Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Altstätten

For one person, living costs are similar in Lausanne and in Altstätten: $3,832 and $3,740 a month, rent and utilities included.

184

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
Learn more

Lausanne Living Index
171

Cost of Living Index in Altstätten
Learn more

Altstätten Living Index

Jump to prices

Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,832

/mo nomad

Altstätten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne and in Altstätten

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 Altstätten actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,832 per month in Lausanne vs $3,740 in Altstätten, rent included.

Lausanne $3,832
Altstätten $3,740

A couple spends around $5,808 per month in Lausanne vs $5,258 in Altstätten, rent included.

Lausanne $5,808
Altstätten $5,258

A family of three spends $7,784 per month in Lausanne vs $6,776 in Altstätten, rent included.

Lausanne $7,784
Altstätten $6,776

Lausanne and Altstätten have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Lausanne and Altstätten sit above the global median – Lausanne by 183%, Altstätten by 177%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.02 CHF 24.48

$30.38 CHF 24.77

-1.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$116 CHF 94.8

$121 CHF 98.8

-4.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.37 CHF 14.98

$18.27 CHF 14.90

0.55%

Cappuccino

$6.17 CHF 5.03

$6.23 CHF 5.08

-0.96%

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

$4.94 CHF 4.03

$5.40 CHF 4.40

-8.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 CHF 3.30

$4.96 CHF 4.05

-18.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.43 CHF 8.51

$9.25 CHF 7.54

12.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.92 CHF 8.09

$7.50 CHF 6.12

32.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.81

$2.19 CHF 1.78

1.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.93 CHF 3.21

$3.63 CHF 2.96

8.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 CHF 2.67

$3.69 CHF 3.01

-11.11%

Eggs

$7.35 CHF 5.99

$7.92 CHF 6.46

-7.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.00 CHF 20.39

$26.62 CHF 21.71

-6.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.00 CHF 22.83

$28.09 CHF 22.91

-0.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.86 CHF 32.50

$40.58 CHF 33.09

-1.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 CHF 3.01

$3.50 CHF 2.86

5.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.74

$2.05 CHF 1.67

4.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 CHF 2.02

$2.73 CHF 2.23

-9.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.73

$4.81 CHF 3.93

-4.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 CHF 1.49

$1.80 CHF 1.47

1.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.66

$2.24 CHF 1.83

-8.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 CHF 1.64

$2.43 CHF 1.98

-16.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 CHF 1.43

$1.26 CHF 1.03

39.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.10 CHF 9.05

$10.83 CHF 8.83

2.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.26 CHF 12.44

$12.24 CHF 9.98

24.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 CHF 2.18

$2.82 CHF 2.30

-4.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 CHF 2.69

$3.09 CHF 2.52

6.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.83 CHF 3.94

$4.32 CHF 3.52

11.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.1 CHF 79.2

$99.1 CHF 80.8

-1.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.08 CHF 6.59

$7.50 CHF 6.11

7.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.67 CHF 3.81

$4.18 CHF 3.41

11.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$85.7 CHF 69.9

$72.6 CHF 59.2

17.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 CHF 1.90

$2.35 CHF 1.92

-1.28%

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

$38.7K CHF 31.5K

$42.1K CHF 34.3K

-8.12%

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

$39.0K CHF 31.8K

$38.9K CHF 31.7K

0.29%

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

$294 CHF 239

$256 CHF 209

14.76%

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

$37.95 CHF 30.95

$30.76 CHF 25.08

23.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 CHF 43.33

$58.5 CHF 47.70

-9.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 CHF 60.2

$75.6 CHF 61.7

-2.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.25 CHF 39.35

$43.38 CHF 35.37

11.23%

Cinema Ticket

$24.47 CHF 19.95

$20.89 CHF 17.04

17.14%

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

$2,912 CHF 2,375

$2,539 CHF 2,071

14.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.3K CHF 35.3K

$34.3K CHF 28.0K

26.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 118

$134 CHF 110

7.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.2 CHF 64.6

$71.0 CHF 57.9

11.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 CHF 114

$165 CHF 135

-15.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$221 CHF 180

$193 CHF 158

14.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,445 CHF 1,994

$1,720 CHF 1,403

42.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,844 CHF 1,504

$1,812 CHF 1,478

1.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,324 CHF 3,526

$2,810 CHF 2,291

53.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,239 CHF 2,641

$2,294 CHF 1,871

41.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.6K CHF 15.2K

$15.8K CHF 12.9K

17.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.8K CHF 11.2K

$11.8K CHF 9,587

17.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,545 CHF 5,337

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

2.03

-3.94%

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

Last update for Lausanne: November 2, 2026

Last update for Altstätten: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.8K 48.1%

Altstätten

$1.8K 48.5% 1.7% $32

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$592 15.5%

Altstätten

$591 15.8% 0.1% $0.9

Eating Out

Lausanne

$477 12.5%

Altstätten

$475 12.7% 0.4% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$385 10%

Altstätten

$345 9.2% 10.3% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$263 6.9%

Altstätten

$254 6.8% 3.5% $9.3

Getting Around

Lausanne

$148 3.9%

Altstätten

$145 3.9% 2.1% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$123 3.2%

Altstätten

$117 3.1% 4.3% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,445 in Lausanne versus $1,720 in Altstätten. 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 $116 in Lausanne versus $121 in Altstätten. Groceries tell a different story – $592 in Lausanne vs $591 in Altstätten – so Altstätten wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇨🇭 Altstätten

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

Same time as Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

11,145

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.23 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1 CHF = 1.23 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lausanne Altstätten 240 km

From you

Lausanne
Altstätten

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 Altstätten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,748 per month in Lausanne and $5,610 in Altstätten. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Altstätten, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,720 there versus $2,445 in Lausanne.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $116 in Lausanne and $121 in Altstätten. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $2,912 per month in Lausanne and $2,539 in Altstätten. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,832 in Lausanne and $3,740 in Altstätten. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Altstätten – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.