2,983 CHF 1,751/mo ≈ $2,233 25%
3-Bedroom CHF 4,856/mo ≈ $6,194 CHF 3,167/mo ≈ $4,039 25%
Numbeo · 2026-03-12

Multi-Source Comparison

★★ Medium Confidence

Zurich has a composite cost index of 95.3 from 4 independent data sources.

95.3
Composite
4
Sources
16.5
Spread

Source Values (NYC = 100)

Numbeo
102.4
Expatistan
85.6
LivingCost
104.7
SIM
82.7
Eurostat Validation (EU27 = 100) Gov. Data
Eurostat
200.2

Based on 182 country PLI x 1.1 city factor

View all 127 cities | Data last updated: 2026-03-18

Cost Indices

Cost of Living
+8.2% Expensive
Rent
+17.8% Expensive
Groceries
+10.7% Expensive
Restaurants
+4.5% Average
Purchasing Power
-7.1% Average

Living in Zurich: What to Expect

Zurich is expensive by global standards (ranked #1 of 538 cities). It is 8.2% more expensive than the Switzerland average, based on 7 cities.

Groceries are expensive, while dining out is average. Restaurants offers the best value, while Rent is the priciest.

Local purchasing power is limited — residents can afford fewer goods and services than in most cities.

Workers in Switzerland earning CHF 45,652 gross take home CHF 3,166/month after tax (16.8% effective rate). See full Switzerland tax calculator →

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