Cost of living in Switzerland per month: examples for a single person, a couple and a family
The cost of living in Switzerland averages CHF 5'049 a month in consumption per household, plus CHF 3'154 in compulsory spending such as taxes and health insurance (Federal Statistical Office, Household Budget Survey 2023). Three 2025/26 budget examples from Budgetberatung Schweiz show what is left for a single person, a couple and a family.
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On average a household of 2.07 people spends CHF 5'049 a month on consumption and pays another CHF 3'154 in compulsory spending, out of CHF 10'341 gross (Federal Statistical Office, FSO, 2023). In the 2025/26 monthly budget examples of Budgetberatung Schweiz, the Swiss budget counselling association, a single person on CHF 5'000 net has CHF 870 left over. Across the three examples, food takes 10 to 14% of net income (our calculation: from 500 of 5'000 to 950 of 7'000).
Updated October 2026. Sources: FSO, Household Budget Survey 2023 (press release of 17 November 2025) and 2018-2019 and 2020-2021 tables; Budgetberatung Schweiz, budget examples 2025/2026; Eurostat, price levels 2025 (viewed on 8 October 2026).
How much does it cost to live in Switzerland per month?
On average CHF 5'049 a month in consumption per household, plus CHF 3'154 in compulsory spending (FSO 2023). That is 30.5% of gross income, mainly taxes (CHF 1'245), social contributions for the state pension (AHV/AVS) and pension fund (1'062) and basic health insurance (689). The biggest consumption lines are housing and energy (CHF 1'449), transport (744), food at home (638) and restaurants and accommodation (558); another CHF 538 goes on non-compulsory insurance, fees, donations and gifts, and CHF 1'736 is left as savings. Details are in our guide to average household expenses in Switzerland.
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Your spending
What does a monthly budget look like for a single person, a couple and a family?
| Line, CHF a month (Budgetberatung Schweiz 2025/26) | Single person, 5'000 net | Couple, 6'000 net | Family with 2 children, 7'000 net |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | 1'400 | 1'600 | 1'800 |
| Taxes | 480 | 380 | 220 |
| Basic health insurance, without premium reduction | 450 | 900 | 1'140 |
| Public transport | 150 | 300 | 320 |
| Food and non-alcoholic drinks | 500 | 650 | 950 |
| Other lines | 1'150 | 1'410 | 1'850 |
| Available amount | 870 | 760 | 720 |
"Other lines" (our calculation): insurance, phone and Serafe (the radio and TV licence fee), electricity, personal care and cleaning, clothes, leisure, reserves. The examples leave out cantonal differences in rents, taxes and premiums, and add CHF 50 to 100 a month to the food line for each child aged 12 or over (Budgetberatung Schweiz PDFs, in German, French and Italian).
How much of the budget goes on groceries?
| Household | Budgetberatung Schweiz 2025/26 example, CHF a month | Measured FSO average 2018-2019 (pre-Covid), CHF a month | FSO 2020-2021 (Covid years, more meals at home) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single person (5'000 net) | 500 | 337 (under 65) | 387 |
| Couple (6'000 net) | 650 | 642 (under 65, no children) | 716 |
| Family with 2 children (7'000 net) | 950 | 955 (couple with 2 children) | 1'000 |
Other household types are in the grocery budget by household size, the share of income in what share of income goes on food.
Fixed and variable costs: which ones can you influence?
The variable costs: the biggest of them is groceries. A monthly budget is the list of a month’s income and spending, split into fixed and variable costs. In the three examples, fixed costs (housing, taxes, health insurance, other insurance, phone, electricity, public transport) take 54 to 58% of net income (our calculation: 2'710 of 5'000, 3'450 of 6'000, 3'830 of 7'000) and cannot be changed month by month, because they depend on contracts or on the law (dates in our guide to the biggest household expenses in Switzerland). For groceries, a bank statement shows only one total per shop visit; only the receipt separates food from cleaning products and personal care.
How do you compare your budget with the examples in 5 steps?
- Start from net pay without the 13th-month salary, as the examples do.
- List your fixed costs from contracts and bills, with taxes divided by twelve. Check whether your canton grants you a premium reduction.
- Measure your groceries for one or two months with your receipts, leaving out alcohol and cleaning products, and compare with the closest example.
- Set money aside before you spend, for your health insurance deductible, the dentist, gifts and unexpected bills. Then decide how much to save per month.
- Check every month, with the 50-30-20 rule as a quick test; for the full budget, line by line, use the household budget template for Excel.
How do you measure the grocery line of your budget?
With your receipts: from today, keep or photograph every grocery receipt for a month. Rappn, a free Swiss app (iOS and Android) that compares the current promotions of seven Swiss retailers and turns receipts into a spending overview, does the adding up for you. You photograph a receipt, upload it from your gallery or enter a purchase by hand. The app sorts your purchases into categories and shows your spending by month, next to your own monthly average. Rappn covers the grocery line only: rent, health insurance and taxes stay in your budget template.
If you want your own figure rather than an average, the free Rappn app imports the receipts of three big Swiss supermarkets’ loyalty programmes, up to 12 months back, and you add the others by photo; it then shows your spending by category and by month. You need a Rappn account and must be 18 or older. The programmes’ terms still apply, and the programme operator can restrict the link (how linking works).
Updated: .
Why Rappn?
Rappn is an independent grocery price comparison app in Switzerland, with no commercial agreements with any retailer. Our comparisons are truly independent.
- 100% free: no subscription, no hidden costs
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- Updated daily, as soon as the chains publish their deals
- The chains’ deals in one place: search, filter, compare, no subscription
- Meal planner in the Kitchen tab: plan the week, send the ingredients to your list
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much money do you need per month to live in Switzerland?
It depends on who lives in the household and on the canton. On average, a household of 2.07 people spent CHF 5'049 a month on consumption in 2023 and paid another CHF 3'154 in compulsory spending such as taxes, social contributions and basic health insurance, out of a gross income of CHF 10'341 (Federal Statistical Office, FSO). The 2025/26 budget examples of Budgetberatung Schweiz start at CHF 2'500 net a month for a single person, a level based on the social-assistance subsistence minimum.
Can you live on CHF 5'000 net a month in Switzerland?
It depends on the household. In the 2025/26 examples of Budgetberatung Schweiz, CHF 5'000 net a month leaves CHF 870 for a single person, CHF 320 for a couple and nothing for a family with two children, after housing, taxes, health insurance without premium reduction, food and reserves. The canton matters a lot too: the examples use national averages and leave out differences in rents, taxes and premiums, and in 2018-2019 housing and energy alone cost a household on average CHF 1'659 a month in the Zurich region and CHF 1'264 in Ticino (Federal Statistical Office, FSO).
What are the monthly expenses of a couple in Switzerland?
Couples under 65 without children spent on average CHF 5'966 a month on consumption, including 1'637 on housing and energy and 642 on food (Federal Statistical Office, FSO, 2018-2019, the last pre-Covid years published by household type). In the 2025/26 example of Budgetberatung Schweiz, a couple on CHF 6'000 net budgets 1'600 for housing, 900 for health insurance, 380 for taxes and 650 for food.
How much of the budget goes on food?
On average 6.2% of gross income, or CHF 638 a month for food and non-alcoholic drinks consumed at home (Federal Statistical Office, FSO, 2023). The 2025/26 examples of Budgetberatung Schweiz are guidelines at incomes below the average: there, food takes 10% of net income for a single person on CHF 5'000 and 13.6% for a family with two children on 7'000 (our calculation). For comparison, in 2025 the price level for food and non-alcoholic drinks was 155.9 in Switzerland, against 102.4 in Germany, 106.8 in France and 101.1 in Italy (EU = 100, Eurostat).
Which part of my budget can I track with Rappn?
The grocery line. You photograph your receipts, upload them from your gallery or enter a purchase by hand, and Rappn sorts your purchases into categories and shows your spending by month, next to your monthly average; you can export the receipts as PDF or CSV. Rent, health insurance, taxes and other fixed costs stay outside: for those you need a household budget template.