Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Bellinzona

For one person, living is cheaper in Bellinzona: $3,572 a month against $3,837 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lausanne outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

183

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index
171

Cost of Living Index in Bellinzona
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Bellinzona Living Index

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Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,837

/mo nomad

Bellinzona

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,572

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne and in Bellinzona

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

A single person spends $3,837 per month in Lausanne vs $3,572 in Bellinzona, rent included.

Lausanne $3,837
Bellinzona $3,572

A couple spends around $5,789 per month in Lausanne vs $5,491 in Bellinzona, rent included.

Lausanne $5,789
Bellinzona $5,491

A family of three spends $7,741 per month in Lausanne vs $7,411 in Bellinzona, rent included.

Lausanne $7,741
Bellinzona $7,411

Lausanne costs about 7% more than Bellinzona.

Both Lausanne and Bellinzona sit above the global median – Lausanne by 182%, Bellinzona by 162%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.81 CHF 25.41

$34.79 CHF 28.69

-11.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$116 CHF 95.5

$119 CHF 98.2

-2.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.81 CHF 14.69

$18.24 CHF 15.04

-2.36%

Cappuccino

$6.13 CHF 5.05

$4.80 CHF 3.96

27.71%

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

$5.17 CHF 4.27

$5.28 CHF 4.35

-2.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 CHF 3.42

$4.47 CHF 3.69

-7.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.14 CHF 8.37

$9.61 CHF 7.93

5.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.59 CHF 7.91

$6.73 CHF 5.55

42.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.83

$2.18 CHF 1.79

1.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.81 CHF 3.15

$4.14 CHF 3.41

-7.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 CHF 2.70

$4.11 CHF 3.39

-20.19%

Eggs

$7.24 CHF 5.97

$7.86 CHF 6.48

-7.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.40 CHF 20.13

$26.65 CHF 21.98

-8.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.51 CHF 22.69

$30.79 CHF 25.39

-10.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.81 CHF 32.83

$41.82 CHF 34.50

-4.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 CHF 2.92

$3.71 CHF 3.06

-4.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.77

$2.03 CHF 1.68

5.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 CHF 2.06

$2.82 CHF 2.33

-11.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 CHF 3.70

$6.48 CHF 5.34

-30.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CHF 1.53

$2.05 CHF 1.69

-9.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CHF 1.60

$2.20 CHF 1.82

-11.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 CHF 1.64

$2.45 CHF 2.02

-18.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 CHF 1.39

$1.30 CHF 1.07

30.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.99 CHF 9.06

$10.98 CHF 9.06

0.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.96 CHF 12.34

$18.12 CHF 14.94

-17.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 CHF 2.17

$2.86 CHF 2.36

-7.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 CHF 2.58

$3.97 CHF 3.27

-21.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.68 CHF 3.86

$2.75 CHF 2.27

70.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.1 CHF 79.2

$122 CHF 101

-21.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.94 CHF 6.55

$7.40 CHF 6.11

7.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.45 CHF 3.67

$5.48 CHF 4.52

-18.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.5 CHF 68.8

$36.65 CHF 30.23

127.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 CHF 1.90

$2.26 CHF 1.86

2.21%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

0.22%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

0.78%

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

$299 CHF 247

$308 CHF 254

-2.96%

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

$37.02 CHF 30.53

$36.80 CHF 30.35

0.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.2 CHF 43.01

$62.6 CHF 51.6

-16.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.6 CHF 58.3

$146 CHF 120

-51.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.90 CHF 40.33

$54.1 CHF 44.62

-9.61%

Cinema Ticket

$24.49 CHF 20.20

$23.86 CHF 19.68

2.64%

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

$2,960 CHF 2,441

$3,258 CHF 2,687

-9.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.8K CHF 30.3K

$35.1K CHF 29.0K

4.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 118

$198 CHF 163

-27.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.8 CHF 65.0

$48.72 CHF 40.18

61.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 CHF 115

$163 CHF 134

-14.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$213 CHF 176

$172 CHF 142

23.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,369 CHF 1,954

$1,574 CHF 1,299

50.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,863 CHF 1,536

$1,411 CHF 1,164

32.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,244 CHF 3,500

$2,491 CHF 2,055

70.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,230 CHF 2,664

$2,504 CHF 2,065

29.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.4K CHF 15.2K

$13.8K CHF 11.4K

33.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

$10.3K CHF 8,531

31.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,587 CHF 5,433

$6,707 CHF 5,532

-1.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

2.23

-12.56%

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

Last update for Lausanne: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bellinzona: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.9K 48.6%

Bellinzona

$1.4K 39.5% 24.3% $452

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$583 15.2%

Bellinzona

$639 17.9% 9.7% $57

Eating Out

Lausanne

$481 12.5%

Bellinzona

$491 13.8% 2.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$388 10.1%

Bellinzona

$407 11.4% 5% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$259 6.7%

Bellinzona

$262 7.3% 1.2% $3.1

Getting Around

Lausanne

$145 3.8%

Bellinzona

$168 4.7% 15.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$120 3.1%

Bellinzona

$194 5.4% 61.8% $74

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,369 in Lausanne versus $1,574 in Bellinzona. 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 $119 in Bellinzona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $583 vs $639 – making Lausanne the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇨🇭 Bellinzona

🕒 Local time

05:13 5:13 AM

Same time as Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

43,785

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Lausanne Bellinzona 190 km

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 Bellinzona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,756 per month in Lausanne and $5,357 in Bellinzona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bellinzona, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,574 there versus $2,369 in Lausanne.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,837 in Lausanne and $3,572 in Bellinzona. That makes Bellinzona about 7% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 21% less in Lausanne. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,837 in Lausanne and $3,572 in Bellinzona. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Lausanne has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $3,572 in Bellinzona to $3,837 in Lausanne. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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