How to cook cheaply in Switzerland: the method
Cooking cheaply means fresh over ready-made and own-brand over brand. Per the BLV study (2014), a weekly basket of fresh ingredients cost a couple around CHF 109, from convenience products around CHF 145. Plus: cheap staples (pulses, eggs, seasonal veg), budget own-brands (30-50 % cheaper per Kassensturz/K-Tipp) and cooking around the current promotions. Matched recipes are live in Rappn.
Updated regularly. Cooking cheaply has little to do with going without and a lot to do with two decisions: fresh over ready-made, and own-brand over brand. A study by the Federal Food Safety Office (BLV), carried out by the Bern University of Applied Sciences (2014), showed it clearly: a weekly basket of fresh ingredients cost a couple household around CHF 109, while the same healthy basket from convenience products cost around CHF 145. It is not health that is expensive, but convenience.
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How do you really cook cheaply in Switzerland?
With four ground rules. 1. Cook fresh instead of buying ready meals. Per the BLV study (2014) this is the biggest lever: around CHF 36 per week difference between fresh and convenience, for a two-person household. 2. Rely on cheap staples. Structurally cheapest per portion are dried pulses (lentils, chickpeas, beans), eggs, low-fat quark, seasonal vegetables, and own-brand pasta and rice. The most expensive are fresh meat, fish and ready meals. 3. Own-brand over brand. Kassensturz (SRF) measured in November 2025 that the M-Budget basket was around 38 percent and the Prix Garantie basket around 51 percent cheaper than comparable branded products. 4. Cook around the promotions. Because no chain is permanently the cheapest, it pays to build the menu around what is on offer, rather than the other way round.
| Rule | Why it works | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh over ready-made | convenience drives the cost | BLV study (2014): CHF 109 vs 145/week |
| Cheap staples | pulses, eggs, seasonal veg | category ranking (qualitative) |
| Own-brand over brand | 30 to 50 % cheaper | Kassensturz / K-Tipp |
| Cook around promotions | cheapest chain changes weekly | price comparison needed |
From principle to plate
These rules are evergreen, but the specific ingredients change every week with the promotions. So no fixed recipe list tells you what is cheapest this week. That is exactly what the Rappn recipes section is for: it suggests dishes whose ingredients are on offer right now, across every chain. That turns "fresh, own-brand, seasonal" into a concrete weekly basket.
Download Rappn, get recipes matched to the current promotions and find the cheapest basket through the price comparison. For what healthy cooking really costs, see eat healthy on a budget, and how to cook under five francs per person, cook under CHF 5 per person.
Sources checked: .
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest way to cook in Switzerland?
Cook fresh instead of ready-made (per the 2014 BLV study the biggest lever: around CHF 109 instead of CHF 145 per week for a couple household), rely on cheap staples like pulses, eggs and seasonal vegetables, choose budget own-brands (30 to 50 percent cheaper per Kassensturz and K-Tipp), and cook around the current promotions.
Which ingredients are cheapest to cook with?
Structurally cheapest per portion are dried pulses (lentils, chickpeas, beans), eggs, low-fat quark, seasonal vegetables, and own-brand pasta and rice. The most expensive are fresh meat, fish and ready meals. That is a rough ordering, not a fixed franc figure.
Is cooking fresh really cheaper than ready meals?
Yes. The BLV study by the Bern University of Applied Sciences (2014) compared weekly baskets for a couple household: from fresh ingredients around CHF 109, from convenience products around CHF 145. Convenience drives the cost, not health. The figures are from 2014 and show the structure, not today's prices.
Why should I cook around the promotions?
Because no Swiss chain is permanently the cheapest. Offers change weekly, and the same staple is cheapest at one chain one week, another the next. Building the menu around the current promotions rather than the other way round makes the shop cheaper. Which ingredients are on offer this week you see live in Rappn.