Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cham and Lausanne

For one person, living is cheaper in Cham: $3,575 a month against $3,837 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lausanne outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

172

Cost of Living Index in Cham
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Cham Living Index
183

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index

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Cham

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,575

/mo nomad

Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,575 in Cham versus $3,837 in Lausanne.

Cham $3,575
Lausanne $3,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,453 in Cham versus $5,789 in Lausanne.

Cham $5,453
Lausanne $5,789

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,331 in Cham versus $7,741 in Lausanne.

Cham $7,331
Lausanne $7,741

Living in Cham costs roughly 7% less than in Lausanne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cham 163% above, Lausanne 182% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.74 CHF 24.65

$30.81 CHF 25.54

-3.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 101

$116 CHF 95.9

5.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.93 CHF 14.86

$17.81 CHF 14.76

0.67%

Cappuccino

$5.82 CHF 4.83

$6.13 CHF 5.08

-5.06%

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

$5.32 CHF 4.41

$5.17 CHF 4.29

2.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 CHF 4.04

$4.15 CHF 3.44

17.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.45 CHF 7.00

$10.14 CHF 8.41

-16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 CHF 5.41

$9.59 CHF 7.95

-31.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 CHF 1.76

$2.22 CHF 1.84

-4.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.76 CHF 3.12

$3.81 CHF 3.16

-1.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.62 CHF 3.00

$3.28 CHF 2.72

10.37%

Eggs

$7.27 CHF 6.02

$7.24 CHF 6.00

0.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.38 CHF 21.86

$24.40 CHF 20.23

8.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.65 CHF 23.75

$27.51 CHF 22.80

4.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.06 CHF 34.86

$39.81 CHF 33.00

5.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.91 CHF 3.24

$3.54 CHF 2.93

10.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.78

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 CHF 2.57

$2.49 CHF 2.07

24.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.79

$4.49 CHF 3.72

2.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 CHF 1.87

$1.86 CHF 1.54

20.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 CHF 1.86

$1.94 CHF 1.60

15.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 CHF 1.98

$1.99 CHF 1.65

20.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 CHF 0.92

$1.69 CHF 1.40

-34.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.02 CHF 9.14

$10.99 CHF 9.11

0.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 CHF 10.01

$14.96 CHF 12.40

-19.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 CHF 2.33

$2.64 CHF 2.18

6.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 CHF 2.57

$3.13 CHF 2.60

-0.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.13 CHF 4.25

$4.68 CHF 3.88

9.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$146 CHF 121

$96.1 CHF 79.6

52.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 CHF 3.68

$7.94 CHF 6.58

-44.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.96 CHF 2.45

$4.45 CHF 3.69

-33.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.7 CHF 49.45

$83.5 CHF 69.2

-28.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 CHF 1.82

$2.31 CHF 1.91

-5.19%

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

$39.7K CHF 32.9K

$39.4K CHF 32.7K

0.70%

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

$39.9K CHF 33.1K

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

0.89%

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

$286 CHF 237

$299 CHF 248

-4.31%

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

$29.15 CHF 24.16

$37.02 CHF 30.68

-21.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.8 CHF 45.46

$52.2 CHF 43.22

5.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.3 CHF 70.7

$70.6 CHF 58.6

20.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.01 CHF 33.16

$48.90 CHF 40.53

-18.18%

Cinema Ticket

$22.10 CHF 18.32

$24.49 CHF 20.30

-9.76%

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

$1,488 CHF 1,233

$2,960 CHF 2,453

-49.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K CHF 20.5K

$36.8K CHF 30.5K

-32.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 114

$143 CHF 119

-4.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.0 CHF 44.72

$78.8 CHF 65.3

-31.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$157 CHF 130

$139 CHF 116

12.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$249 CHF 206

$213 CHF 177

16.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,780 CHF 1,476

$2,369 CHF 1,964

-24.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 CHF 1,298

$1,863 CHF 1,544

-15.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,896 CHF 2,400

$4,244 CHF 3,517

-31.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,704 CHF 2,242

$3,230 CHF 2,678

-16.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.0K CHF 10.8K

$18.4K CHF 15.3K

-29.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.7K CHF 9,721

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

-13.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,587 CHF 5,460

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.03

1.95

4.10%

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

Last update for Cham: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lausanne: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cham

$1.6K 43.8%

Lausanne

$1.9K 48.6% 18.9% $296

Groceries & Markets

Cham

$597 16.7%

Lausanne

$583 15.2% 2.5% $15

Eating Out

Cham

$458 12.8%

Lausanne

$481 12.5% 5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cham

$370 10.4%

Lausanne

$388 10.1% 4.9% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Cham

$268 7.5%

Lausanne

$259 6.7% 3.7% $9.9

Getting Around

Cham

$186 5.2%

Lausanne

$145 3.8% 22% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Cham

$129 3.6%

Lausanne

$120 3.1% 7.6% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,780 in Cham and $2,369 in Lausanne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $122 in Cham vs $116 in Lausanne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $597 vs $583 per month, with Lausanne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Cham

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🕒 Local time

12:41 12:41 PM

Same time as Cham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,060

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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Cham Lausanne 160 km

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Cham
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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

Cham vs Lausanne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cham is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $5,362 in Cham 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: $1,780 in Cham versus $2,369 in Lausanne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lausanne runs roughly 34% less than in Cham. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $3,575 per month in Cham versus $3,837 in Lausanne – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Cham 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, Cham 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.