Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Airolo and Lausanne

For one person, living is cheaper in Airolo: $3,388 a month against $3,716 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lausanne outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

165

Cost of Living Index in Airolo
Learn more

Airolo Living Index
181

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
Learn more

Lausanne Living Index

Jump to prices

Airolo

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,388

/mo nomad

Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Airolo and in Lausanne

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Airolo and in Lausanne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,388 per month in Airolo vs $3,716 in Lausanne, rent included.

Airolo $3,388
Lausanne $3,716

A couple spends around $5,161 per month in Airolo vs $5,694 in Lausanne, rent included.

Airolo $5,161
Lausanne $5,694

A family of three spends $6,934 per month in Airolo vs $7,671 in Lausanne, rent included.

Airolo $6,934
Lausanne $7,671

Airolo is about 9% cheaper than Lausanne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Airolo and Lausanne sit above the global median – Airolo by 151%, Lausanne by 175%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.08 CHF 24.77

$30.26 CHF 24.92

-0.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 100

$115 CHF 94.9

5.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.00 CHF 14.83

$17.67 CHF 14.55

1.87%

Cappuccino

$6.19 CHF 5.10

$6.17 CHF 5.08

0.32%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.28 CHF 4.35

$5.08 CHF 4.18

3.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 CHF 4.06

$4.09 CHF 3.37

20.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.87 CHF 7.30

$10.38 CHF 8.55

-14.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 CHF 6.10

$9.86 CHF 8.12

-24.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 CHF 1.75

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-4.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.74 CHF 3.08

$3.94 CHF 3.24

-5.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.66 CHF 3.02

$3.26 CHF 2.69

12.27%

Eggs

$7.68 CHF 6.32

$7.05 CHF 5.81

8.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.26 CHF 21.63

$24.39 CHF 20.09

7.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.37 CHF 23.36

$27.45 CHF 22.61

3.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.16 CHF 33.08

$38.74 CHF 31.91

3.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 CHF 2.86

$3.47 CHF 2.85

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 CHF 1.62

$2.05 CHF 1.69

-3.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 CHF 2.23

$2.44 CHF 2.01

11.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 CHF 3.92

$4.58 CHF 3.77

3.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 CHF 1.45

$1.77 CHF 1.46

-0.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$1.99 CHF 1.64

8.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.87

$1.97 CHF 1.62

15.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 CHF 1.07

$1.66 CHF 1.36

-21.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.95 CHF 9.02

$10.57 CHF 8.71

3.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 CHF 10.70

$15.01 CHF 12.36

-13.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 CHF 2.28

$2.74 CHF 2.25

1.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 CHF 2.66

$3.12 CHF 2.57

3.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.61 CHF 3.80

$4.43 CHF 3.65

4.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 CHF 82.4

$92.8 CHF 76.5

7.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.74 CHF 6.37

$7.96 CHF 6.55

-2.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.59 CHF 3.78

$4.57 CHF 3.76

0.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$73.8 CHF 60.8

$85.0 CHF 70.0

-13.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 CHF 1.86

$2.28 CHF 1.87

-0.88%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$41.6K CHF 34.2K

$42.3K CHF 34.9K

-1.84%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$39.2K CHF 32.3K

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

-1.11%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$282 CHF 232

$292 CHF 240

-3.59%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$33.23 CHF 27.37

$36.21 CHF 29.82

-8.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 CHF 45.69

$50.5 CHF 41.62

9.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$88.6 CHF 73.0

$70.0 CHF 57.7

26.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.27 CHF 37.29

$47.43 CHF 39.07

-4.55%

Cinema Ticket

$22.94 CHF 18.90

$24.44 CHF 20.13

-6.14%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,616 CHF 2,155

$2,850 CHF 2,347

-8.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.5K CHF 27.6K

$37.1K CHF 30.5K

-9.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$138 CHF 114

$142 CHF 117

-2.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.4 CHF 48.96

$77.7 CHF 64.0

-23.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$148 CHF 122

$138 CHF 114

7.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$186 CHF 153

$214 CHF 176

-13.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,687 CHF 1,389

$2,256 CHF 1,858

-25.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,437 CHF 1,184

$1,763 CHF 1,452

-18.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,878 CHF 2,370

$4,291 CHF 3,534

-32.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,427 CHF 1,999

$3,206 CHF 2,640

-24.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.0K CHF 13.2K

$18.2K CHF 15.0K

-11.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.1K CHF 10.0K

$14.0K CHF 11.5K

-12.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,426 CHF 5,292

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.07

1.95

6.15%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Airolo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lausanne: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Airolo

$1.4K 42.4%

Lausanne

$1.8K 47.5% 22.7% $326

Groceries & Markets

Airolo

$589 17.4%

Lausanne

$579 15.6% 1.8% $11

Eating Out

Airolo

$469 13.8%

Lausanne

$477 12.9% 1.8% $8.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Airolo

$370 10.9%

Lausanne

$379 10.2% 2.3% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

Airolo

$239 7.1%

Lausanne

$257 6.9% 7.7% $18

Getting Around

Airolo

$149 4.4%

Lausanne

$141 3.8% 5.2% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Airolo

$135 4%

Lausanne

$119 3.2% 11.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,687 in Airolo versus $2,256 in Lausanne. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Airolo versus $115 in Lausanne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $589 vs $579 – making Lausanne the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Airolo

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

Same time as Airolo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,500

133,521

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Airolo Lausanne 150 km

From you

Airolo
Lausanne

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Airolo vs Lausanne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lausanne costs about 10% more than Airolo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,083 per month in Airolo and $5,574 in Lausanne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Airolo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,388 in Airolo and $3,716 in Lausanne. That's a gap of about 10%.

Public transport costs about 8% less in Airolo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,388 in Airolo and $3,716 in Lausanne. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Airolo costs $3,388 versus $3,716 in Lausanne. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Airolo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lausanne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.