Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,704 a month against $3,790 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

182

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,790

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne and in Austin, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,790 in Lausanne versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Lausanne $3,790
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,672 in Lausanne versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Lausanne $5,672
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,554 in Lausanne versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Lausanne $7,554
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Lausanne is roughly 40% more expensive than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lausanne 183% above, Austin, TX 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.72 CHF 24.67

$20.22 $20.22

46.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 CHF 96.9

$85.0 $85.0

37.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.81 CHF 14.78

$12.35 $12.35

44.21%

Cappuccino

$6.03 CHF 5.00

$5.47 $5.47

10.24%

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

$4.99 CHF 4.14

$3.82 $3.82

30.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 CHF 3.40

$2.50 $2.50

64.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.12 CHF 8.40

$8.06 $8.06

25.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.39 CHF 7.80

$8.99 $8.99

4.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.24 CHF 1.86

$1.13 $1.13

98.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.96 CHF 3.29

$3.78 $3.78

4.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 CHF 2.77

$3.25 $3.25

2.46%

Eggs

$7.05 CHF 5.85

$4.14 $4.14

70.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.14 CHF 20.04

$13.08 $13.08

84.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.93 CHF 23.19

$14.31 $14.31

95.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.52 CHF 32.81

$15.96 $15.96

147.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 CHF 2.88

$4.38 $4.38

-20.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.78

$1.45 $1.45

47.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 CHF 2.12

$4.54 $4.54

-43.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.65 CHF 3.86

$4.19 $4.19

10.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 CHF 1.48

$2.63 $2.63

-32.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 CHF 1.64

$2.36 $2.36

-16.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 CHF 1.63

$1.76 $1.76

11.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 CHF 1.44

$2.16 $2.16

-19.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.68 CHF 8.86

$9.81 $9.81

8.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.21 CHF 12.63

$14.72 $14.72

3.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 CHF 2.24

$2.78 $2.78

-2.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CHF 2.64

$3.48 $3.48

-8.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.45 CHF 3.69

$1.49 $1.49

198.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.3 CHF 78.3

$40.51 $40.51

132.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 CHF 6.55

$2.67 $2.67

195.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.50 CHF 3.74

$1.58 $1.58

184.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.4 CHF 69.2

$35.29 $35.29

136.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 CHF 1.91

$0.99 $0.99

132.32%

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

$43.5K CHF 36.1K

$35.8K $35.8K

21.60%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

$27.2K $27.2K

45.61%

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

$288 CHF 239

$219 $219

31.40%

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

$37.56 CHF 31.17

$58.0 $58.0

-35.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.2 CHF 43.35

$68.4 $68.4

-23.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 CHF 60.0

$57.9 $57.9

24.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.87 CHF 40.56

$14.82 $14.82

229.76%

Cinema Ticket

$23.88 CHF 19.82

$14.13 $14.13

69.00%

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

$2,913 CHF 2,418

$1,509 $1,509

93.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.7K CHF 30.5K

$21.5K $21.5K

71.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$142 CHF 118

$51.7 $51.7

174.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.0 CHF 63.9

$44.05 $44.05

74.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 CHF 118

$85.1 $85.1

66.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$212 CHF 176

$105 $105

101.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,280 CHF 1,892

$1,932 $1,932

17.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 CHF 1,505

$1,272 $1,272

42.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,204 CHF 3,489

$3,670 $3,670

14.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,202 CHF 2,657

$2,525 $2,525

26.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K CHF 15.1K

$7,617 $7,617

139.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

$3,199 $3,199

327.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,565 CHF 5,449

$5,105 $5,105

28.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

6.79

-71.28%

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

Last update for Lausanne: October 4, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.8K 48.2%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 29.8% $541

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$586 15.6%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 31.3% $183

Eating Out

Lausanne

$469 12.5%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 25.8% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$378 10%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 8.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$257 6.8%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 50% $129

Getting Around

Lausanne

$143 3.8%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 60% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$120 3.2%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 28.2% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,280 in Lausanne and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lausanne pays 29% 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 $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $586 vs $403 per month, with Austin, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

06:22 6:22 AM

7 h behind Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

974,447

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.2 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR 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 = 0.93 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

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

USD to CHF in detail →

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Between locations

Lausanne Austin, TX 8,610 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lausanne
Austin, TX

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 Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Lausanne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 29% 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 $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,790 per month in Lausanne versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 40% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 133% less than in Lausanne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Austin, TX is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Austin, TX delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,704 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Austin, TX hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lausanne and Austin, TX 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 Austin, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Lausanne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.