Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $3,790 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $23,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

182

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,790

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne and in Athens

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,790 in Lausanne versus $1,806 in Athens.

Lausanne $3,790
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,672 in Lausanne versus $2,731 in Athens.

Lausanne $5,672
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,554 in Lausanne versus $3,656 in Athens.

Lausanne $7,554
Athens $3,656

Living in Lausanne is roughly 110% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lausanne 183% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.72 CHF 24.67

$16.66 €14.87

78.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 CHF 96.9

$66.2 €59.1

76.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.81 CHF 14.78

$11.06 €9.87

61.03%

Cappuccino

$6.03 CHF 5.00

$4.14 €3.69

45.65%

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

$4.99 CHF 4.14

$2.80 €2.50

78.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 CHF 3.40

$0.57 €0.51

619.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.12 CHF 8.40

$5.64 €5.03

79.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.39 CHF 7.80

$5.46 €4.87

71.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.24 CHF 1.86

$1.96 €1.75

14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.96 CHF 3.29

$1.41 €1.26

180.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 CHF 2.77

$2.83 €2.53

17.67%

Eggs

$7.05 CHF 5.85

$5.04 €4.50

39.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.14 CHF 20.04

$15.35 €13.70

57.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.93 CHF 23.19

$10.34 €9.23

170.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.52 CHF 32.81

$18.97 €16.93

108.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 CHF 2.88

$2.17 €1.93

59.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.78

$1.91 €1.70

12.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 CHF 2.12

$1.38 €1.23

85.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.65 CHF 3.86

$2.20 €1.96

111.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 CHF 1.48

$1.10 €0.98

61.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 CHF 1.64

$1.13 €1.00

74.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 CHF 1.63

$1.10 €0.99

79.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 CHF 1.44

$0.83 €0.74

108.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.68 CHF 8.86

$5.60 €4.99

90.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.21 CHF 12.63

$10.19 €9.09

49.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 CHF 2.24

$2.18 €1.95

23.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CHF 2.64

$2.45 €2.19

29.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.45 CHF 3.69

$1.38 €1.23

222.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.3 CHF 78.3

$30.87 €27.55

205.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 CHF 6.55

$4.37 €3.90

80.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.50 CHF 3.74

$1.04 €0.93

332.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.4 CHF 69.2

$17.11 €15.27

387.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 CHF 1.91

$2.31 €2.07

-0.43%

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

$43.5K CHF 36.1K

$28.0K €25.0K

55.58%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

$28.0K €25.0K

41.25%

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

$288 CHF 239

$210 €187

37.36%

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

$37.56 CHF 31.17

$26.70 €23.83

40.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.2 CHF 43.35

$30.13 €26.89

73.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 CHF 60.0

$54.6 €48.72

32.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.87 CHF 40.56

$26.03 €23.23

87.74%

Cinema Ticket

$23.88 CHF 19.82

$10.78 €9.62

121.52%

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

$2,913 CHF 2,418

$575 €513

406.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.7K CHF 30.5K

$13.1K €11.7K

179.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$142 CHF 118

$93.2 €83.1

51.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.0 CHF 63.9

$40.68 €36.30

89.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 CHF 118

$104 €92.9

36.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$212 CHF 176

$128 €115

65.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,280 CHF 1,892

$756 €674

201.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 CHF 1,505

$652 €582

178.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,204 CHF 3,489

$1,294 €1,154

224.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,202 CHF 2,657

$1,163 €1,038

175.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K CHF 15.1K

$4,008 €3,577

354.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

$3,452 €3,081

296.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,565 CHF 5,449

$1,243 €1,110

428.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

4.48

-56.47%

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

Last update for Lausanne: October 4, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.8K 48.2%

Athens

$652 36.5% 64% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$586 15.6%

Athens

$315 17.6% 46.3% $271

Eating Out

Lausanne

$469 12.5%

Athens

$269 15% 42.7% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$378 10%

Athens

$267 14.9% 29.5% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$257 6.8%

Athens

$165 9.2% 36% $93

Getting Around

Lausanne

$143 3.8%

Athens

$46 2.6% 67.8% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$120 3.2%

Athens

$76 4.3% 36.5% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,280 in Lausanne and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lausanne pays 428% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $117 in Lausanne vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $586 vs $315 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

07:09 7:09 AM

08:09 8:09 AM

1 h ahead of Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.2 USD

1 CHF = 1.07 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 0.931 CHF (1 CHF = 1.07 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lausanne Athens 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lausanne
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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 Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 110% lower than in Lausanne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 428% higher in Lausanne, 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: $2,280 in Lausanne versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $117 in Lausanne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,790 per month in Lausanne versus $1,806 in Athens – a 110% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $3,790 in Lausanne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Lausanne. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lausanne and Athens 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 Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 110% less than in Lausanne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.