Switzerland student budget planner

University Cost Calculator for Switzerland

Compare tuition, dormitory or apartment costs, and monthly living expenses for the main universities in Switzerland. The form below preloads official tuition data and published student budget guidance, then lets you fine-tune the estimate for your own housing and lifestyle.

12 major Swiss universities
Tuition + housing + food + insurance
Monthly and annual totals
Editable assumptions

Cost calculator

Choose a university and the calculator will fill in a planning budget. You can overwrite any number.

Monthly housing and living costs

Estimated totals

Monthly living cost
CHF 2'260
Housing + food + insurance + transport + study + phone + personal + other
Annual living cost
CHF 27'120
Monthly living × 12 months
Annual tuition + fees
CHF 1'558
Tuition + compulsory semester fees × 2
First-year total
CHF 28'778
Includes one-time admission / registration fee
Why the numbers differ: Swiss universities publish different tuition rules, residence conditions, and living-cost guidance. This page uses the university’s own figures where available, then fills missing items with the same university’s published student budget or housing guidance.

Current reference status: Official tuition table status: 17 July 2025 on swissuniversities. University living-cost pages vary by institution and city.

Selected university profile

University of Zurich (UZH) in Zurich. UZH publishes a minimum cost of living of CHF 2,200/month, including housing, food, travel, insurance, and personal costs.

Tuition per semester: CHF 720 | Semester fees: CHF 59 | One-time fee: CHF 100

All universities included

University Tuition Typical monthly budget Housing guidance
University of Zurich (UZH)
Zurich · University 		Swiss bachelor 720 / foreign bachelor 1'220
Swiss master 720 / foreign master 820 		CHF 2'200 / month Shared/dorm from CHF 910; apartment from CHF 1'300
ETH Zurich
Zurich · University of Technology 		Swiss bachelor 730 / foreign bachelor 2'190
Swiss master 730 / foreign master 2'190 		CHF 2'200 / month Shared/dorm from CHF 900; apartment from CHF 1'300
University of Basel
Basel · University 		Swiss bachelor 850 / foreign bachelor 850
Swiss master 850 / foreign master 850 		CHF 2'050 / month Shared/dorm from CHF 600; apartment from CHF 1'100
University of Bern
Bern · University 		Swiss bachelor 750 / foreign bachelor 950
Swiss master 750 / foreign master 950 		CHF 1'600 / month Shared/dorm from CHF 550; apartment from CHF 1'100
University of Fribourg
Fribourg · University 		Swiss bachelor 720 / foreign bachelor 870
Swiss master 720 / foreign master 870 		CHF 1'750 / month Shared/dorm from CHF 400; apartment from CHF 700
University of Geneva
Geneva · University 		Swiss bachelor 435 / foreign bachelor 435
Swiss master 435 / foreign master 435 		CHF 1'800 / month Shared/dorm from CHF 550; apartment from CHF 700
University of Lausanne / EPFL area
Lausanne · University / EPFL 		Swiss bachelor 500 / foreign bachelor 500
Swiss master 500 / foreign master 500 		CHF 2'393 / month Shared/dorm from CHF 900; apartment from CHF 1'100
University of Lucerne
Lucerne · University 		Swiss bachelor 725 / foreign bachelor 1'025
Swiss master 725 / foreign master 1'025 		CHF 2'100 / month Shared/dorm from CHF 700; apartment from CHF 1'100
University of Neuchâtel
Neuchâtel · University 		Swiss bachelor 425 / foreign bachelor 700
Swiss master 425 / foreign master 700 		CHF 1'750 / month Shared/dorm from CHF 550; apartment from CHF 1'150
University of St.Gallen (HSG)
St.Gallen · University 		Swiss bachelor 1'000 / foreign bachelor 2'900
Swiss master 1'200 / foreign master 3'100 		CHF 2'200 / month Shared/dorm from CHF 750; apartment from CHF 1'350
Università della Svizzera italiana (USI)
Lugano / Mendrisio · University 		Swiss bachelor 2'000 / foreign bachelor 4'000
Swiss master 2'000 / foreign master 4'000 		CHF 1'650 / month Shared/dorm from CHF 650; apartment from CHF 900

Budget notes you can show on the page

Zurich: UZH expects at least CHF 2,200/month; ETH Zurich’s tuition is CHF 730 or CHF 2,190 per semester depending on fee group.

Basel: University of Basel’s sample budget for students not living with parents is around CHF 2,050-2,150/month.

Bern: University of Bern advises at least CHF 1,500/month for accommodation and food, with general living costs around CHF 1,600/month.

Fribourg: University guidance says CHF 1,600-1,900/month, with rent all-inclusive around CHF 350-450.

Geneva: University guidance commonly lands around CHF 1,800-1,900/month, with student housing often in the CHF 380-700 range depending on room type.

Lausanne / EPFL: EPFL recommends about CHF 29,000/year for living expenses, plus tuition.

Lucerne: Official guidance totals CHF 2,100/month.

Neuchâtel: Typical monthly budgets are about CHF 1,600-1,900, with off-campus accommodation totals around CHF 790-1,240.

St.Gallen: HSG recommends about CHF 2,200/month for Swiss nationals and about CHF 2,500/month for foreign students.

USI: Lugano / Mendrisio living costs are typically CHF 1,300-1,900/month, while tuition is CHF 4,000/semester or CHF 2,000 for certain residents.

Official source notes used for this page

Tuition fees were taken from the swissuniversities tuition overview pages for universities, universities of applied sciences, and teacher education institutions, which state the figures are current as of 17 July 2025. Living-cost guidance and housing ranges were taken from official university pages for UZH, ETH Zurich, Basel, Bern, Fribourg, Geneva, EPFL / Lausanne, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, St.Gallen, and USI. The values on this page are planning estimates only and can differ by faculty, nationality, residence status, and study program.