Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Airolo

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.

181

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index
165

Cost of Living Index in Airolo
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Airolo Living Index

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Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,716

/mo nomad

Airolo

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,388

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne and in Airolo

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

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

Lausanne $3,716
Airolo $3,388

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

Lausanne $5,694
Airolo $5,161

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

Lausanne $7,671
Airolo $6,934

Lausanne costs about 10% more than Airolo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.26 CHF 24.92

$30.08 CHF 24.77

0.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$115 CHF 94.9

$122 CHF 100

-5.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.67 CHF 14.55

$18.00 CHF 14.83

-1.83%

Cappuccino

$6.17 CHF 5.08

$6.19 CHF 5.10

-0.32%

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

$5.08 CHF 4.18

$5.28 CHF 4.35

-3.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 CHF 3.37

$4.93 CHF 4.06

-17.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.38 CHF 8.55

$8.87 CHF 7.30

17.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 CHF 8.12

$7.40 CHF 6.10

33.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.84

$2.13 CHF 1.75

4.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 CHF 3.24

$3.74 CHF 3.08

5.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 CHF 2.69

$3.66 CHF 3.02

-10.93%

Eggs

$7.05 CHF 5.81

$7.68 CHF 6.32

-8.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.39 CHF 20.09

$26.26 CHF 21.63

-7.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.45 CHF 22.61

$28.37 CHF 23.36

-3.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.74 CHF 31.91

$40.16 CHF 33.08

-3.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 CHF 2.85

$3.47 CHF 2.86

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 CHF 1.69

$1.97 CHF 1.62

4.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$2.71 CHF 2.23

-9.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.77

$4.75 CHF 3.92

-3.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 CHF 1.46

$1.76 CHF 1.45

0.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 CHF 1.64

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-7.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 CHF 1.62

$2.27 CHF 1.87

-13.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 CHF 1.36

$1.30 CHF 1.07

27.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.57 CHF 8.71

$10.95 CHF 9.02

-3.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.01 CHF 12.36

$12.99 CHF 10.70

15.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 CHF 2.25

$2.77 CHF 2.28

-1.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 CHF 2.57

$3.23 CHF 2.66

-3.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.43 CHF 3.65

$4.61 CHF 3.80

-3.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.8 CHF 76.5

$100 CHF 82.4

-7.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 CHF 6.55

$7.74 CHF 6.37

2.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.57 CHF 3.76

$4.59 CHF 3.78

-0.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$85.0 CHF 70.0

$73.8 CHF 60.8

15.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 CHF 1.87

$2.26 CHF 1.86

0.88%

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

$42.3K CHF 34.9K

$41.6K CHF 34.2K

1.87%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$39.2K CHF 32.3K

1.12%

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

$292 CHF 240

$282 CHF 232

3.72%

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

$36.21 CHF 29.82

$33.23 CHF 27.37

8.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 CHF 41.62

$55.5 CHF 45.69

-8.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.0 CHF 57.7

$88.6 CHF 73.0

-21.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.43 CHF 39.07

$45.27 CHF 37.29

4.77%

Cinema Ticket

$24.44 CHF 20.13

$22.94 CHF 18.90

6.54%

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

$2,850 CHF 2,347

$2,616 CHF 2,155

8.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.1K CHF 30.5K

$33.5K CHF 27.6K

10.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$142 CHF 117

$138 CHF 114

2.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.7 CHF 64.0

$59.4 CHF 48.96

30.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 CHF 114

$148 CHF 122

-6.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$214 CHF 176

$186 CHF 153

15.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,256 CHF 1,858

$1,687 CHF 1,389

33.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 CHF 1,452

$1,437 CHF 1,184

22.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,291 CHF 3,534

$2,878 CHF 2,370

49.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,206 CHF 2,640

$2,427 CHF 1,999

32.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K CHF 15.0K

$16.0K CHF 13.2K

13.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.0K CHF 11.5K

$12.1K CHF 10.0K

14.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,426 CHF 5,292

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

2.07

-5.80%

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

Last update for Lausanne: October 13, 2026

Last update for Airolo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.8K 47.5%

Airolo

$1.4K 42.4% 18.5% $326

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$579 15.6%

Airolo

$589 17.4% 1.8% $11

Eating Out

Lausanne

$477 12.9%

Airolo

$469 13.8% 1.8% $8.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$379 10.2%

Airolo

$370 10.9% 2.2% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$257 6.9%

Airolo

$239 7.1% 7.2% $18

Getting Around

Lausanne

$141 3.8%

Airolo

$149 4.4% 5.5% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$119 3.2%

Airolo

$135 4% 13.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,256 in Lausanne versus $1,687 in Airolo. 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 $115 in Lausanne versus $122 in Airolo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $579 vs $589 – making Lausanne the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇨🇭 Airolo

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

Same time as Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

1,500

💱 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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Lausanne Airolo 150 km

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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

Lausanne vs Airolo: 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 $5,574 per month in Lausanne and $5,083 in Airolo. 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 $3,716 in Lausanne and $3,388 in Airolo. 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 $3,716 in Lausanne and $3,388 in Airolo. 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.