Monthly Grocery Spending Review: How Much to Plan for Your Household in Switzerland?
The average Swiss household spent CHF 638 a month on food and non-alcoholic drinks at home in 2023, 6.2% of gross income (Federal Statistical Office, Household Budget Survey). That average mixes every household size, so treat it as a reference, not a target. The guideline values for your household type, further down, are the better yardstick.
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A monthly grocery review takes 30 minutes: you add up the month’s receipts, compare the total with a reference that fits your household, and pick one change. The CHF 638 per household and month (Federal Statistical Office, FSO, 2023) is not that reference, because the average mixes a retired person living alone, a couple and a family of four.
Updated October 2026. Sources: Federal Statistical Office (FSO), Household Budget Survey 2023 (press release of 17 November 2025) and tables by income class and by household type for 2018-2019 and 2020-2021; Budgetberatung Schweiz (Swiss budget counselling), budget examples 2025/2026; ZHAW (Beretta et al.) for the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), food waste monitoring interim report (October 2025) (viewed on 8 and 9 October 2026).
What does an average Swiss household spend each month?
| Selected lines of the average monthly budget (FSO, 2023) | CHF per month | Share of gross income |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory spending (taxes, social insurance, basic health insurance, transfers) | 3'154 | 30.5% |
| Housing and energy | 1'449 | 14.0% |
| Transport | 744 | 7.2% |
| Food and non-alcoholic drinks | 638 | 6.2% |
| Restaurants, cafés and accommodation | 558 | 5.4% |
| Clothing and shoes | 161 | 1.6% |
Two things to keep in mind for a review. Food at home is the third-largest consumption item, after housing and energy and after transport. Eating out (CHF 427 a month, FSO 2023) is a separate line, so keep the two apart. The full budget is in the average household expenses in Switzerland.
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Monthly overview
Your spending
What should your household plan for groceries?
| Household | CHF per month (guideline) |
|---|---|
| Single person | 370–500 |
| Couple | 550–700 |
| Family with 1 child | 700–850 |
| Family with 2 children | 850–1'100 |
| Family with 3 children | 1'000–1'250 |
| Single parent with 1 child | 500–650 |
| Single parent with 2 children | 700–850 |
Add CHF 50 to 100 for each teenager from 12. What households actually spent, by household type, is in the grocery budget by household size. A measured average and a guideline answer different questions, so do not mix them.
How do you run a monthly grocery review in 30 minutes?
- Add up the month from your receipts, not from the bank statement, because the receipt separates food from the rest (how to analyse grocery receipts, where to find digital receipts). Keep eating out and café stops on a separate line.
- Compare with your guideline row and your income share: grocery total ÷ gross household income × 100. The 2023 average is 6.2%. The share falls as income rises, from 12.3% in the lowest income class to 4.6% in the highest (FSO, 2018-2019, the last years before Covid; 13.3% and 4.8% in the Covid years 2020-2021). More in food share of income in Switzerland.
- Find the biggest category, and the one that changed most since last month.
- Check three usual leaks: eating out booked as groceries; food bought and thrown away (about 80 kg per person a year in Swiss homes, 2024 estimate, ZHAW report for the FOEN); detergent and personal care on the same receipt.
- Pick one change for next month and write it down. One change is easier to keep and to measure than five.
Once a year, set your receipts next to last year’s: personal grocery inflation shows how. If you would rather not link a bank, see tracking expenses without a bank connection.
How do you find your own number instead of an average?
Rappn is a free Swiss app (iOS and Android) that compares the current promotions of seven Swiss retailers and turns receipts into a spending overview. 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. Set the guideline row of this page next to it and you have the comparison. Rappn covers groceries, not rent, taxes or health insurance.
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 an adult; the programmes’ terms still apply and the operator can restrict the link (how linking works).
Rappn is building an AI assistant for groceries: you can join the waitlist.
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
- Neutral: no commercial agreements with Migros, Coop, Aldi, Lidl, Denner, Aligro, or Otto’s
- 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 does the average Swiss household spend on groceries per month?
Around CHF 638 a month on food and non-alcoholic drinks at home, plus CHF 558 on restaurants and accommodation, according to the FSO Household Budget Survey 2023. The average household behind the CHF 638 has 2.07 people. For planning, the 2025/26 guideline values of Budgetberatung Schweiz run from CHF 370 to 500 for a single person to CHF 850 to 1'100 for a family with two children.
What percentage of income should I spend on groceries in Switzerland?
There is no official target. The average household spent 6.2% of its gross income on food and non-alcoholic drinks at home in 2023 (CHF 638 of CHF 10'341 a month, FSO). By household type the share ran from 5.0% to 8.8% in 2018-2019 and from 5.4% to 9.3% in the Covid years 2020-2021 (FSO). It also falls as income rises.
How often should I review my grocery spending?
Once a month is enough: 30 minutes with the month’s receipts. After a year of reviews you can see the trend, and you can set each month against the same month a year earlier, because fruit and vegetables follow the seasons.
How much can I realistically save by changing how I shop?
There is no sourced figure for that, and this page will not invent one. Track two months of your own receipts and look at which categories move: the difference shows in the categories, not in a headline number.
What is the biggest mistake in a Swiss grocery budget?
Tracking groceries and eating out as one line. The FSO counts them separately (CHF 638 against CHF 427 a month in 2023), and they respond to different habits: groceries to planning, eating out to how often you go. Put together, they hide the leak.
How do I do the monthly review with Rappn?
Photograph the month’s receipts, upload them from your gallery or enter the purchases by hand. The app sorts them into categories and shows your spending by month, next to your own monthly average; you compare it with the guideline row on this page.