Household budget

How much grocery money is realistic for your household, and what do your receipts show that a bank statement cannot? Here are the household budget guides for Switzerland: the grocery budget by household size, for single parents, couples, students, seniors and flatshares, per week, per day, by category and by region.

Then the receipts: where to find digital receipts, how long to keep them, how to analyse them, how to track spending without a bank connection and how to work out your personal grocery inflation. Two kinds of number, never mixed: the Federal Statistical Office’s measured average, about CHF 638 per household per month for food and non-alcoholic drinks (2.07 persons, 2023), and the 2025/26 guideline values of Budgetberatung Schweiz for planning.

How to use them: the guide gives you the benchmark, your receipts give you your own figure. In the Rappn app 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, free and with no subscription. Rent, insurance and taxes go in the budget template. As of October 2026.

All guides in this category (33)

Graphic poster with five shopping bags growing in size and groups of one to five stylised figures above them

Monthly grocery budget in Switzerland by household size: 1 to 5 or more people

What do 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5+ people spend on groceries in Switzerland each month? Official averages, 2025/26 planning guidelines and the cost per person.

Paper pop-up rising from a grocery bag: blank receipts flow from a jacket pocket, an envelope and a shop into one yellow folder

Digital receipts in Switzerland: where to find them, how to export them and how to keep them in one place

Where Swiss supermarket loyalty programmes keep your digital receipts, for how long, how to download them as PDF or CSV and keep them in one place.

Technical kitchen drawing with five circled pipe leaks.

Monthly Grocery Spending Review: How Much to Plan for Your Household in Switzerland?

A 30-minute monthly grocery review: the FSO 2023 average (CHF 638, 6.2% of gross income), guideline values by household type and where budgets leak.

A gouache illustration of a student kitchen with a pot on the hob, a crate of vegetables, rice and bread on the counter.

Student Grocery Budget in Switzerland: How to Eat Well for CHF 250-400 a Month in 2026

Plan CHF 250-400 a month as a student in Switzerland: what UZH, EPFL, the FSO and Budgetberatung count, plus staples, the canteen and loyalty cards.

A flat graphic composition where four everyday products are linked by thin lines to three empty coloured trays.

How to Track Grocery Spending in Switzerland (2026 Guide)

Track grocery spending in Switzerland: what to log, three methods compared, FSO 2023 average CHF 638 per household a month (6.2% of gross income).

A large grocery bag floats beneath yellow balloons, with four smaller bags hanging below.

Family of four grocery budget in Switzerland: how much a month?

A family of four should plan CHF 850 to 1'100 a month for food (2025/26 guidelines); couples with two children spent CHF 955 (FSO 2018-2019).

Two hikers push a giant grocery bag along an Alpine pass road.

Grocery budget for couples in Switzerland: what do two people spend a month?

What do two people spend on groceries in Switzerland? Measured FSO average 2018-2019, 2025/26 planning guideline, per week and per day. Sourced guide.

Glossy 3D icons of a basket, plate, small fridge, piggy bank and yellow bag.

Single-person grocery budget in Switzerland: what does one person spend a month?

What does one person spend on groceries in Switzerland? Measured FSO average 2018-2019, 2025/26 planning guideline, per week and per day. Sourced guide.

Hands divide groceries into four groups with four mugs on a bright kitchen table.

Splitting groceries in a Swiss flatshare (WG): what goes in the kitty, and how much

Swiss budget counselling figures for students in a WG, four ways to split, settling up with TWINT, and the shared basics on offer this week.

Hands choose the smallest of three rice packs beside two portions.

Grocery budgeting for seniors in Switzerland on a fixed income

Grocery budgeting for retirees in Switzerland on a fixed AHV pension: smaller packs, own-brands, weekly offers, less waste and planning around mobility.

Technical drawing of a kitchen, full fridge, bag and blank dial.

How much do you need for food each month? The Swiss benchmark

The average Swiss household spends about CHF 638 a month on food (FSO 2023). Figures by household type, the 2025/26 guidelines and the method behind them.

Pastel of a blank receipt along an Alpine road and a yellow apple crate.

How much do I spend on groceries? The 30-day test to find your own figure

Log every receipt for 30 days and compare the total with the FSO average (CHF 638 a month, 2023) and the guideline for your type of household.

Technical blueprint on teal paper: a payment card, calculator, notebook, receipt and spreadsheet side by side, with a yellow magnifier over the comparison table

Budget app in Switzerland: 5 types compared, with or without a bank connection

Five types of budget app compared: what each one sees and costs, which work without a bank connection, and what a family needs to track spending.

A hand smooths a blank receipt in the light beside a yellow mug and pear.

How to scan a receipt: 5 steps, 3 errors to avoid and what to do without a paper receipt

How to scan receipts in 5 steps: a sharp photo, a checked total, the 3 lines apps often misread, and what to do when a Swiss till prints no receipt.

Technical drawing of a checkout, bag and long blank receipt.

Receipt Errors in Switzerland: What Are Your Rights at the Till?

Charged more than the shelf said? What SECO and Swiss consumer bodies say, what the K-Tipp test found, and how to spot an unapplied promotion.

Gouache illustration of a box of fading receipts next to a toaster, a pair of trousers and a yellow hourglass

How long to keep receipts in Switzerland: warranty, returns and fading thermal paper

Warranty, exchanges, till errors, tax: how long to keep each receipt in Switzerland, what to do if it is lost or faded, and whether a photo is enough.

Glossy 3D icons of charts, a basket, milk, an apple, bread and a yellow magnifying glass rising from a blank receipt

How to analyse your grocery receipts: 10 ways to see where the money goes

Monthly total, categories, promotions, staples: 10 ways to analyse grocery receipts by hand or in an app, with Swiss averages to compare.

Technical blueprint on teal paper: receipts pass through a yellow sieve into a speech-bubble shaped machine that outputs a chart

How to analyse your grocery spending with AI: what to ask and what not to share

What to ask an AI assistant about your grocery spending, how to prepare the data, what to remove first and where AI goes wrong. With 10 prompts to copy.

Roll of white thermal paper on a yellow pedestal, a magnifying glass showing the grain of the coating

Are receipts toxic? Thermal paper, bisphenols and how to dispose of them in Switzerland

What thermal paper contains, what Switzerland has banned since 2020, who is most exposed, and whether receipts go in paper recycling or household waste.

Pin board with a blank receipt linked by red strings to four coloured paper speech bubbles

How to read a Swiss receipt: abbreviations, VAT codes and the words in German, French and Italian

How to read a Swiss receipt line by line: items, discounts, deposit, cash rounding and VAT codes, plus 21 receipt words in German, French and Italian.

3D diorama of a flat: on the kitchen table receipts are sorted into four trays, one of them yellow

Expense tracking without a bank connection: how to do it with your receipts

How to track spending without linking your bank: three methods compared, what a receipt shows that a statement cannot, and a 5-step routine.

Felt scene: a table with three plates, two large chairs and a small yellow chair, and a full grocery bag

What is a realistic monthly grocery budget for a family of three in Switzerland?

The 2025/26 guideline and the official Swiss average for a couple with one child: groceries per month, per week and per person, and what a teenager adds.

Overhead shot of seven groups of food in a row like the days of a week, with a cotton tote bag

How much do households in Switzerland spend on groceries per week?

Weekly grocery cost in Switzerland for 1 to 5 people: official averages and 2025/26 budget guidelines, per week and per person, and how to stay on budget.

Yellow tape measure with one person’s breakfast, lunch and dinner laid along it

How much does food cost per day in Switzerland? Grocery cost per person

About CHF 10 per person per day (Swiss average, FSO 2023); CHF 12 to 16 is the guideline if you live alone. Table by day, week and month, with method.

Miniature figures loading a giant loaf, apple, carrot and milk bottle onto a yellow delivery truck

Large family grocery budget in Switzerland: what households of 5 or more spend

What a family of 5 or more spends on groceries in Switzerland: official averages, 2025/26 guidelines, weekly and per-person figures, and shopping tips.

Pastel illustration of an adult with two children, seen from behind, walking towards a small grocery shop

Single-parent grocery budget in Switzerland: how much with one, two or three children?

Single parent in Switzerland? Grocery guidelines for 1, 2 or 3 children by net income (2025/26), what households spent and where to get budget help.

Exploded view of a grocery bag: bread, dairy, meat, fruit, vegetables and drinks floating in layers

Grocery spending by category in Switzerland: what households spend on meat, bread, dairy and more

Grocery spending by category: meat leads at CHF 120 a month per household. Ten FSO categories for 2023, with shares, 2015 figures and what is not counted.

Retro poster in three panels: a lake with palm trees, vineyards above a lake and an old town, with a market basket in front

Grocery spending by region in Switzerland: Ticino, Romandy and German-speaking Switzerland

What households spend on groceries in Ticino, Romandy, Zurich and the other major regions: the FSO table, per-person figures and what explains the gaps.

Cardboard model of a cut-open building with three flats, for a single person, a couple and a family

Cost of living in Switzerland per month: examples for a single person, a couple and a family

Cost of living in Switzerland per month: what a single person, a couple and a family have left after rent, health insurance and tax. Three examples.

Giant shopping-list sheet with a yellow price tag, with apples, carrots, bread and milk at its foot

Grocery list with prices: estimate the cost before you leave home

Estimate your grocery total before you leave: three methods, how to work out the price per kilo, how offers change the total and how to share the list.

A milk bottle pouring into two identical glasses side by side on a yellow tray

How couples split grocery costs fairly: 50/50, by income or a joint account

Half each, by income or a joint account? The fair-share formula, what goes in the kitty, how much to pay in (Swiss guide values) and how to settle up.

Alpine lake shore with a giant glass jar full of groceries on a jetty, tied with a yellow ribbon

How to calculate your personal inflation rate for groceries from your own receipts

Work out your personal inflation rate on groceries from receipts: formula, 6 steps, official Swiss figures for September 2026 and why yours differs.

Ink drawing of a little house unfolding a budget grid, with the grocery column highlighted in yellow

Free household budget template for Switzerland: Excel in CHF, with a grocery sheet

Download a free household budget template in Excel (CHF): fixed costs, grocery receipts by month and a check against the official Swiss average.