Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bern and Lausanne

For one person, living is cheaper in Bern: $3,524 a month against $3,837 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

171

Cost of Living Index in Bern
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Bern Living Index
183

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index

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Bern

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,524

/mo nomad

Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bern 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 Bern and in Lausanne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,524 in Bern versus $3,837 in Lausanne.

Bern $3,524
Lausanne $3,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,348 in Bern versus $5,789 in Lausanne.

Bern $5,348
Lausanne $5,789

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,171 in Bern versus $7,741 in Lausanne.

Bern $7,171
Lausanne $7,741

Living in Bern costs roughly 8% less than in Lausanne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bern 159% above, Lausanne 182% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.73 CHF 23.83

$30.81 CHF 25.56

-6.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$123 CHF 102

$116 CHF 96.0

6.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.88 CHF 13.17

$17.81 CHF 14.77

-10.84%

Cappuccino

$6.89 CHF 5.72

$6.13 CHF 5.08

12.40%

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

$6.13 CHF 5.09

$5.17 CHF 4.29

18.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 CHF 5.78

$4.15 CHF 3.44

67.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.11 CHF 7.55

$10.14 CHF 8.42

-10.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.06 CHF 6.69

$9.59 CHF 7.95

-15.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 CHF 1.84

$2.22 CHF 1.84

-0.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.92 CHF 2.42

$3.81 CHF 3.16

-23.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.17 CHF 2.63

$3.28 CHF 2.72

-3.35%

Eggs

$7.70 CHF 6.39

$7.24 CHF 6.00

6.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.56 CHF 20.37

$24.40 CHF 20.24

0.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.33 CHF 24.33

$27.51 CHF 22.82

6.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.43 CHF 31.88

$39.81 CHF 33.02

-3.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.80 CHF 3.15

$3.54 CHF 2.93

7.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 CHF 1.67

$2.15 CHF 1.78

-6.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 CHF 2.15

$2.49 CHF 2.07

4.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.62 CHF 3.83

$4.49 CHF 3.73

2.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 CHF 1.37

$1.86 CHF 1.54

-11.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 CHF 1.70

$1.94 CHF 1.61

5.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 CHF 1.84

$1.99 CHF 1.65

11.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CHF 1.06

$1.69 CHF 1.40

-24.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.13 CHF 9.24

$10.99 CHF 9.12

1.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.91 CHF 9.88

$14.96 CHF 12.41

-20.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 CHF 1.90

$2.64 CHF 2.19

-13.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 CHF 2.51

$3.13 CHF 2.60

-3.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.35 CHF 5.27

$4.68 CHF 3.88

35.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.9 CHF 81.2

$96.1 CHF 79.7

1.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.99 CHF 6.63

$7.94 CHF 6.58

0.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.66 CHF 3.86

$4.45 CHF 3.69

4.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$110 CHF 91.4

$83.5 CHF 69.2

31.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 CHF 1.96

$2.31 CHF 1.91

2.16%

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

$38.5K CHF 32.0K

$39.4K CHF 32.7K

-2.23%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.9K

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

0.11%

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

$272 CHF 225

$299 CHF 248

-9.06%

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

$28.10 CHF 23.31

$37.02 CHF 30.71

-24.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.0 CHF 44.82

$52.2 CHF 43.26

3.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.2 CHF 70.7

$70.6 CHF 58.6

20.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.65 CHF 39.53

$48.90 CHF 40.56

-2.56%

Cinema Ticket

$25.53 CHF 21.18

$24.49 CHF 20.32

4.25%

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

$3,123 CHF 2,591

$2,960 CHF 2,455

5.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K CHF 25.3K

$36.8K CHF 30.5K

-16.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 119

$143 CHF 119

0.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.4 CHF 50.9

$78.8 CHF 65.4

-22.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$155 CHF 129

$139 CHF 116

11.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$198 CHF 164

$213 CHF 177

-7.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CHF 1,744

$2,369 CHF 1,966

-11.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 CHF 1,314

$1,863 CHF 1,545

-14.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,558 CHF 2,952

$4,244 CHF 3,520

-16.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,670 CHF 2,215

$3,230 CHF 2,680

-17.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K CHF 15.1K

$18.4K CHF 15.3K

-0.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.0K CHF 11.6K

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

3.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,701 CHF 5,559

$6,587 CHF 5,465

1.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.46

1.95

26.15%

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

Last update for Bern: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lausanne: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bern

$1.6K 45%

Lausanne

$1.9K 48.6% 17.6% $279

Groceries & Markets

Bern

$570 16.2%

Lausanne

$583 15.2% 2.3% $13

Eating Out

Bern

$474 13.5%

Lausanne

$481 12.5% 1.3% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bern

$354 10%

Lausanne

$388 10.1% 9.6% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Bern

$251 7.1%

Lausanne

$259 6.7% 2.9% $7.3

Getting Around

Bern

$155 4.4%

Lausanne

$145 3.8% 6.2% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Bern

$136 3.9%

Lausanne

$120 3.1% 12.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,102 in Bern and $2,369 in Lausanne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $123 in Bern vs $116 in Lausanne. Groceries flip the comparison at $570 vs $583, with Bern cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Bern

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🕒 Local time

00:45 12:45 AM

Same time as Bern

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

128,848 Capital

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

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Bern Lausanne 78 km

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Bern
Lausanne

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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

Bern vs Lausanne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bern wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Lausanne. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bern the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $5,286 in Bern and $5,756 in Lausanne to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,102 in Bern versus $2,369 in Lausanne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,524 per month in Bern versus $3,837 in Lausanne – Bern is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Dining out is cheaper in Lausanne – a meal for two runs $116 versus $123 in Bern. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Bern is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bern and Lausanne are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.