Switzerland vs Austria
51% dearer than — Switzerland against Austria
On national price levels, Switzerland is 51% dearer than Austria. Both figures use the United States as 100.
Where the difference actually sits
A single number hides the interesting part. These are the categories Eurostat prices for both countries.
| Category | Switzerland | Austria | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall consumption (incl. government-funded services) | 123.5 | 80.2 | +54% |
| Food and non-alcoholic drinks | 158.5 | 110.5 | +43% |
| Bread and cereals | 163.0 | 120.0 | +36% |
| Meat | 207.7 | 120.1 | +73% |
| Fish | 165.6 | 125.8 | +32% |
| Milk, cheese and eggs | 147.2 | 102.8 | +43% |
| Fruit and vegetables | 137.0 | 103.1 | +33% |
| Non-alcoholic drinks | 135.2 | 107.6 | +26% |
| Alcoholic drinks | 152.7 | 89.7 | +70% |
| Tobacco | 132.8 | 90.2 | +47% |
| Clothing and footwear | 138.7 | 105.7 | +31% |
| Housing, water, electricity and fuel | 214.4 | 113.3 | +89% |
| Furnishings and household equipment | 138.4 | 110.6 | +25% |
| Health | 223.7 | 148.4 | +51% |
| Transport | 126.9 | 109.1 | +16% |
| Communication | 186.1 | 111.9 | +66% |
| Recreation and culture | 160.6 | 118.3 | +36% |
| Education | 269.9 | 162.8 | +66% |
| Restaurants and hotels | 170.8 | 110.0 | +55% |
SOURCE·Eurostat — purchasing power parities (prc_ppp_ind)·Price level indices by consumption category, published on an EU27=100 basis and rebased here to US=100. CC BY 4.0.·REVIEWED AUG 2026
Before you use this to decide anything
- These are national averages. Comparing two capital cities is a different question and this data cannot answer it.
- Price level is only half of the decision. What matters is prices relative to what you would earn — see what the job pays in each country on PayLens.
- The figures are indices, not prices. Nothing here is a quote for rent or groceries.
How the price level is worked out
- The World Bank publishes a purchasing power parity for household consumption — how much local currency buys the same basket as one US dollar — and the official market exchange rate for the same year.
- The price level is simply PPP ÷ exchange rate × 100. If a basket needs 1.50 New Zealand dollars per US dollar of purchasing power but the market hands you 1.65 New Zealand dollars for that dollar, New Zealand's prices sit at 1.50 ÷ 1.65 = 91% of the US level.
- Nothing is modelled, smoothed or estimated. You can reproduce every number on this site from two public figures.
- Where Eurostat also publishes a price level for the same country and year, the two are compared and the gap is printed — including when they disagree.
SOURCE·World Bank — International Comparison Program·PPP conversion factor for household final consumption, and the official market exchange rate. CC BY 4.0.·REVIEWED AUG 2026
SOURCE·World Bank ICP PPPs + Eurostat price level indices·price levels derived as PPP ÷ exchange rate, see method·REVIEWED AUG 2026