Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buchs and Lausanne

For one person, living is cheaper in Buchs: $3,009 a month against $3,769 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Buchs
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Buchs Living Index
182

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index

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Buchs

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,009

/mo nomad

Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,769

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,009 in Buchs versus $3,769 in Lausanne.

Buchs $3,009
Lausanne $3,769

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,535 in Buchs versus $5,735 in Lausanne.

Buchs $4,535
Lausanne $5,735

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,062 in Buchs versus $7,701 in Lausanne.

Buchs $6,062
Lausanne $7,701

Living in Buchs costs roughly 20% less than in Lausanne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buchs 122% above, Lausanne 178% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.43 CHF 19.30

$29.80 CHF 24.54

-21.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 CHF 69.4

$113 CHF 93.1

-25.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.36 CHF 12.65

$17.81 CHF 14.67

-13.76%

Cappuccino

$4.71 CHF 3.88

$6.01 CHF 4.95

-21.63%

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

$3.77 CHF 3.10

$5.16 CHF 4.25

-26.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 CHF 2.63

$4.25 CHF 3.50

-24.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.13 CHF 5.04

$10.19 CHF 8.39

-39.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.39 CHF 4.44

$9.58 CHF 7.89

-43.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 CHF 1.66

$2.21 CHF 1.82

-9.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 CHF 3.24

$4.03 CHF 3.32

-2.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.64 CHF 3.82

$3.35 CHF 2.76

38.51%

Eggs

$7.32 CHF 6.03

$7.33 CHF 6.04

-0.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$32.21 CHF 26.53

$24.14 CHF 19.89

33.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.51 CHF 15.24

$27.97 CHF 23.04

-33.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.47 CHF 26.74

$39.69 CHF 32.69

-18.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 CHF 2.91

$3.61 CHF 2.97

-2.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$2.04 CHF 1.68

4.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 CHF 2.59

$2.46 CHF 2.03

27.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.70 CHF 5.52

$4.50 CHF 3.70

48.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 CHF 1.46

$1.79 CHF 1.47

-0.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 CHF 2.10

$1.99 CHF 1.64

27.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$2.04 CHF 1.68

19.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 CHF 1.00

$1.77 CHF 1.46

-31.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.84 CHF 8.92

$11.06 CHF 9.11

-1.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 CHF 10.46

$15.26 CHF 12.57

-16.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.28 CHF 2.70

$2.66 CHF 2.19

23.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 CHF 3.22

$3.16 CHF 2.60

23.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.17 CHF 4.25

$4.33 CHF 3.57

19.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 CHF 78.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 CHF 4.42

$7.89 CHF 6.50

-32.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.46 CHF 2.85

$4.62 CHF 3.81

-25.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.2 CHF 50.4

$85.1 CHF 70.1

-28.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.83

$2.40 CHF 1.97

-7.08%

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

$42.5K CHF 35.0K

$39.7K CHF 32.7K

7.29%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

-0.19%

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

$184 CHF 152

$299 CHF 246

-38.26%

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

$31.24 CHF 25.73

$37.20 CHF 30.64

-16.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.2 CHF 55.4

$51.4 CHF 42.34

30.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.3 CHF 59.5

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$49.35 CHF 40.65

Cinema Ticket

$15.20 CHF 12.52

$24.67 CHF 20.31

-38.39%

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

$611 CHF 503

$2,962 CHF 2,440

-79.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K CHF 17.0K

$36.8K CHF 30.3K

-43.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 CHF 88.0

$141 CHF 116

-24.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.70 CHF 19.52

$77.1 CHF 63.5

-69.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 CHF 78.4

$139 CHF 115

-31.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 CHF 140

$215 CHF 177

-21.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,828 CHF 1,505

$2,297 CHF 1,892

-20.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 CHF 1,285

$1,800 CHF 1,482

-13.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,690 CHF 2,216

$4,259 CHF 3,507

-36.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,746 CHF 2,261

$3,215 CHF 2,648

-14.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.0K CHF 14.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.0K CHF 11.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,480 CHF 6,984

$6,544 CHF 5,389

29.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.93

1.95

-1.03%

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

Last update for Buchs: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lausanne: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buchs

$1.6K 51.9%

Lausanne

$1.8K 47.8% 15.3% $239

Groceries & Markets

Buchs

$555 18.4%

Lausanne

$588 15.6% 6% $33

Eating Out

Buchs

$359 11.9%

Lausanne

$472 12.5% 31.3% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buchs

$283 9.4%

Lausanne

$387 10.3% 36.9% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Buchs

$178 5.9%

Lausanne

$257 6.8% 44.7% $79

Getting Around

Buchs

$43 * 1.4%

Lausanne

$143 3.8% 231% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Buchs

$30 * 1%

Lausanne

$122 3.2% 300% $91

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,828 in Buchs and $2,297 in Lausanne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buchs pays 30% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $84.0 in Buchs vs $113 in Lausanne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $555 vs $588 per month, with Buchs cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Buchs

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🕒 Local time

10:09 10:09 AM

Same time as Buchs

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,187

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

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Buchs Lausanne 230 km

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Buchs
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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

Buchs vs Lausanne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buchs and Lausanne differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($3,009 vs $3,769 including rent). Buchs is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 30% higher in Buchs, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,828 in Buchs versus $2,297 in Lausanne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $611 in Buchs versus $2,962 in Lausanne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Buchs – a meal for two runs $84.0 versus $113 in Lausanne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Buchs 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, Buchs and Lausanne are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Buchs gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Lausanne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.