Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Bern

For one person, living is cheaper in Bern: $3,524 a month against $3,837 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

183

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index
171

Cost of Living Index in Bern
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Bern Living Index

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Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,837

/mo nomad

Bern

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne and in Bern

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,837 in Lausanne versus $3,524 in Bern.

Lausanne $3,837
Bern $3,524

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,789 in Lausanne versus $5,348 in Bern.

Lausanne $5,789
Bern $5,348

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,741 in Lausanne versus $7,171 in Bern.

Lausanne $7,741
Bern $7,171

Living in Lausanne is roughly 9% more expensive than in Bern, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lausanne 182% above, Bern 159% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.81 CHF 25.56

$28.73 CHF 23.83

7.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$116 CHF 96.0

$123 CHF 102

-5.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.81 CHF 14.77

$15.88 CHF 13.17

12.15%

Cappuccino

$6.13 CHF 5.08

$6.89 CHF 5.72

-11.03%

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

$5.17 CHF 4.29

$6.13 CHF 5.09

-15.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 CHF 3.44

$6.96 CHF 5.78

-40.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.14 CHF 8.42

$9.11 CHF 7.55

11.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.59 CHF 7.95

$8.06 CHF 6.69

18.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.84

$2.21 CHF 1.84

0.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.81 CHF 3.16

$2.92 CHF 2.42

30.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 CHF 2.72

$3.17 CHF 2.63

3.47%

Eggs

$7.24 CHF 6.00

$7.70 CHF 6.39

-5.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.40 CHF 20.24

$24.56 CHF 20.37

-0.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.51 CHF 22.82

$29.33 CHF 24.33

-6.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.81 CHF 33.02

$38.43 CHF 31.88

3.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 CHF 2.93

$3.80 CHF 3.15

-6.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.78

$2.01 CHF 1.67

6.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 CHF 2.07

$2.60 CHF 2.15

-4.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 CHF 3.73

$4.62 CHF 3.83

-2.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CHF 1.54

$1.65 CHF 1.37

12.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CHF 1.61

$2.05 CHF 1.70

-5.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 CHF 1.65

$2.21 CHF 1.84

-9.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 CHF 1.40

$1.28 CHF 1.06

32.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.99 CHF 9.12

$11.13 CHF 9.24

-1.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.96 CHF 12.41

$11.91 CHF 9.88

25.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 CHF 2.19

$2.29 CHF 1.90

15.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 CHF 2.60

$3.02 CHF 2.51

3.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.68 CHF 3.88

$6.35 CHF 5.27

-26.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.1 CHF 79.7

$97.9 CHF 81.2

-1.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.94 CHF 6.58

$7.99 CHF 6.63

-0.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.45 CHF 3.69

$4.66 CHF 3.86

-4.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.5 CHF 69.2

$110 CHF 91.4

-24.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 CHF 1.91

$2.36 CHF 1.96

-2.12%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.7K

$38.5K CHF 32.0K

2.28%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

$39.6K CHF 32.9K

-0.11%

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

$299 CHF 248

$272 CHF 225

9.97%

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

$37.02 CHF 30.71

$28.10 CHF 23.31

31.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.2 CHF 43.26

$54.0 CHF 44.82

-3.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.6 CHF 58.6

$85.2 CHF 70.7

-17.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.90 CHF 40.56

$47.65 CHF 39.53

2.62%

Cinema Ticket

$24.49 CHF 20.32

$25.53 CHF 21.18

-4.07%

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

$2,960 CHF 2,455

$3,123 CHF 2,591

-5.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.8K CHF 30.5K

$30.5K CHF 25.3K

20.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 119

$144 CHF 119

-0.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.8 CHF 65.4

$61.4 CHF 50.9

28.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 CHF 116

$155 CHF 129

-10.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$213 CHF 177

$198 CHF 164

7.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,369 CHF 1,966

$2,102 CHF 1,744

12.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,863 CHF 1,545

$1,584 CHF 1,314

17.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,244 CHF 3,520

$3,558 CHF 2,952

19.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,230 CHF 2,680

$2,670 CHF 2,215

21.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.4K CHF 15.3K

$18.2K CHF 15.1K

0.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

$14.0K CHF 11.6K

-3.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,587 CHF 5,465

$6,701 CHF 5,559

-1.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

2.46

-20.73%

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

Last update for Lausanne: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bern: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.9K 48.6%

Bern

$1.6K 45% 15% $279

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$583 15.2%

Bern

$570 16.2% 2.2% $13

Eating Out

Lausanne

$481 12.5%

Bern

$474 13.5% 1.3% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$388 10.1%

Bern

$354 10% 8.8% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$259 6.7%

Bern

$251 7.1% 2.8% $7.3

Getting Around

Lausanne

$145 3.8%

Bern

$155 4.4% 6.6% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$120 3.1%

Bern

$136 3.9% 13.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,369 in Lausanne and $2,102 in Bern. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $116 in Lausanne vs $123 in Bern. Groceries flip the comparison at $583 vs $570, with Bern cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇨🇭 Bern

🕒 Local time

22:18 10:18 PM

Same time as Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

128,848 Capital

💱 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

On the map

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Lausanne Bern 78 km

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Lausanne
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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 Bern: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bern wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Lausanne. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bern the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $5,756 in Lausanne and $5,286 in Bern to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,369 in Lausanne versus $2,102 in Bern. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,837 per month in Lausanne versus $3,524 in Bern – Bern is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Dining out is cheaper in Lausanne – a meal for two runs $116 versus $123 in Bern. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Lausanne and Bern are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.