Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Baar

For one person, living costs are similar in Lausanne and in Baar: $3,769 and $3,847 a month, rent and utilities included.

182

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index
185

Cost of Living Index in Baar
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Baar Living Index

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Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,769

/mo nomad

Baar

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,847

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne and in Baar

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

A single person spends $3,769 per month in Lausanne vs $3,847 in Baar, rent included.

Lausanne $3,769
Baar $3,847

A couple spends around $5,735 per month in Lausanne vs $6,279 in Baar, rent included.

Lausanne $5,735
Baar $6,279

A family of three spends $7,701 per month in Lausanne vs $8,711 in Baar, rent included.

Lausanne $7,701
Baar $8,711

Lausanne is about 2% cheaper than Baar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lausanne and Baar sit above the global median – Lausanne by 178%, Baar by 184%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.80 CHF 24.54

$30.24 CHF 24.90

-1.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$113 CHF 93.1

$123 CHF 102

-8.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.81 CHF 14.67

$18.03 CHF 14.85

-1.22%

Cappuccino

$6.01 CHF 4.95

$6.09 CHF 5.01

-1.31%

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

$5.16 CHF 4.25

$5.51 CHF 4.54

-6.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 CHF 3.50

$4.72 CHF 3.88

-9.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.19 CHF 8.39

$8.41 CHF 6.92

21.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.58 CHF 7.89

$6.86 CHF 5.65

39.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$2.19 CHF 1.80

0.91%

White Bread (500g)

$4.03 CHF 3.32

$3.88 CHF 3.19

3.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.35 CHF 2.76

$3.79 CHF 3.12

-11.61%

Eggs

$7.33 CHF 6.04

$8.27 CHF 6.81

-11.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.14 CHF 19.89

$27.52 CHF 22.67

-12.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.97 CHF 23.04

$28.31 CHF 23.32

-1.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.69 CHF 32.69

$42.77 CHF 35.23

-7.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 CHF 2.97

$4.12 CHF 3.39

-12.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$2.12 CHF 1.75

-3.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 CHF 2.03

$3.14 CHF 2.58

-21.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 CHF 3.70

$4.53 CHF 3.73

-0.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CHF 1.47

$2.48 CHF 2.04

-27.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 CHF 1.64

$2.22 CHF 1.83

-10.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$2.46 CHF 2.03

-17.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 CHF 1.46

$1.17 CHF 0.97

51.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.06 CHF 9.11

$10.85 CHF 8.94

1.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.26 CHF 12.57

$12.58 CHF 10.36

21.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 CHF 2.19

$2.71 CHF 2.24

-1.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 CHF 2.60

$3.14 CHF 2.58

0.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.33 CHF 3.57

$3.65 CHF 3.01

18.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 CHF 78.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 CHF 6.50

$5.59 CHF 4.60

41.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.62 CHF 3.81

$3.47 CHF 2.86

33.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$85.1 CHF 70.1

$60.3 CHF 49.62

41.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.40 CHF 1.97

$2.24 CHF 1.85

7.14%

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

$39.7K CHF 32.7K

$38.6K CHF 31.8K

2.68%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$39.0K CHF 32.2K

1.52%

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

$299 CHF 246

$283 CHF 233

5.41%

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

$37.20 CHF 30.64

$31.92 CHF 26.29

16.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 CHF 42.34

$56.6 CHF 46.59

-9.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.3 CHF 59.5

$73.7 CHF 60.7

-1.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$49.35 CHF 40.65

$77.8 CHF 64.0

-36.54%

Cinema Ticket

$24.67 CHF 20.31

$26.81 CHF 22.08

-7.98%

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

$2,962 CHF 2,440

$1,813 CHF 1,494

63.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.8K CHF 30.3K

$32.7K CHF 26.9K

12.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$141 CHF 116

-0.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.1 CHF 63.5

$59.8 CHF 49.27

28.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 CHF 115

$164 CHF 135

-15.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$215 CHF 177

$259 CHF 213

-17.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,297 CHF 1,892

$2,423 CHF 1,995

-5.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,800 CHF 1,482

$1,953 CHF 1,608

-7.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,259 CHF 3,507

$5,495 CHF 4,525

-22.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,215 CHF 2,648

$4,259 CHF 3,508

-24.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.0K CHF 14.8K

$27.3K CHF 22.5K

-34.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.0K CHF 11.5K

$21.8K CHF 18.0K

-35.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,544 CHF 5,389

$6,615 CHF 5,449

-1.09%

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 18, 2026

Last update for Baar: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.8K 47.8%

Baar

$2K 50.7% 8.5% $153

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$588 15.6%

Baar

$611 15.9% 3.9% $23

Eating Out

Lausanne

$472 12.5%

Baar

$466 12.1% 1.3% $6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$387 10.3%

Baar

$372 9.7% 4% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$257 6.8%

Baar

$281 7.3% 9.2% $24

Getting Around

Lausanne

$143 3.8%

Baar

$38 * 1% 73.8% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$122 3.2%

Baar

$127 3.3% 4.7% $5.7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,297 in Lausanne versus $2,423 in Baar. 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 1% higher in Baar, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $113 in Lausanne versus $123 in Baar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $588 vs $611 – making Lausanne the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇨🇭 Baar

🕒 Local time

11:24 11:24 AM

Same time as Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

23,557

💱 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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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 Baar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Baar is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,654 per month in Lausanne and $5,770 in Baar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lausanne, 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 $3,769 in Lausanne and $3,847 in Baar. That's a gap of about 2%.

Kindergarten costs $2,962 per month in Lausanne and $1,813 in Baar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,769 in Lausanne and $3,847 in Baar. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

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 Lausanne. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Baar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.