The Paris metro is €1.90 (from a quick online search), which I’d argue is pretty close to nominal: it’s substantially below even the cheap public transit systems in the US like the NYC subway.

NYC subway is $2.75 / trip. Before the euro lost value those would be equivalent rates.

Single fares in Switzerland are indeed extortionate, but there are a wide variety of passes that cut costs considerably, including one that gives you free travel throughout the entire country.

https://www.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-and-tickets/railpasses/ga....

There's a pass that gives actual free travel, or just unlimited travel for a fixed price?

You pay CHF 3860 upfront, and you get a magical card that lets you ride (almost) every train and bus in Switzerland as much as you like for a year.

That's about $11.50/day, including weekends, or $16/biz day. For a commuter, that's $8 each way. That is a pretty substantial fare.