Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fribourg and Lausanne

For one person, living is cheaper in Fribourg: $3,310 a month against $3,716 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Fribourg
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Fribourg Living Index
181

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index

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Fribourg

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,310

/mo nomad

Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,310 per month in Fribourg vs $3,716 in Lausanne, rent included.

Fribourg $3,310
Lausanne $3,716

A couple spends around $4,866 per month in Fribourg vs $5,694 in Lausanne, rent included.

Fribourg $4,866
Lausanne $5,694

A family of three spends $6,423 per month in Fribourg vs $7,671 in Lausanne, rent included.

Fribourg $6,423
Lausanne $7,671

Fribourg is about 11% cheaper than Lausanne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Fribourg and Lausanne sit above the global median – Fribourg by 145%, Lausanne by 175%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.10 CHF 24.79

$30.26 CHF 24.92

-0.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 CHF 97.0

$115 CHF 94.9

2.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.27 CHF 12.58

$17.67 CHF 14.55

-13.58%

Cappuccino

$6.14 CHF 5.06

$6.17 CHF 5.08

-0.49%

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

$4.89 CHF 4.03

$5.08 CHF 4.18

-3.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.12 CHF 4.22

$4.09 CHF 3.37

25.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.18 CHF 5.91

$10.38 CHF 8.55

-30.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.45 CHF 5.31

$9.86 CHF 8.12

-34.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-4.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 CHF 2.59

$3.94 CHF 3.24

-20.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 CHF 2.89

$3.26 CHF 2.69

7.67%

Eggs

$7.23 CHF 5.96

$7.05 CHF 5.81

2.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.79 CHF 19.60

$24.39 CHF 20.09

-2.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.77 CHF 20.40

$27.45 CHF 22.61

-9.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.43 CHF 30.01

$38.74 CHF 31.91

-5.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 CHF 2.90

$3.47 CHF 2.85

1.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.39

$2.05 CHF 1.69

-18.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 CHF 2.03

$2.44 CHF 2.01

0.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.45 CHF 3.67

$4.58 CHF 3.77

-2.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 CHF 1.47

$1.77 CHF 1.46

0.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 CHF 1.70

$1.99 CHF 1.64

4.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 CHF 1.85

$1.97 CHF 1.62

13.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 CHF 1.01

$1.66 CHF 1.36

-25.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 CHF 9.04

$10.57 CHF 8.71

3.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 CHF 8.40

$15.01 CHF 12.36

-32.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.45 CHF 2.84

$2.74 CHF 2.25

25.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 CHF 1.92

$3.12 CHF 2.57

-25.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.57 CHF 2.94

$4.43 CHF 3.65

-19.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.7 CHF 70.6

$92.8 CHF 76.5

-7.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.84 CHF 8.10

$7.96 CHF 6.55

23.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.02 CHF 3.31

$4.57 CHF 3.76

-12.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$72.4 CHF 59.7

$85.0 CHF 70.0

-14.82%

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)

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

$42.3K CHF 34.9K

-1.53%

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

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

-1.98%

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

$336 CHF 277

$292 CHF 240

15.18%

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

$40.26 CHF 33.16

$36.21 CHF 29.82

11.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.2 CHF 46.31

$50.5 CHF 41.62

11.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.8 CHF 48.39

$70.0 CHF 57.7

-16.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.82 CHF 24.56

$47.43 CHF 39.07

-37.13%

Cinema Ticket

$21.24 CHF 17.50

$24.44 CHF 20.13

-13.09%

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

$1,762 CHF 1,451

$2,850 CHF 2,347

-38.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K CHF 29.5K

$37.1K CHF 30.5K

-3.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 CHF 83.0

$142 CHF 117

-29.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.0 CHF 46.97

$77.7 CHF 64.0

-26.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 131

$138 CHF 114

15.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$189 CHF 156

$214 CHF 176

-11.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,570 CHF 1,293

$2,256 CHF 1,858

-30.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,434 CHF 1,181

$1,763 CHF 1,452

-18.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,450 CHF 2,018

$4,291 CHF 3,534

-42.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,176 CHF 1,792

$3,206 CHF 2,640

-32.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$20.6K CHF 16.9K

$18.2K CHF 15.0K

13.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.3K

$14.0K CHF 11.5K

-1.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,808 CHF 5,607

$6,426 CHF 5,292

5.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.31

1.95

18.46%

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

Last update for Fribourg: 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

Fribourg

$1.4K 43.3%

Lausanne

$1.8K 47.5% 23% $330

Groceries & Markets

Fribourg

$536 16.2%

Lausanne

$579 15.6% 8.1% $43

Eating Out

Fribourg

$449 13.6%

Lausanne

$477 12.9% 6.3% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fribourg

$433 13.1%

Lausanne

$379 10.2% 12.5% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Fribourg

$228 6.9%

Lausanne

$257 6.9% 13.1% $30

Getting Around

Fribourg

$130 3.9%

Lausanne

$141 3.8% 8.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Fribourg

$101 3.1%

Lausanne

$119 3.2% 17.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,570 in Fribourg 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.

Salaries run about 6% higher in Fribourg, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $118 in Fribourg versus $115 in Lausanne. Groceries tell a different story – $536 in Fribourg vs $579 in Lausanne – so Fribourg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Fribourg

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

Same time as Fribourg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,485

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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Fribourg Lausanne 51 km

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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

Fribourg vs Lausanne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lausanne costs about 12% more than Fribourg, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,965 per month in Fribourg 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 Fribourg, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,762 per month in Fribourg and $2,850 in Lausanne. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Lausanne, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,310 in Fribourg 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. Fribourg costs $3,310 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 Fribourg. 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.