Cost of Living score
Affordability, essential costs, and day-to-day financial pressure for residents.
Cost of Living in Zurich52/100
Cost of Living
Cost of Living in Zurich
Zurich is among the most expensive global cities on rent and services, with strong wages and public-service quality offsetting some pressure. Cost of Living in Zurich scores 52/100, placing it in the early-stage group of the indexed set.
- Last updated
- 2026-05-16
- Data year
- 2025
- Module score
- 52/100
Affordability score
52/100
Lower score driven by globally elevated price levels.
Housing pressure
Very high
Long-run demand keeps central rental markets highly competitive.
Service quality offset
Strong
Health, education, and transit quality reduce hidden costs.
Zurich cost of living data table
This HTML table mirrors the visible score cards so important comparison data is never trapped in a browser-only chart.
| Metric | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Affordability score | 52/100 | Wages and service quality offset some pressure. |
| Housing pressure | Very high | New entrants face the most pressure. |
| Service quality offset | Strong | Daily-life reliability is a major strength. |
Cost of Living city comparison
A crawlable comparison across a selection of same-country and top-scoring cities. The complete set is reachable via the rankings, the cities index, and each city profile.
| City | Score | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Zurich (this page) | 52/100 | Zurich is among the most expensive global cities on rent and services, with strong wages and public-service quality offsetting some pressure. |
| Basel | 62/100 | Basel's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Geneva | 60/100 | Geneva's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Biel/Bienne | 52/100 | Biel/Bienne's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Neuchâtel | 46/100 | Neuchâtel's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| St. Gallen | 41/100 | St. Gallen's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Winterthur | 40/100 | Winterthur's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Lugano | 37/100 | Lugano's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Bern | 36/100 | Bern's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Lucerne | 35/100 | Lucerne's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Lausanne | 34/100 | Lausanne's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Saint-Quentin | 82/100 | Saint-Quentin's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Brăila | 82/100 | Brăila's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Pleven | 82/100 | Pleven's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Galați | 82/100 | Galați's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Hanoi | 82/100 | Hanoi is comparatively affordable for housing and services across most districts. |
| Addis Ababa | 82/100 | Addis Ababa is comparatively affordable for housing and services across most districts. |
| Foggia | 81/100 | Foggia's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Wałbrzych | 81/100 | Wałbrzych's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Bytom | 81/100 | Bytom's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Ruda Śląska | 81/100 | Ruda Śląska's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Teruel | 80/100 | Teruel's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Balti | 80/100 | Balti's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Béthune | 80/100 | Béthune's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Bourges | 80/100 | Bourges's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Calais | 80/100 | Calais's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Boulogne-sur-Mer | 80/100 | Boulogne-sur-Mer's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Montbéliard | 80/100 | Montbéliard's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Cosenza | 80/100 | Cosenza's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Catanzaro | 80/100 | Catanzaro's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
| Dąbrowa Górnicza | 80/100 | Dąbrowa Górnicza's cost-of-living profile is a directional indicator pending integration of verified city-level data; structured benchmark context applies. |
Interpretation
The cost-of-living model captures the gap between sticker prices and effective household pressure. Zurich's wages and services moderate the impact for residents. Across the indexed cities the cost of living average is 63/100, so Zurich is 11 points below the median. Data year 2025; last updated 2026-05-16. Drawn from 3 institutional references.
Read this module with the main open the zurich city profile and the read the scoring methodology page so single-topic pages do not hide tradeoffs across dimensions.
Structured indicators on this page are directional and intended for orientation. Verified datasets are being integrated; official sources should be used for critical decisions.
Sources
3 institutional references inform this view, listed below with reliability notes. Structured indicators on this page are directional and intended for orientation; verified datasets are being integrated and official sources should be used for critical decisions.
- UN-Habitat: World Cities Report 2024
Used as a policy and methodology reference for urban exposure and resilience signals.
- IPCC: AR6 WGII Chapter 6: Cities, settlements and key infrastructure
Used to explain urban climate vulnerability and adaptation scoring logic.
- Numbeo: Cost of Living Index
Used for directional affordability framing alongside official housing and price datasets.
Continue exploring
These links connect module pages back to city, ranking, and sibling topic paths with crawlable href values.
Zurich city profile
Return to the complete Zurich profile with all module scores and source context.
Air Quality in Zurich
Health-oriented air-quality conditions with context from WHO, EEA, and EPA benchmarks.
Energy in Zurich
Clean-energy readiness, grid resilience, and solar or efficiency opportunity signals.
Safety in Zurich
Personal safety, institutional trust, and resilience signals informed by international safety and crime data.
Internet Speed in Zurich
Broadband and mobile connectivity quality, latency, and digital-readiness signals for residents and remote workers.
Climate Risk in Zurich
Climate exposure, hazard frequency, and adaptation context for floods, heat, storms, and wildfires.
Overall Intelligence
A balanced ranking of cities across affordability, air quality, clean-energy readiness, and resilience.
Quality of Life
Cities that combine strong services, mobility, safety, clean air, and resilience into a healthy day-to-day profile.