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

The two figures answer different questions, so don’t mix them. The first says what people living alone under 65 actually spend on groceries: it comes from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), covers 2018-2019, before Covid, and amounts to 5.1% of gross income. The second says what it makes sense to plan for: it comes from Budgetberatung Schweiz, the Swiss budget counselling association, and moves with your net income. One is measured, the other a guideline.

Updated October 2026. Sources: FSO, Household Budget Survey, tables T20.02.01.00.13 by household type (2018-2019 and 2020-2021) and T20.02.01.00.43 for couples with children (2018-2019), press release of 17 November 2025 (2023 results); Budgetberatung Schweiz, budget examples for single people, version 2025/2026 (viewed on 9 October 2026).

How much does a single person spend on groceries a month in Switzerland?

Sources: FSO, table T20.02.01.00.13 (one-person households under 65, rounded); Budgetberatung Schweiz, budget examples for single people 2025/2026. Week and day are our own calculation: a month has on average 4.33 weeks (52 ÷ 12) and 30.4 days (365 ÷ 12). For comparison, the average household of 2.07 people spent CHF 638 a month in 2023, 6.2% of gross income (FSO).

Why do the FSO average and the guideline differ?

Source: Budgetberatung Schweiz, budget examples for single people, version 2025/2026; monthly amounts in Swiss francs. Household extras are cleaning and laundry products, personal care and waste disposal. The examples do not account for regional differences. For the whole budget of a single person on CHF 5'000 net, rent and taxes included, see the guide to monthly budgets in Switzerland with examples.

The years you pick matter too. In 2020-2021 the Covid restrictions partly changed the structure of household budgets (FSO): people living alone spent CHF 387 a month on groceries instead of 337, and CHF 284 on restaurants and accommodation instead of 397. That is why 2018-2019 stays the reference. The FSO publishes household types only for pooled years; the 2022-2024 series is announced for November 2026.

What does a one-person grocery budget include, and what does it leave out?

Both the FSO measure and the guideline cover food and non-alcoholic drinks consumed at home. Left out are restaurants and accommodation (CHF 397 a month in 2018-2019, more than is spent on groceries), alcohol and tobacco (CHF 69) and, for Budgetberatung Schweiz, hosting guests; work-related meals out sit in the amount left over. Cleaning products, personal care and waste disposal are a separate line, CHF 40 to 100 a month. If you count them as groceries, add them to the guideline figure in the table. A card statement shows only the total paid at the shop; only the receipt separates the bread from the washing powder.

Why do people living alone spend more per head?

Spending does not grow in proportion to the number of people. In 2018-2019 someone living alone spent CHF 337 a month, each person in a couple under 65 CHF 321 (CHF 642 ÷ 2 people) and each person in a couple with two children CHF 239 (CHF 955 ÷ 4 people; FSO, tables T20.02.01.00.13 and T20.02.01.00.43, our calculation). The likely reasons: oil, spices or a packet of rice cost the same for one person as for four; large packs are cheaper per kilo but take longer to finish when you live alone; and in families young children eat less. The FSO does not measure the reasons. All household sizes are in the grocery budget table by household size, and the daily cost is in the guide to food cost per day.

What about people living alone aged 65 or over?

About CHF 403 a month in 2018-2019 and CHF 412 in 2020-2021, more than under 65 (337 and 387, FSO). For the budget of this age group, see the guide to the grocery budget for seniors.

How can you stay on budget when you live alone?

Choose a figure before you shop and check it at the end of the month. No step guarantees a number: what changes depends on what you eat.

1. Choose your figure. Take the guideline in the table that matches your net income; the FSO average shows where you stand.
2. Cook for one. Four or five dinners, portions to freeze and only the ingredients you need: ideas and method are in the guide to meal planning for one person.
3. Write a list with prices before you go. A grocery list with prices tells you at home whether the week fits your figure.
4. Look at the offers before you write the list, not in front of the shelf, and compare the price per kilo or per litre.
5. Add up the receipts at the end of the month. Take out cleaning products and alcohol and compare the total with your figure; the weekly amounts are in the guide to the weekly grocery cost.

How do you find your own figure?

Add up a whole month of receipts: it is more reliable than any average. You can start today: keep this week’s grocery receipts and photograph them in the evening or upload them from your gallery; purchases without a receipt you enter by hand. 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: it sorts your purchases into categories and shows your spending by month, next to your own monthly average. It covers only groceries, not rent, health insurance or taxes: for the whole budget you need a household budget template or the free tools of Budgetberatung Schweiz.

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.